Why Ninh Binh – Dried Ha Long Bay must be in your bucket list?

About Ninh Binh

Once the capital of the country during the 10th century, Ninh Binh is featured by historical heroes and touching stories since the country’s early formation. Ninh Binh is a sacred land of extraordinary people. We could name some heroes like Dinh Tien Hoang King, Le Dai Hanh King, Nguyen Cong Tru, Truong Han Sieu, etc., who played important roles in the development of the country, the independence achievement, as well as the nation's protection.

Ninh Binh province is often referred to as the dried Halong Bay, one of the most renowned attractions in Vietnam, with karst mountains split up by the river and scattered all over the land. Ninh Binh could be, and definitely should be, on your bucket list while traveling in the northern region of Vietnam because of the tranquil and scenic landscape; plus, it’s super convenient to arrange a day trip to Ninh Binh from Hanoi thanks to the moderate distance. 

Tam Coc

One of the most popular places in Ninh Binh, Tam Coc in Ninh Binh, Vietnam, means “three caves” and is endowed with still Ngo Dong River, blocked by the karst mountain. After a million years, the limestone has been eroded and water currents smoothly run through the mountains, which nowadays create a charming sightseeing complex of boat trips and three water caves. 

Stop by and hop on a local boat, then sail quietly along the calm river for around 1.5 – 2 hours to contemplate the picturesque karst mountain and explore the water caves. Different travel seasons will offer different colorful landscapes. During March–May, nature is wholly greenish with trees on the mountains, emerald water in the river, and green rice planted on the riverbank. In one month, the area is embellished with some yellow tripe when the rice is ripe and colored bright yellow. The rest months would be variable depending on rotational agriculture farming.

Trang An Ecological Site
 

Belonging to the Trang An Complex of 2,168 ha, Trang An Ecological Site is a beguiling area pleasing visitors with its archeological, geographical, and aesthetic values, which make the place listed as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage. Trang An is a place of giant karst mountains forming different shapes, lying next to the graceful and still river winding to connect the caves and valleys. The ecological site offers visitors beautiful scenes with a fresh atmosphere for a pleasant visit.

There are multiple choices of exploring Trang An Ninh Binh Vietnam, and could be divided into two main ways, either via waterway or land hiking. For the waterway, a local villager will row the boat floating you along an emerald Sao Khe River to admire the serene landscape, go through 12 water caves, with the longest one of 321m. They are named interestingly, such as Three Drops Grottos, Sticky Rice Making, Dark Cave, Bright Cave, etc. Besides, the boat ride could be combined with three possible spiritual stops to see historical and religious temples. Boat ride duration could be varied from 1.5 hours to 3 hours, with some options for routes. The opening hours for this activity are from 7:30 am – 4:00 pm.

Active people seeking off-beaten-track could follow the trails, hike up to a hill around 60m high. Beginning at Cay Bang Pier, you will excitingly surpass Cay hill (named after Cay Tree, a branch of Diospyros species, which mainly cover this hill), Vai hill (also named after Vai Tree) and Tran Temple Hill where is presented with sacred Tran Temple – one of the country’s four guardian temples during the Dinh Dynasty. 

Hoa Lu Temples

Hoa Lu was the first capital of Vietnam – a Feudal Centralized State settling in Ninh Binh for 42 years (938 – 1010); though the land witnessed significant historical happenings and national missions attached to three dynasties: Dinh, Early Le, Ly. Undoubtedly, the Dinh King with excellent vision chose Hoa Lu, surrounded by rolling mountain ranges and winding Hoang Long River as the capital. The granted craggy mountains were very helpful to the country’s defense from the invaders.

As time passed, the opulent palace was destroyed and left on the ground. These days, visitors could visit Hoa Lu Temples - originally built in the 11th century and partly damaged by the war; fortunately, then restored in the 17th century by the Nguyen Dynasty, and their impressive architecture has remained since then. Symbolic relics to be called out are the Dragon Bed representing the King’s power, the goose neck pillar, lacquer carving, old language drawing, etc. Hoa Lu Temples are definitely a lovely place to be input in your Ninh Binh Vietnam Day trip.

Bich Dong Pagoda 

Bich Dong Pagoda in Ninh Binh was constructed on the Bich Dong Mountain, which is famously known as the second most beautiful cave of Vietnam, after Perfume Pagoda Cave. Bich Dong Pagoda comprises three leveled pagodas – Ha Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, and Thuong Pagoda, which respectively mean Low, Medium, and High leveled pagodas. They are distributed well on the mountains and lie in-between with old trees. Especially, the marvelous view from the highest pagoda of the land field and other limestone mountains is breathtaking.

Bai Dinh Pagoda
 

Bai Dinh Pagoda is the largest pagoda in Vietnam, at 539 ha, and was built in 2003. Located around 17km from Ninh Binh City, Bai Dinh Pagoda is a site in the buffer zone of Trang An Complex. The pagoda amazes visitors with its vast premises, huge Buddha statues weighing up to 10 tons, the Arhat Buddha corridor, a giant bell, and so on. This spot is a popular Buddhist Pilgrimage spot and is regularly visited by both foreign and local Buddhists.

Mua Cave

Mua Cave in Ninh Binh, meaning dancing cave, is the place where the Tran King came over and enjoyed dancing performances by imperial maids. The challenge of hiking 500 stairs in Ninh Binh is worth the amazing view from above of Coc's serene mountains and Ngo Dong River. The view has always been fantastic and more stunning during May–June when the rice meadow is mostly lush green and turning yellow. There are two paths leading to the cave premise. It’s very convenient for you to find the way to reach the cave after the sightseeing of Tam Coc or Trang An, and Hoa Lu.

Tranquil countryside 

Apart from the above must-see places in Ninh Binh, the last point urging you to Ninh Binh is this land’s peacefulness and green scenery. There are promising chances to observe local life and even interact with villagers in a rural hamlet of Vietnam while you're taking the bike around, getting on the same boat with them, and greeting them while passing each other.

Normally, the visitors arrange a day trip to Ninh Binh from Hanoi; however, if your timing is not so tight, you can spend one night at a local homestay, a budget hotel in Ninh Binh, 4 hotel, an ecolodge, or a 5-star resort. Ninh Binh has all to match your spending budget. Getting around Ninh Binh is not difficult. You can use the private air-conditioned car, hop on a bike and explore leisurely, or rent a motorbike and practice your skills. There are so many unique activities in Ninh Binh to do as well. Refer to the other Ninh Binh travel blog of ours, Ninh Binh is Halong bay on land, is this all as saying for more untouristic places in Ninh Binh.