Ninh Binh

NINH BINH: Trang An – Tam Coc – Cuc Phuong, an awesome combo.

http://north-vietnam.com/ninh-binh/

I have been to Ninh Binh 3 times, in different times of a year,  just to visit three above mentioned sites. Every single time I just went on one-day trip due to the limitted time (Cuc Phuong is actually one day- one night).

Ninh Binh is about 3 hours driving from Hanoi. You can easily travel to Ninh Binh by coach or motorcycle. I prefer motor bike because it is less expensive then going by coach. If you use motorbike, from Hanoi, you go on Giai Phong street, Giap Bat bus station, turn into to Phap Van - Cau Gie highwway, from there to Phu Ly and finally to Ninh Binh.  In the case of coaches, there are numerous of them traveling from Hanoi to Ninh Binh everyday, starting from 5h to 23h provided, such as Sao Viet, Cuong Hung, Hoang Long, Vu Thuong. Gia Minh, Hien Tinh ... Travel time is about 2 hours, the lowest price is $ 3.5  per person. The terminals to Ninh Binh are Giap Bat and My Dinh. The coaches will take you to Ninh Binh city bus station, or you would like to get off at any place near Hoa Lu, or near Trang An most, Just ask the driver and they will guide you.  You can easily travel Ninh Binh by car or motorcycle. Usually you should go for a period of 2 days or 3 days.
 I would like to provide a popular schedule for Ninh Binh dust tours. To Hoa Lu you should rent a motorbike to go for convenience, tell the truth with the mountainous terrain and small road as in Ninh Binh, the choice of motorcycle is the most reasonable.
Even when I was there, the majority of tourists choose this medium.
Below is an ideal schedule for exploring Ninh Binh for 3 days.
However, it was not the schedule I was going to, because I had to go to Ninh Binh times, but to sum up the schedule of three times.
Hope it will help you have a good view to plan Ninh Binh tourism.

Day 1: Morning catch bus to Ninh Binh, to Hoa Lu at about 11am, visit Hoa Lu 30-40 minutes. Afternoon visit Trang An tourist site, you should go to Trang An more Tam Coc because these two points are sailing and visiting the cave, Trang An is nicer and longer than Tam Coc. If you have time then you both go well, with Trang An you will sit at the boat about 3h. If you ride a motorbike early from Hanoi, you can visit all 3 points of Hoa Lu, Trang An and Bai Dinh in one day.

Day 2: You depart early to Phat Diem Cathedral, after visiting the church, lunch is nearby. On arrival, you can look for rice and arrange rice, after lunch. Afternoon drive to Ninh Binh to visit Bich Dong and Bai Dinh (if day 1 not yet). Bich Dong near Tam Coc so if you went to Bai Dinh on the 1st and then want to go next, then OK. In case you have to take the car to Hanoi in the afternoon, just go to Bich Dong stop on the motorcycle, take the car to Hanoi. If you go 3 days, you have two options: one is sleeping in Ninh Binh, the other is riding a motorbike to Cuc Phuong to sleep.

Day 3: visit Cuc Phuong, walk in the forest. Afternoon catch the bus back to Hanoi.

Passenger car to Ninh Binh

To get to Ninh Binh there are many ways to go, one of the most convenient way is to take the car. The car terminals to Ninh Binh that is Giap Bat and My Dinh, every day there are passenger cars north and south running continuously. If you go to Open Bus you can go to The Sinh Tourist or Hung Thanh. In addition, many bus companies also travel south to Ninh Binh, but often you go in the morning and visit Ninh Binh always. If you take a passenger car, the car will take you to the city bus station, or you would like to get off at any place near Hoa Lu, or near Trang An most. Just tell the driver they will show you. You can see more information about the car companies to East-Northwest Vietnam.

Go to Ninh Binh by train - train

You can go from Hanoi with SE7 (6h15) or SE5 (9h00). The train is safe and cheap, but inconvenient in time, and then you still have to find other means to travel to the destination.

Other locations around Trang An and Tam Coc.
On my third trip to Ninh Binh this time, I do not have much time so just visit a few points.

In other articles, I will mention the other places in Ninh Binh 

Where to stay?

As far as I know there are nummerous homestays/hostels for foreigner around Tam Coc, you can find one suitable to your budget. Below are 3 recommended low-budget hostels:

https://www.agoda.com/vi-vn/lang-khanh-hotel/hotel/ninh-binh-vn.html?cid=1723698

https://www.agoda.com/vi-vn/tam-coc-homestay/hotel/ninh-binh-vn.html?cid=1723698

https://www.agoda.com/vi-vn/tam-coc-backpacker-hostel/hotel/ninh-binh-vn.html?cid=1723698

What to eat?

Thit de (goat meat) is a must-eat when you travel to Ninh Binh. Goat meat here is famous throughout the country especially in the North because the goat is freely grazing on the hills and limestone mountains to eat natural grass, so goat meat is tough and yummy. Goat meat is cooked into many dishes such as steamed, roasted, boiled ... but the most celebrated is lemon goat meat. Goat re-eat is also considered a precious medicine to improve health. You can enjoy these dishes at the hotel you stay or any restaurant in Ninh Binh. 

http://www.24h.com.vn/am-thuc/nhung-dieu-dai-ky-phai-biet-khi-an-thit-de-c460a883120.html Com Chay (fried rice) is a specialty of Ninh Binh. You should it buy at reputable shops and restaurants to ensure quality and affordable prices. The fried rice is crispy on cooking oil and served with soy sauce or served with goat meat. The perfect couple of fried rice - goat meat is always the first choice of visitors to Ninh Binh.  

http://kenh14.vn/made-by-me/lai-lich-com-chay-tinh-yeu-o-ninh-binh-20120503071532497.chn What to see?Trang An vs Tam CocI have been to Trang An an Tam Coc. In general they are quite the same. They both offer both rides up the river that pass throuh amazing limestone moutains. 

 Tam Coc - about 2 hour boat rideThe boat will row in the middle of the paddy fields of green / yellow color. The best time to visit Tam Coc is from end of May to the beginning of June (2 weeks), when water rice is ripe, which creates stunning interwoven blocks of yellow and green. I visited Tam Coc in July therefore I missed the chance to take photos like this

http://north-vietnam.com/ninh-binh/

Tam Coc means three caves (cave, cave 2 and cave 3), from the Van Lam wharf, your boat will travel down Ngo Dong line, through three caves, at the third cave, there are some vendor boats, they look quite intersting but they will force you to buy stuff (handy craft, green tea, fruits,etc), my sincere advice: just say: “No, thanks”.

 Once reaching the third cave, the boat will go back the same same route to starting point. Boat fee: $9/ per person (2 people a boat) Trang An - visit about 2-3 hours

In my opinion, Trang An provides more professional services, to be particular the boat is cleaner, there is no vendor.

Trang An is one of the most beautiful and charming karst landscapes in the world. Overlooking the landscape are forest cover and huge conical hills of 200m high, with narrow enclosed valleys, surrounded by interconnected mountain crests, intermittent swamps through underground passageways of length up Up to 1 km. The harmonious combination of rock, river, forest and sky in Chang'an creates a lively natural world full of charm. It's a very special place where cultures touch the wonders, the mysteries and majesty of the natural world, and the culture is transformed by the same things. The most beautiful and attractive karst tower in the world.
Coming here, I contemplate the scenery of the forest and its imposing 200m high tower, with its narrow enclosed valleys, surrounded by interconnected mountain crests, intermittent swamps through the underground tunnel system. Up to 1 km long.
Actually, I feel the harmony of stone, river, forest and sky in Chang'an create a lively natural world full of charm. It is a very special place where cultures touch the wonders, the mysteries and majesty of the natural world, and the culture is transformed by the same.

Furthermore, as far as I know, Trang An evidences the final stages of karst evolution in a humid tropical climate. The geomorphological diversity present in the Trang An Spectacular Complex is the result of continuous geologic activity over hundreds of millions of years from the Triassic to the Quaternary. During this very period, the geomorphic collapse and high division of Karst massifs of huge sedimentary lime occurred here. It is these geological events that have created the wild and captivating mountains, sedimentary valleys and pits that together have resulted in a variety of forms, geomorphological geologic caves And the water systems of the Trang An Scenic Complex.

You should avoid vistiting Trang An during the festival season which is from February to April becasuse it would be extremely crowded then. Boat fee: $6.8/ per person  (4 - 5 people a boat)

 Tam Coc The beauty of the rice rug and golden sky mixed with water intertwined Tam Coc (Ninh Binh) beautiful as a painting of nature to please people.
I have been to Tam Coc two times but still want to come back here to take a picture like that ..

Tam Coc - Bich Dong is a famous landscape in Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh, 7 km from the center of Ninh Binh city. To explore the beauty of nature here, it will take 2-3 hours for the boat down the line Ngô Đồng, go all 3 caves and visit other stops on the way.
As a person who loves photography, I like to take beautiful photos of human nature, I am always waiting to come to Tam Coc on the occasion of nine rice to capture beautiful photos.

The best time to take a trip, the Tam Coc gold season is at the end of May every year. The secret to getting beautiful pictures in Tam Coc in the season of the rice is to find a standing spot on high to capture the whole scenery majestic below. Ask the ranger to pick a climbing cliff so you can easily work
What is more wonderful is being leisurely sitting on the boat, watching the rice fields ripen along the river. Sometimes you will feel like you are straying in the middle of a paradise where there is a vast sea of gold, which is the coincidence of the high mountains, the peaceful scenery of life appears beautiful as a gentle Contest with many colors.
Going back to Tam Coc, I went to Bich Dong Pagoda - one of the famous tourist spots of Ninh Binh province known as "Nam Thien II" (the second most beautiful province in Vietnam). Located on Ngu Nhat Mountain, the pagoda was built on the mountain side and divided into three levels: Lower pagoda, Middle pagoda and Upper pagoda. In front of the cave is the Huanglong River winding on the side of the mountain and Trang Thi field is cool green.  Cuc Phuong                                                        The best time to visit Cuc Phuong is from December to April (dry season). During this period, it is not so hot, the intense rain stops and there are less mosquitoes.  Cuc Phuong has a seasonal "specialty" that if ever experienced everyone wants to come back here again. That is the butterfly flying in the forest in the late June. In the sun it looks very beautiful and  romantic.

I came to Cuc Phuong in early June therefore there were not so much butterflies. However the trip was enjoyable, treking in the forest gave me a chance to recharge my energy. Nature never fails to be my source of positive vibe.

http://wetrek.vn/bai-viet-thanh-vien/trai-nghiem-outdoor-ngam-ho-diep-rop-troi-o-cuc-phuong.htm

 I also learnt from local people that you can use rotten egg, fish sauce or soda to attract buttefly because thay love things that smell strong and taste sweet. 

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