Ninh Binh
If you are looking to experience Vietnam’s countryside, Ninh Binh is the perfect spot for you! You will be presented with a completely different side of Vietnam with breathtaking landscapes and ancient temples tucked in between beautiful hills – a stark contrast to busy cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We spent 3 days here and had an amazing time!
In this article, we show you the most popular things to do, discuss where to stay and how to get to Ninh Binh, and give you some handy tips that will make your life easier here.
Things to do
There is a well-established bouquet of spots around Ninh Binh that most people visit, and rightly so. While not an off-the-beaten-path destination anymore, the sights still hold significant cultural value and the natural beauty of the region is truly unparalleled!
We booked an (almost) all-in-one tour through our homestay, and it was perfect for us to cover all the main spots in one day without the hassle of organising transportation everywhere. The company provided us with a comfortable van and a knowledgeable English-speaking tour guide. Our group was about 10 people, which felt like an ideal size to get to know other travellers. We paid €36 ($42) per person, which included all the entry tickets as well as a buffet lunch.
The sights we covered were Hoa Lu Old Capital, Bai Dinh Pagoda, a boat ride in Trang An and the Mua Caves & Viewpoint. But these are not the only things you can do here, so make sure to stick around until the end of the article!
You can find these kind of tours online; if you want to secure a spot in advance, take a look on Klook here. Alternatively, you can ask at your accommodation. All these stops are must-visit places in Ninh Binh that you can also discover separately, if you are staying in the region for longer.
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
Hoa Lu served as Vietnam’s capital from 968 to 1010, and the Đinh Tiên Hoàng Temple was constructed in the 17th century on the site of the ancient capital in honour of Vietnam’s first emperor. It is surrounded by beautiful lime stone mountains and rice fields. The intricate stone and wooden carvings symbolise long-standing Vietnamese traditions of agriculture and aquatic work.
It is a popular sight and its historic significance draws many Vietnamese tourists to the region too. We saw a lot of school groups on a day trip here. The kids were super excited to see us and were constantly waving at us. 😀
Our guide told us that many locals bring chicken as sacrifices. These offerings are a spiritual tradition. Literally five seconds later, a local walked by holding a plastic bag with a chicken head peeking out of it…
Bái Đính Pagoda
The Bái Đính Pagoda is one of the largest Buddhist compounds in Vietnam. The original temple was built in the 11th century spread across a series of caves, while the new comlex was completed recently in 2010.
The whole area stretches across more than 1,700 acres and was designed specifically to accommodate the growing number of visitors. There are multiple shrines and pagodas, as well as a bell tower you can visit.
Trang An Boat Ride
One of the most popular things to do around Ninh Binh is to go for a boat ride on the backwaters of Trang An. The journey takes around 1.5 hours in tiny boats paddled by locals. The waterways run along the foot of 250-million-year-old karst towers and lead through several caves beneath the mountains. It is a super relaxing experience and gives you a very unique perspective of the landscape. On the small islets, you can take a break to take a look at the pagodas and temples nestled between the hills.
Thanks to its unique landscape and cultural significance, Trang An became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Archaeologists actually found signs of human habitation in the hills dating back more than 30 thousand years!
Hang Mua Viewpoint and Mua Cave
The last stop on our tour was the Mua Cave and Viewpoint. You get some free time in this area and you can decide between climbing to the view point, seeing the cave, or both! We spotted many mountain goats on the slopes of the mountain – they seemed to be comfortable with visitors and came very close to us. The peak has amazing views of the landscape! You can see the tiny river meandering along the foot of the hills and beautiful rice paddies covering the banks like huge green blankets.
You can also take photos in the rice fields in front of the jaw-dropping landscape; there are even a couple of wooden plank paths so that you can literally stand in the middle of the paddies.
We spotted some cute mountain goats along the way. They were not shy and curiously examined visitors.
Cycling around the countryside
This was one of our favourite activities as it allowed us to really soak in the beautiful landscapes around us. We kept taking little breaks to take some photos and cycled around for ages, passing mountains, rivers, rice fields with Vietnamese grandmas working and animals grazing. There are also a number of cafes where you can stop to get a coffee.
Roads are well-marked on Google Maps, here are a couple of spots that we really liked and stopped for a while to take photos: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ReQaCFQYcBY6NGL8A
A lot of accommodations provide free bicycle rental, so make sure to check beforehand.
Evening walk along Tam Coc lake
We loved watching the sunset here and observing the local Vietnamese women doing their exercises by the lake. There are a couple of places to grab a bite or a coffee overlooking the lake. You can take a walk around the entire lake.
Bich Dong Pagoda
The Bich Dong Pagoda is a sacred complex and consists of an iconic gate with a bridge and three pagodas arranged at different levels of the mountain. The tranquil setting, featuring mountains and lakes covered with water lilies, adds to the pagoda’s charm. The pagoda was originally built in 1428 during the reign of Emperor Ly Thai To, as a small temple on Ngu Nhac Mountain. It is only 2 km away from Tam Coc and can be easily reached by bike. There is no entry fee.
Ninh Binh is also part of our Ultimate 2-week Vietnam Itinerary – make sure to check that out too!
How to get to Ninh Binh
From Da Nang
The sleeper train is the easiest way to get to Ninh Binh from Da Nang, as there are no airports nearby. We had a pleasant journey, the train compartments were clean and cosy. The ride takes about 15 hours, so we had plenty of time to sleep. Make sure to pack earplugs and a sleeping mask, as the train makes quite a lot of noise. You can book your tickets on the official DSVN website at https://dsvn.vn/. Be cautious, as there are multiple websites claiming to be the official booking platform. Alternatively, you can get a ticket on 12go.asia for a more user-friendly booking experience. We paid €32 / $37 per person for the tickets in a 4-berth cabin with air conditioning.
Outside the station in Hoa Lu, there will be many taxis waiting for the arrivals. We felt safer ordering via Grab, and paid €3.80 ($4.45) for the 15-minute ride to Tam Coc.
From Hanoi
As Hanoi is not too far from Ninh Binh, you can either opt for a train or bus. The train journey takes 2h15m, and tickets cost around €7/$8.15. The bus transportation usually means a van instead of a coach-type bus. The ride takes around 3 hours depending on the traffic (which can be quite heavy) and costs around €7/$8.15, similar to the train prices. The advantage is that you can usually book a drop-off directly in Tam Coc. You can book either type of tickets on 12go.asia, which is probably the most popular booking site in Asia when it comes to transportation.
You might be tempted to visit Ninh Binh as a daytrip, however, we recommend spending at least 2 nights there to fully enjoy the landscapes and not cram everything into a rushed tick-of-the-list experience.
Can’t get enough of Vietnam’s countryside? Take a look at Mai Chau, another great destination!
Where to stay
Some people stay in Hoa Lu, which is a larger city at the edge of the Ninh Binh scenic area. We decided to stay a bit closer to the major sights in Tam Coc. After we arrived, we found out that this is also an established tourist town, and was not as quiet as we’d hoped. The lake in the middle of the town added a nice atmosphere though, and was especially great for evening walks and as a starting point for bike rides out into nature.
We stayed at Vinh Thinh Homestay ($), a charming and quiet homestay close to the centre. We were able to easily reach many restaurants and the lake area on foot, which was great, as we did not rent a scooter. The owner was very friendly and helped us book the tour for a good price. We were also able to rent our bicycles here, right at the accommodation.
Other options we recommend considering, depending on your budget and preferences:
- Tam Coc Mountain Lake Homestay ($): A cosy homestay right by the lake with a nice pool to cool down in the heat.
- ChezCao Rice Field Ecolodge ($$): An incredible Ecolodge overlooking rice fields.
- Liberty Hall Tam Coc Hotel & Villa ($$): A great hotel with pool that is highly rated.
- Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh / Emeralda Resort Tam Coc ($$$): One of the most well-known luxury options in the area with beautiful pool areas on the island in the middle of Tam Coc’s lake.
Where to eat
You will find a lot of restaurants and bars along the Main Street of Tam Coc, where people stay out until late into the night. There are also many cafés catering towards tourists, so you won’t have trouble finding pancakes, sandwiches, avocado toasts and the likes if you’ve had enough Vietnamese cuisine… Some places we enjoyed a lot are:
- Mộc Tam Cốc: We had two very delicious and affordable dinners here: Location
- Bamboo Garden: a small family-run restaurant which happened to be right across our homestay. They offer traditional Vietnamese food and nice local beer. Location
- Tam Coc Délices Restaurant: A great local restaurant in a central location with a beautifully decorated garden (and a cute dog! :D) Location
- SisterFields Boutique Café: A very cute café with great Western breakfast choices. It’s a very popular spot, so make sure you arrive early if you are planning to have breakfast. Location
If you book a daytrip to see all the major sights in the area, your lunch will most probably be included in the tour. We were taken to Trang An Resort for a nice buffet-style lunch. Location
Additional Tips
- Cash is king here, as in most places in Vietnam. There are a couple of ATMs in Tam Coc, but we recommend stocking up beforehand if you are arriving from a bigger city such as Hanoi or Hoi An.
- If you pay in cash for tours, you might be able to bargain a bit and get a better price.
