Ninh Binh is one of the most beautiful provinces in northern Vietnam. It is rich and famous for its natural attractions. There is no sea, but there are a lot of rivers and high cliffs, caves and grottoes, rice paddies and beautiful views from the heights, thanks to all this Ninh Binh has got its second name from tourists – “Halong on land”.
In my opinion, Ninh Binh is one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam and should definitely be included in your itinerary in Vietnam.
How to get to Ninh Binh
Most tourists go to Ninh Binh province for 1-2 days from Hanoi. But also go to Ninh Binh from Sapa and from Halong. We when planning our route in Vietnam, considered all these 3 options, in the end, the most popular option – from Hanoi – won.
- From Hanoi to Ninh Binh
The distance between the points is 100 km. From Hanoi to Ninh Binh you can get in 3 different ways – train, bus and cab. We looked and bought tickets on a popular Asian website — 12go.Asia. The site is very convenient because you can see all the transportation options to your desired destination in one place, while comparing prices and travel time, departure and arrival times. We evaluated all these points and bought train tickets from Hanoi for 9.00. Arrival in Ninh Binh was at 11:20 a.m. The trains are quite comfortable, with a travel time of 2 hours and 20 minutes. Buses are also very popular, travel time is about the same.
- From Sapa to Ninh Binh
- The distance between the points is 816 km. Therefore, from Sapa usually go first to Hanoi – a distance of 400 km, then go from Hanoi to Ninh Binh. On the website Asia you can buy a single ticket from Sapa – bus + cab, but it is still better to go first to Hanoi and then buy a separate ticket to Ninh Binh.
- From Halong to Ninh Binh
The distance between the points is 211 km. From Halong to Ninh Binh you can take a cab or drive yourself.
Ninh Binh – basic information
Ninh Binh is a very beautiful province in northern Vietnam. It is located 100 km from Hanoi, making it accessible to many tourists. The Russians are not often seen here, but there are a lot of tourists of other nationalities. The entire province of Ninh Binh has about 900,000 people, and in the town of the same name, the railway station of which we arrived from Hanoi – 42000 people. The town itself has no access to the South China Sea, but in general Ninh Binh province has a coastline of 18 km. But people come here, of course, not for the sea, but for the beautiful scenery with karst rocks and rivers created by nature itself.
Ninh Binh – attractions
The main attractions of Ninh Binh province can be seen in 2 full days here. It is best to come here from Hanoi and stay 1-2 nights in local hotels, leisurely enjoying and contemplating the delightful nature of northern Vietnam. There are hotels for all tastes and many are in such beautiful places like the Tam Coc National Reserve. For example, our hotel Tam Coc Bungalow is located near the river, along which almost all tourists who come to Ninh Binh swim. And there are many such hotels.
Good Hotels in Ninh Binh on Booking:
So, let’s move on to the attractions of Ninh Binh. All of them are not very far from the town, so you can visit 3 interesting places in 1 day
Hang Mua Mountain, observation deck Mua Caves
For me, Hang Mua Mountain is probably the most fascinating place in Ninh Binh. The 500 steps lead up to the mountain, which offers stunning views of Tam Coc National Park. The mountains are seen one by one on the horizon, appearing and disappearing behind the clouds. Very atmospheric place. Here you can also climb the 2nd mountain, which offers equally beautiful views of the cliffs and rice terraces on the other side.
Tours from Hanoi for 1 day often do not stop by this place, but I would recommend it as a must-see.
It’s best to come here early in the morning or in the afternoon closer to the evening, as climbing the 500 steps takes a lot of energy, and in the heat it’s even harder to do.
National Wildlife Refuge Tam Coc
Tam Coc — is the most popular place in Ninh Binh for tourists. This is where people are brought to absolutely all the tours. And it is really worth it. You will take a boat ride together with a boatwoman who paddles not with her hands but with her feet, along a picturesque river, past the very rocks that you can see from the mountain Hang Mua, swimming into the 3 caves.
A very beautiful place. The trip takes only 1.5 hours.
Trang An National Park
Trang An — is another national nature reserve in which, like Tam Kok, you have to sail a boat between the rocks. The main difference is its size, several times larger than Tam Kok. A boat ride here lasts 2.5-3 hours and is sure to land on small islands.
In Trang An you can choose the route on which you sail, there are 3 of them in total. The first route differs by entering the 9 caves, the second – landing on the island where the movie “Kong. Skull Island”, we chose it, and the third – 4 caves and nothing else I remember.
I really liked it here, although I also liked Tam Kok. I don’t even know where it’s better, it’s probably worth going there and there.
The island where they filmed the movie about Kong very impressed me, so if you’re going to Trang An, I recommend the second route.
Bai Dinh Pagoda
Bai Dinh Pagoda has gathered together many of the “most-amazing” properties. It is the largest pagoda in Vietnam, it has the largest bell in the country, the tallest Buddha statue, the largest number of small Buddha statues – 1000 and the largest number of Buddhas, which are located on the perimeter of the temple – 500. Already after reading all this, you want to go and see this incredible pagoda with your own eyes.
The area is really big, you have to drive 2-3 hours to see everything.
Pagoda in the cliffs of Beach Dong – The Green Pearl
Pagoda Beach Dong is known for the fact that it is paved in the rock, and its rooms are located inside the rock – in natural karst caves.
The pagoda itself is arranged on three levels. There is an air of antiquity, and on the way to the upper parts of the pagoda you can often see the moss covering everything around. I recommend to go here during daylight hours, to have time to see the pagoda from the inside. We arrived just after sunset, when it was getting dark and the interior was already closed.