Located on the Southern end of the Red River Delta, Ninh Binh is blessed with diverse topography of both mountainous and coastal areas. It can be said that the province contains all the scenic quintessence of whole Vietnam within its relatively small size. Not only that, Ninh Binh represents typical rural villages of Northern region with vast green paddy field, expanding mountains and poetic river that flows to the horizon.

Location

Ninh Binh is about 95km from Hanoi, or 2.5 hour South by car. The province is surrounded by Hoa Binh and Ha Nam to the North; Nam Dinh to the East and Thanh Hoa to the West and South. Here, the terrain is diverse with mountainous areas in the West and Northwest; and coastal parts in the East and South.

Best time to visit

The average temperature is 23.4 Celsius degree and its high humidity, between 80-85%, is typical for tropical monsoon climate. The best time to visit Binh Ninh falls between November to April of the following year when it is in the dry season. 

How to get there

By coach/ bus: For such a moderate distance, travelling by coach is highly recommended due to the ease of catching coaches at any stations in Hanoi city. Ninh Binh Station would be the final destination of the bus routine Hanoi – Ninh Binh, which is located right in the heart of the city.

By train: Departing from Hanoi, the Reunification Express Train Hanoi – Ninh Binh stops in Nam Dinh City and then goes straight to Ninh Binh Train Station in the center of Ninh Binh City.

Motorbike: Travelling by motorbike might be a good choice for passengers enjoying sightseeing the beauty of Vietnam villages with lush green rice paddies; grandiose mountains or poetic rivers on the sides of the road. The routine is easy enough to go without any map since you only have to follow National Highway 1A to the North and pay attention to milestones along the road.

Things to see

Let’s explore the most attractive destinations of Ninh Binh!

TRANG AN

Trang An is one of the most beautiful tourist areas of Ninh Binh province. The beautiful scenery is endowed as a natural gift. Trang An landscape includes winding mountain ranges surrounding the water flow of natural streams, creating countless beautiful and mysterious caves.

Sitting on a boat, you will discover the caves around, silently watching rice fields on two sides of streams. An extremely beautiful natural space open itself fades out before your eyes. If you live in Vietnam you should go to Trang An at least once.

BAI DINH PAGODA

Bai Dinh Pagoda is a religious complex covering a total area of 539 hectare, with both the ancient and the newly renovated Bai Dinh pagoda, parks and lake system.

The old Bai Dinh pagoda is located on the western slope of Dinh mountain and nestles in quiet forest. On the other side of Dinh Moutain is new Bai Dinh pagoda. This pagoda has been built since 2003 and covers a 80 ha area. The Bai Dinh pagoda possesses many parts such as Tam The Temple, Phap chu Temple, Quan Am temple (Bodhisattva Temple), Bao Thap, Bell Tower and dormitory area for Buddhist monks. With fanciful scenery and quiet atmosphere, the pagoda will make visitors feel likely to live in fairy land and they find peace in their minds.

Besides, visitors can explore many other grottoes and caves like Fairy cave with seven smaller ones or cave of Ba Chua Thuong Ngan ( the goddess of forests). In these caves and grottoes, there are a large variety of magnificent stalactites and stalagmites with various strange shapes and sizes that will invoke the imagination of visitors.

Without a doubt, Bai Dinh pagoda is masterpiece of both nature and men and it is the pride of Vietnamese people in terms of unique architecture, culture and historical value.

HOA LU ANCIENT CAPITAL

Hoa Lu was the first capital of feudal state of Vietnam, Truong Yen Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province. It is 300 hectares width, including outside area and inside area, surrounded by a series of rocky arc mountains, spectacular scenery.

Through rain and sunshine more than 10 years, the historic relics in the Hoa Lu ancient capital are almost destroyed. Currently, it remains Dinh temple and Le temple built in the 17th century. Both temples have ancient architecture with sophisticated decoration and an ancient beauty, attracting a number of tourists to visit. Coming to Hoa Lu, tourists will have opportunity to sight the architecture, the majestic beauty of the whole relic.

TAM COC

While Hoa Lu is famous for its temples dedicated to the Dinh and Le Kings which were built in the 10th century, Tam Coc is known as a place where the Le King lived a secluded life. Tam Coc has three caves: Ca, Hai and Ba formed by the Ngo Dong River. Ca Cave, about 127m in length, runs through a big mountain. Its mouth is more than 20m wide. Hai Cave, nearly 1km from Ca Cave, is 60m in length and Ba Cave 50m in length. From the centre’s pier, visitors enjoy going for a row in the cool and clear weather, and seeing the breathtaking scenery.

CUC PHUONG NATIONAL PARK

Located about 100 km South of Hanoi, Cuc Phuong is the first and one of the most impressive national parks in Vietnam. The primary rainforest is coated with layers of fauna and flora, caves and hot springs. Trees that have lived for the millennium are not rare, and it is striking how they survived the numerous battles that Vietnam has gone through. 

Things to do

There are many ways to discover the beauty of Ninh Binh and the followings are our suggestions:

Cycling

Go trekking

Sitting on a boat

Things to eat

The two types of food that you should not ignore when travelling to Ninh Binh are Ninh Binh Burned Rice and Ninh Binh Goat Meat. Besides, there are a lot of other delicious dishes that create the unique cuisine of Ninh Binh such as sour soup with anabas, Yen Mac Meat Roll, Eel Noodle, etc.

Ninh Binh Burned Rice

Ninh Binh Goat Meat

Do you feel eager to discover more about Ninh Binh? Let’s go with Govietnamtourist.com to start your perfect journey to Ninh Binh now.