Ninh Binh, knew as “Ha Long Bay on land of Viet Nam”, located 100 kilometers south of Old quarter, is a beautiful place to visit to experience some of Vietnam’s most incredible natural sights, and often hailed as Vietnam’s hidden gem.
This place you can spend 1 day tour or more time ( 2 days – 3 days ), depending on the time you have available!
Why you should visit Ninh Binh at least 1 time
- Visit the beautiful Tam Coc karst landscape amongst the rice paddies (on April and May ) which are comparable to Ha Long Bay.
- Get out of the city and into nature; explore Van Long Nature Reserve or Cuc Phuong National Park to see amazing flora and fauna.
- Experience authentic Vietnamese village life outside of the main tourist cities and take a step back to relax.
- If you are a history lover, coming to Ninh Binh you can learn about the ancient capital of Hoa Lu or the largest gilded pagoda in Asia.
The best time to visit Ninh Binh
Depending on the place in Ninh Binh you want to explore, the time to visit will also vary a bit
To experience sitting on a boat and watching rice, you can go to Ninh Binh in April, May, and August
The appropriate time to explore Cuc Phuong National Forest will be around March and April
In addition, Ninh Binh is also very famous for its bird valley in the lava valley, you can come in October and November.
How to get Ninh Binh
You can enjoy with tour or by yourself
The best way to get around Ninh Binh is by renting a bicycle or motobike . Bike rental costs approximately 3 USD per day and motor will be 8 USD per day, and you can find them at either bicycle rental shops or at most hotels, too.
Taxi are also everywhere around Ninh Binh, and this is one of the easiest ways to get around the town but it will be more expensive
Make sure you bargain ahead of your journey! You can also negotiate for the drivers to wait at your destination and then bring you back to your hotel. While you’ll pay a little more in this case, it’s worth it to secure your ride back home!
Finally, there are also taxis around or private cars for hire (ask at your hotel for these) if you prefer those to bikes or motorbikes.
Best attraction in Ninh Binh you should visit
Tam Coc : is part of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, a dual UNESCO World Heritage Site with both cultural and ecological significance. This tourist attraction is renowned for its spectacular landscape of limestone mountains, caves, and rice paddies.
Trang An landscape complex is a very famous tourist place in Ninh Binh Viet Nam. It includes value ecotourism, history, culture and spirituality. Being most famous in Trang An landscape complex, Trang An grottoes is one of the best destinations to try once in your life with interesting boat tour with locals.
Last but not least, a famous film “King Kong 2” was produced based on sceneries taken in incredible landscape around Trang An grottoes in Ninh Binh, Viet Nam.
Hoa Lu capital: is the capital of an ancient Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet in the 10th century. This small Kingdom covered an area of only 300 hectares, and reigned from the 10th century, during the Dinh and Le dynasties, to the 11th century, during the Ly Dynasty
Bai Dinh Pagoda : is a famous spiritual scenic complex in the Bai Dinh – Trang An ecotourism spot with a history of more than 1000 years associated with the land of many feudal dynasties from the Dinh, the Early Le to the Ly
Thung Nham Bird Valley : is located in the famous Thung Nham Ecotourism Park in Ninh Binh Province of Vietnam. This is a nature reserve that still keeps the pristine, wild beauty, tropical forests, immense rivers to be a good palace for many rare and precious birds
Cuc Phuong forest : Covering 22,000 hectares stretching across Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces, Cuc Phuong is the first national park of Vietnam. For nearly 60 years since its establishment, Cuc Phuong’s preservation work has made great achievements and the national park itself is internationally recognised as the largest wildlife protection area in Southeast Asia.
Mua Caves : Climbing the 88 meters high Mua Caves viewpoint is one of the best things to do in Ninh Binh as this is one of the highest accessible points in the area, offering a fantastic 360 panoramic view of Ninh Binh.
Where to stay in Ninh Binh
While you can come down to Ninh Binh for the day (come in from Hanoi, visit Tam Coc, and likely head back to Hanoi after a walk around and boat ride), we recommend spending the night to get more of the incredible sights in and relax in the countryside.
When spending the night in Ninh Binh, we actually recommend staying in Tam Coc where you’ll find something for everyone! Either check out a beautiful over-water bungalow or a resort depending on your budget. Staying in Tam Coc is better than staying in Ninh Binh town itself, where there is little to see!
