Ninh Binh is the capital of the province of the same name. However, the true highlight of the region lies in the surrounding landscapes, especially in the areas of Trang An and Tam Coc. Dozens of rivers meander through towering limestone mountains and lush green rice fields. Walking through the landscape, you feel as if you have been transported to a forgotten island. An impression that Hollywood seems to agree with, as Trang An was also the filming location for the 2017 King Kong reboot - Kong: Skull Island.
We travelled by bus from Cat Ba to Ninh Binh. With nothing to do in Ninh Binh itself, we booked a hostel in the middle of Trang An, which is about 20 minutes by car (or Grab) from Ninh Binh town. Trang An is much more rural than Ninh Binh. The roads around the accommodation are mainly gravel and there are hardly any restaurants or bars in the area. However, if you want to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and relax for a few days in the countryside, this is the place to be. Our hostel was located right between steep limestone cliffs and, like many accommodations in the area, offered everything we needed during our stay. This included a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, motorbike and bicycle rental, a pool and even a small kiosk.
We used our 5-day stay in Trang An to recover from the hectic travel routine and the back-to-back experiences of the previous days. In particular, I used it to recover from some rather nasty food poisoning I managed to get in Cat Ba.
We spent some time just relaxing by the pool, reading or catching up on our travel preparations and some days exploring the surroundings and sights.
One of the best things to do in Trang An is to rent a bycicle from the hostel and ride through the countryside at a leisurely pace whilst enjoying the magnificent views that unfold behind every bend. Most sites in the area are within a 15km radius of Trang An, so, if you are comfortable on a bycicle, you can reach them under your own steam. If you want to go further afield, you can rent a motorbike or call a Grab taxi to get where you need to go.
On our first day, we hiked to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu (Hoa Lư ). The city served as the capital of Dai Co Viet (Đại Cồ Việt), one of the early monarchies that stretched across the north of present-day Vietnam, from 968 to 1010 AD. Both the capital and the kingdom were founded by Đinh Tiên Hoàng (First Dinh Emperor) after he spent two years politically and militarily subjugating the 12 feudal warlords vying for control of the region. In 968, Đinh Tiên Hoàng finally appointed himself emperor of the newly founded kingdom of Dai Co Viet, establishing the first independent unified polity in northern Vietnam. Hoa Lu remained the capital of Dai Viet during the reign of the Đinh and Lê dynasties. In 1010, Emperor Lý Thái Tổ moved the capital to Thăng Long (present-day Hanoi). You can read more about the history and our visit to Hanoi here.
The old capital covered an area of about 3 km and was the political, financial and cultural centre of Dai Co Viet. Unfortunately, very little of the original structure remains, most of it having fallen victim to time and decay. In its place, you can visit temples built in the 17th century (and later modified and restored up until the 19th century) in honour of Emperors Đinh Tiên Hoàng and Lê Đại Hành. To get a glimpse of the original ruins, you can visit a small museum with an excavation site where you can see the original stone flooring and a range of artefacts from the area.
After our excursion into the history of early Vietnam, we visited the picturesque Bich Dong Pagoda. The pagoda consists of three levels that reach deep into the caves of Bich Dong Mountain and come out the other side. While the Instagram-worthy entrance gate attracts many visitors, the three pagodas themselves offer a fascinating climb up their stone steps. You dive into hidden caves behind the first pagoda, climb through dusky passages past large iron bells and, at the highest level, re-emmerge to lush jungle vegetation with views of the surrounding limestone mountains.
The highlight of our stay in Ninh Binh was undoubtedly the boat tour through Trang An. During a 2-3 hour round trip, you are taken on a rowing boat through the waterways of Trang An. The boats are an extremely popular tourist destination, so don't expect to be the only ones on the river. Nevertheless, the scenery we were confronted with was simply magical. As the sun set and cast deep shadows on the mountainsides, we drifted on the peaceful rivers that meandered through the towering, flora-covered cliffs. The tour also takes you through flooded caves that have formed underneath the limestone behemenths that dominate the landscape. Some of the cave passages are surprisingly narrow, making you feel like you're in your own adventure novel as you dodge stalactites left and right. There are 3 different routes that take you through a different number of caves and hidden temples to explore. We chose route 2 (which is less popular than route 1) because we hoped it would be a little less crowded. The boats always seat 4 people, and after a short wait we were assigned to a boat with a very friendly, young Vietnamese couple who were taking a domestic holiday over the long weekend. Fortunately, they also spoke excellent English and were able to translate our oarsman's instructions and directions to us as we rowed down the river.
In the gallery below you can find some impressions of our boat trip.
If you want to see more pictures from the beautiful region of Ninh Binh, click here to go to our Impressions gallery.
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