Hi Nona, hope you are enjoying Vietnam. I guess there’s no need to write a post, but here we are :joy:. I whipped this site up last summer, and had such big plans for it, but the ammount of work was so apprehensive I just didn’t have the energy to do so. Also if you ever want to talk about your travel in form of longer writing like this let me know so I can set it up :blush:. That aside, to the Ninh Binh trip.

Foreword

Since you said you haven’t know what you do next. I took the liberty to set up a little plan for you :joy:. I think you can spend anywhere from a day to a whole week here, but for this I will only ask two days of your time. I myself haven’t explored all of it, so I also got external help from friends and family.

The trip

The theme of Ninh Binh is historical sites scattered around its landscape, with valley, mountains, rivers and everything in between. The sites mainly came from two Vietnamese Dynasty, the Dinh and the Le.

Dinh dynasty is the first dynasty established after Vietnam gained independence from China. Ninh Binh was its capital, also known as Hoa Lu (hence the name for the ancient capital). However the regime was short-lived as it got seized by Marshal Le Hoan a little decade later from its formation. He then established the Le Dynasty with the capital also in Hoa Lu.

The sites are distributed between the Trang An Scenic complex and the Hoa Lu ancient capital. In the former you will see that the temple are scatterd throughout every corner of its water area, to see them you will need to travel through several narrow caves. In the latter, you will mainly visit the temples and tombs dedicated to the Emperors of the mentioned two dynasties.

So the general idea of the trip is to a) see these historical sites and b) visit natural or artifical landscapes unique to Ninh Binh (specifically caves and pagodas). I think it will take you 2~3 days to finish, but feel free to take your time.

Trang An

Opens from 06:00. Last pickup at 16:30. Pick one from three lines.

  Line 1 Line 2 Line 3
Time ~3h ~3h ~3h
No. of spots 9 caves
3 Historical sites		 4 caves
3 Historical sites		 3 caves
3 Historical sites
Highlight Most caves traversed
Only line to go through Tran temple
Various Sites		 Kong: Skull Island Set
Tran dynasty’s military bases
Various Sites		 Dot Cave (biggest & most impressive cave)
Kong set
Said military bases
Remarks Historical Sites Both Nature

Time taken put here varies wildly based on how you approach the spots, so just have them as reference only. The general rule of thumb is that it takes half a day to finish one line.

Lines 1 and 3 excel in its own focus. Line 2 is also popular since it has something for everyone, but compromises a little on what Lines 1 and 3 offer. Keep in mind that every line have both elements going for it, just the ratio between them is different.

I think you shouldn’t do two lines in succession since the novelty wears off. It’s easy to say something like “when in doubt pick Line 2”, but choose whatever speaks to you.

You may also wondering what on earth is the Tran dynasty doing here while I said the sites come from Dinh and Le. The reason is the Tran Emperor(s) either changed the name of some of the sites or built new ones here.

Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

Entrance fee 20K

This is the capital city of Vietnam in the 10th century. It’s a somewhat difficult to comes up with a coherent itinerary here, mainly because of the sheer volume of tombs and temples and whatnot concentrated in this place. You probably can just walk one or two blocks and there will be an ancient temple right to your left.

I will just list the some spots for you to lookout for (honestly you will probably better off just strolling randomly and go in whatever piques your interest :joy:). All of them are free to enter after you paid for the entry fee of 20K iirc.

  • Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang
  • Temple of King Le Dai Hanh
  • Shrine of Princess Phat Kim
  • Nhat Tru Pagoda (One Pillar Pagoda)
  • Am Tien Cave
  • etc.

Caves, Pagoda & other attractions

This is some of Ninh Binh’s unique attractions. I’m just showing you the options, and doing all of them is not expected.

Also I AI generated the description for some of the latter spots since it got recommended by friends and I don’t know much about them.

Bai Dinh

Opens 06:00 ~ 21:00 daily. Free entry. 60K for admission to the Bell Tower, paid at entrance. Electric car services:

Round trip (it’s a 10min hike from entrance to the complex, this cover that): 100K

Shuttle car (between points): 300K

A little thing to note that this whole complex is huge (like really huge), so to travel it all on foot it can take a whole day. It will take just 60K if don’t mind hiking. The electric car is nice for the round trip, I didn’t use the shuttle car so no comment.

I think you should go here in the morning. Part of the charm of traveling is getting lost in the scenery. If it took a whole day, it’s a day well spent. Else if you finish early, there’s always something for you to do here.

Here’s a map of the complex for you to get the idea.

Bai Dinh Map

Bich Dong - Tam Coc

Opens 07:00 ~ 17:00 daily. Free entry.

An ancient 10th century pagoda, built into the mountainside, you will climb stone steps to overlook the entire valley. It is nestled among bamboo groves and stones cliffs, generally very quiet.

Tam Coc an area, but people usually refer to it as a boat ride. It near the pagoda, so they usually got bundled together. However, you generally shouldn’t do it if you already plan to do Trang An. They are both boat rides and the latter edges out the former.

Hoa Lu Old Town

Free entry; boat rides on the lake cost extra

A little street built by a hotel, designed to evoke the Dai Co Viet era

  • Inaugurated in 2022, developed by the Hoa Lu Hotel group around Ky Lan Lake
  • Buildings modelled on 10th-century architecture with tiled roofs, wooden elements and intricate carvings
  • Best visited in the evening when lantern-lit

Mua Cave (Hang Múa)

Entry: 100,000 VND

  • “Mua” means “Dancing Cave,” from a legend that royal dancers performed here during the Tran dynasty
  • The main draw is 500 stone steps to the summit with panoramic views over rice paddies, limestone karsts and the Ngo Dong River
  • Best visited late May–early June when the rice paddies turn golden

Tuyet Tinh Coc (Am Tien Cave)

Nicknamed “the Valley of Broken Hearts”

  • An enclosed valley ringed by 100m-high limestone cliffs, 500m north of the Dinh temple
  • Natural freshwater lake of ~5,000m² sits at the centre
  • A legendary “execution stone” dates to King Dinh Tien Hoang’s reign

Van Long Swamp

Entry: 20,000 VND — much quieter and cheaper than Tam Coc

Known as “the bay without waves”

  • Largest wetland nature reserve in northern Vietnam at nearly 3,000 hectares
  • The only place in the world to observe the critically endangered Delacour’s langur in the wild
  • Designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2017

Co Vien Lau (Ancient Garden House)

  • Established in 2008, spanning over 20,000 sqm
  • Features 20+ authentic ancient houses relocated from villages across Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces
  • Houses date from the 18th–20th centuries, arranged around courtyards, lotus ponds and fruit orchards
  • Functions as a living museum of Red River Delta architecture
  • Located right next to the Tam Coc boat wharf

Cuc Phuong National Park

  • Vietnam’s oldest national park, established in 1962
  • Covers 22,000+ hectares across Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces
  • Home to 2,234+ plant species, 135 mammal species including Clouded Leopard and Asian Black Bear
  • Hosts the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre (est. 1993) and a Turtle Conservation Centre
  • Contains caves with human remains dating back 7,000–12,000 years
  • Features a famous 1,000-year-old tree deep in the ancient forest

The plan

Day 1: Ancient Capital, Tuyet Tinh Coc, Trang An

  • Go to the Ancient Capital at the Morning, stay there as long as you’d like.
  • If you are at around 10~11 and already sick of it, you can go to Tuyet Tinh Coc(remember to have lunch somewhere along the way)
  • If you are at around 13:00 still find yourself there, skip the Cave. You can make it to Trang An as long as you leave before 14:00.
  • Remember the last boat depature is at 16:30. But you still have to buy your tickets and queue. So best to arrive there before 16:00.
  • At Trang An, pick your Line.
  • Go back to the city centre, where you (probably) are staying
  • You can go to the Old Town at the evening post-dinner.

Day 2: Bai Dinh - Bich Dong - Hang Mua

  • Travel to Bai Dinh early morning, it’s a a bit far from the city centre.
  • You can spend the whole day there. But if you don’t (leaves before 14:00), go to either Bich Dong or Hang Mua
  • If you leave either of them and the time is still early (just ballpark it). Go to the other location.
  • Go back to where you are staying.

Day 3: The backup Day

  • If you are still haven’t done everything you want to to yet, this is your place.
  • Do anything you’d like, going to places you haven’t been to or just relax.
  • You can try the swamp or the national park. I do see that people take a lot of pretty pictures at the swamp.
  • That’s it, now to your next adventure :running:

Places to eat/Things you should try.

  • Goat meat, the local delicacy there, go to the place with the highest rating on Google map you could find.
  • Pho An: Pho restaurant but they sells Bun Bo Hue too. Pretty good, reasonable prices, I ate there once or twice.
  • Bep Khanh An: Cheap and delicious dry noodles, I think they have been in business for a long time
  • Kem Xoi Hung Thuy: Dessert spot nearby, ice creams, che(sweet soup eaten with ice, I love these). One reviewer said they also sells dumpling but I don’t remember it being a thing.
  • Lotus Pizza (⁉️): a friend’s sister said “this bangs”. I haven’t tried it, and it sounds a little dubious, but you can give it a try. Here’s to your adventurous heart :joy:
  • And many more! Check out the street vendors that sells fresh juices too!

Maps that can be handy

City centre

Historical sites

Outskirts

Other sites

Afterword

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a nice time in Ninh Binh. I wanted to get this out sooner but it just keep growing :joy:. It was pretty fun, too. I learnt a little bit more about its history and culture. You can tell me where you plan to go next, I think I can be of help :blush:.

Extra: pics I took last week in the New Year

Calligraphy Solicition

This is an annual rite of me (and many others as well), the idea is to solicit for a auspicious character, which is believed to bring goodluck, prosperity and all that good stuff. Dunno how effective that is, but hey at least you get yourself a nice decoration.

Temple Of Literature

After you get the character written, it’s time to get it blessed in the temple. It gets crazy crowded if you go in the 1st or 2nd day of the new year. I went in the 6th so it wasn’t as many people, but there’s still plenty.

Some dumb horses exhibited outside the temple