Vietnam’s Ninh Binh province is sometimes referred to as “Ha Long Bay on land” as several rivers wind through numerous limestone mountains. With a description like that there was no way we were going to pass by without stopping here for a few days.
Our hotel, Greenland Home Stay, was out near the countryside in the Ninh Xuân district, a few miles west of Hoa Lư, the largest city in the area. It turned out to be the perfect location. Several good restaurants (that is, restaurants serving good western food) and convenience stores were within a 10 minute walk. It was peaceful and quiet. And closer to the area’s main attractions.
Because Ninh Binh gets more than its fair share of tourists, coupled with God knows how many busses filled with day trippers from Hanoi (two hours away), we decided to get up early and get going to beat the crowds. Our first destination was Hang Múa, the Mua Caves.
Yes, there is a cave. No, it is not particularly interesting. We’re not really sure why this attraction is named after a cave when really it is all about the mountain views. Maybe something is lost in translation.
We arrived about 8:45 AM, bought our tickets (100,000 ₫ each, about $4) and headed up the mountain. First we had to pass by numerous vendors, mostly selling food and drinks. In a rush to beat the crowds, we resisted the temptation to first get a coffee.
The climb to reach the top of Ngoạ Long Mountain is almost 500 stone steps, which are plenty wide and deep, but irregular in height. About two-thirds of the way up you have a choice to go right or left. Right heads uphill to a pagoda. Left goes to the highest point, with an observation deck and, even higher up, a small shrine and a dragon sculpture.
We went left. Several folks who started earlier in the morning were now coming downhill. A few others were heading up, but not too many. Going slowly, we reached the top around 9:15 AM. The space around the shrine and dragon sculpture is very limited. Good thing there were only a few other people there (less than six).
On the way down we passed hundreds of groups staggering up the steps, many in oriental dress stopping to take Instagram photos more often than necessary. And the tour busses were rolling in in waves.
I would not want to be on the summit of either hill after about 9:30 AM.
After escaping Hang Múa just in time, we took a long ride out to Van Long Wetland Nature Preserve (Khu Bảo tồn Thiên nhiên Vân Long), one of three boat rides in the area. For 100,000 ₫ each (about $4), we got a 90 minute boat ride for two through the wetlands and limestone mountains. It was incredibly peaceful and beautiful.
Few tourists venture out to the wetlands because it is so far outside of town. Only a couple of other boats were in the water. Thankfully this place is not on the radar of the tour busses. Our Grab driver volunteered to wait for us and drive us back to town, which was really nice as it saved us the time and hassle of trying to get a ride back afterwards.
Tam Cốc and Di sản Tràng An are the other two river boat rides in the vicinity. Each is more publicized and crowded. We actually went to Tràng An on our second morning, admittedly a Saturday, arriving about 8:45 AM to beat the crowds. Nope, it was already a zoo. We weren’t paying 300,000 ₫ each (about $12) to ride in a boat alongside that mob. After recovering from our shock, we quickly left.
So instead of yet another boat ride, we headed over to Bich Dong Pagoda (Chùa Bích Động). We arrived mid-morning and, surprisingly, it was not excessively crowded with tourists. We walked around and looked at the temples for about 45 minutes before going on our way.
Several times we were stopped to have our picture taken with groups of Chinese women. Not sure why, but this occurred multiple times. And to other western tourists as well.
Rather than catching a ride back to our hotel immediately, we strolled through the town of Tam Cốc, a/k/a tourist central. Cafés, restaurants, shops, and hotels. Ad nauseum. We stopped for a coffee, kept walking, and ultimately decided to stay in the area for lunch. It was mid-afternoon before we returned to our hotel.
Ninh Binh is a beautiful area and definitely worth a visit. Unfortunately it is a magnet for tour groups. We got a refresher lesson on arriving first thing in the morning to beat the crowds.
Regrettably, Ninh Binh is close enough to Hanoi to have the same weather pattern. This meant three more days of overcast weather, even some light rain, and no sun. Stephanie tried to look on the bright side, commenting that the low clouds and fog give the area a certain “moodiness”.
Yeah, but I’m getting pretty tired of that mood.
From Ninh Binh we are hopping on an overnight train to our next destination, Huế. Fingers crossed, the weather forecast looks pretty promising for some sun.
Garrett and Stephanie
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