All of Southeast Asia is a trail of unforgettable postcards, both for its green landscapes and for its cultural treasures. Vietnam In addition, it adds an interesting recent history. We already talked about Hanoi, its capital, but today it is the turn of Ninh Binh, a beautiful place.
Ninh Binh is protected by the UNESCO And since it is just less than a hundred kilometers from Hanoi the truth is that you cannot miss it. You will never forget it!
Ninh Binh
As we said, it is just over 90 kilometers from Hanoi, in the north of the country. It is at the same time a province and a city but the city really has nothing to highlight, the treasures are in the surroundings where outdoor tourism is the objective.
How do you get to Ninh Binh? With almost 100 kilometers away from Hanoi it is two hours by car if you rent one, but you can also get to the city of Ninh Binh by motorcycle, bus or train. The train is a good option and there are six services that link Hanoi to Ninh Binh per day.
Here you already have three hours of travel but the extra hour is compensated with the price since the ticket in a comfortable seat costs about five dollars nothing more. The train is clean and snacks are sold upstairs.
If you prefer the bus, there are two terminals in Hanoi, Giap Bat and My Binh, with smaller buses and vans running every day. The buses usually leave when they are already full and the way to get to both stations is by taking a Grab or taking a taxi. It only remains to say that the Giap Bat terminal closes between 5:30 and 6 in the afternoon. You just have to talk to the driver and say you get off at Ninh Binh.
Lastly, you can always catch a taxi from Hanoi to Ninh Binh but it is not cheap as it can cost you between 60 and 100 dollars one way. Or you can rent a motorcycle and go on your own running with the advantage that you can make a tourist visit on the way stopping at the beautiful Perfume Pagoda.
Now right you are in hanoi but in beautiful Halong Bay? Don't worry, there are direct buses, the GreenLian company, at a cost of $ 11 per person and a duration of six to seven hours. What if you are in sapa Well, you can also take a bus or the train to return to Hanoi and from there connect to Ninh Binh. They go by highway and take between four and six hours.
Now you are in Ninh Binh. How long do you have to stay? Well the best is from two days, so you can take advantage of both natural beauties and cultural relics.
Things to do in Nanh Binh
This part of Vietnam is known as Halong Bay on land and it is that… it is beautiful! trang an It is a UNESCO protected area and you can easily spend a couple of hours walking around. You pay an entrance fee and then you can take a boat and visit the limestone islands and islets and along the river you will also see hidden temples, beautiful grottos, floating temples and caves. The photos you will take! Allow a two-hour walk.
Indeed, in Trang An you can visit Kong's film set, Skull Island, the site where the film was filmed. Or if you are not interested in the Vu Lam Palace and Dia Linh and Sinh Duoc Caves. Another boat ride is the one that takes you to know Tam Coc Bich Dong.
If you go in the rice harvest season it is a true postcard on both sides of the river because the fields turn golden ... Once there you can visit the cave system of three caves, it is said, one of the most beautiful in the country. And at the top of the mountain there is a temple, a pagoda, from the XNUMXth century. It is similar to Trang An although more expensive, but the entrance to the Buddhist complex of Bich Dong is free, with three pagodas, three levels and more than a hundred stairs.
The good thing is that here you can rent a bike and ride on your own in the countryside. Maybe your walk will take you like many to know the Mua Cave. To get there you have to first pay the entrance fee and then climb 500 steps to the top of the Lying Dragon Mountain, so more than a cave it is an excellent viewpoint of Tam Coc.
At sunset the views are great but you can't stay long because the night is very closed and dark. And finally, you can visit the Bai Dinh Pagoda which was until about ten years ago the largest in Vietnam.
This first day of the tour will leave you tired but nothing that a shower and a Thai dinner will not replace. Already on the second day the obligatory visit is the Hoa Lu old capital. It dates from the XNUMXth or XNUMXth century and temples, palaces, citadels and sanctuaries. Most are destroyed but there are two important temples that are worth a visit: the Tien Hoang and the Ding Le Dai. It is 14 kilometers from Ninh Binh and five kilometers from Bai Dinh Pagoda.
Then there is the call phat diem cathedral, if the curious thing catches your attention: it is a Catholic temple built as Vietnamese Buddhist. All wood and stone. Let me recommend you a little more: once you finish touring these places there is time to do another boat ride and venture into the Van Long Nature Reserve, the best wetlands in the country with more than 40 species of birds and a very beautiful cave called la Mermaid Cave with a statue inside.
Last tips: to move around Ninh Binh it is best to rent a motorcycle at an agency or at the hotels. Calculate between six and eight euros. You can even rent a motorcycle with a driver included. The bike is the other option since the terrain is quite flat.