Ninh Binh is the perfect mix of chilled vibe, interesting sights, relaxed accommodations, and fantastic food. From the limestone karsts of Trang An, to the zen Bai Dinh Pagoda complex, and the laid back coffee scene in Tam Coc – Ninh Binh is a province you really shouldn’t miss when travelling around Vietnam.
We spent a week in Ninh Binh, based in Tam Coc, and honestly wanted to stay a month. We met the friendliest locals, ate the best food, and loved how life slowed down here… like we were in a slow-motion version of our trip. Daily walks through the lotus ponds, divine coffees overlooking the water, and generous people helping us experience life in Ninh Binh – perfection!
Getting to Ninh BInh
Ha Noi to Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh is about 2.5 hours from Hanoi by car. While there are buses that go down regularly (for about £2 / $3) or vans (for about £8 / $10), we found it easier (and more comfortable) to go by private car transfer.
We paid £40 / $50 for a lovely SUV car from Ninh Binh to Hanoi airport, and the driver was pleasant, offering a rest stop half way.
Cat Ba to Ninh Binh
We were in Cat Ba before our visit to Ninh Binh, and took a coach. It was supposed to be a ‘luxury’ coach, but, as often happens in Vietnam, they ended up consolidating bookings due to low numbers, and we ended up on an ancient rickety bus with 40 young travellers from hostels in the area!
It was… umm… an experience! I wouldn’t want to repeat it, because we spent most of the 5.5 hour trip being thrown around as the driver drove straight towards oncoming traffic. But we survived, and it was made memorable by the hilarious Australian tourists we were sat with.
Due to the fact we were downgraded, we did receive a discount and a free taxi from the Tam Coc bus depot to our accommodation.
A private transfer from Cat Ba to Tam Coc is around £65 / $75 and we would have gladly paid that had we known in advance about the bus change.
If you want an adventure, take the bus… if you want comfort, order a private car transfer.
Where to stay in Ninh Binh
We stayed in the most delightful hotel guesthouse in Tam Coc. It was a hotel-style building, but it was small, was family-run, and had a very relaxed guesthouse vibe.
It’s called Tam Coc Green Haven, and it was absolutely fantastic. It was away from the main town, but just by a pleasant 10 minute walk; and offered a fantastic breakfast every morning. The pool was a definite plus, and the people were so lovely – we would definitely return.
For budget travellers, the Tam Coc Big J Hostel is run by the sweetest family. We actually went to the sunset bar and had some food and drinks one evening because it was such a lovely vibe.
For luxury private villas, surrounded by nature, enjoy the beautiful Bliss Tam Coc Resort Ninh Binh.
TIP: Upon arrival in Ninh Binh, we made friends with our first local Grab driver –
he became our driver for the whole time there!
Things to do in Ninh Binh
Coffee and Chill
Honestly, my favourite thing to do while in Ninh Binh is to take a walk and go for coffee at one of the many cafes. We would wander through the limestone karsts, past the lotus ponds and would pick out the cutest cafe to enjoy a fantastic coffee or a fresh coconut.
Within 10 minutes of our accommodation in Tam Coc, there were many cafes which offered lovely seating, great views, and phenomenal coffee. My favourite is the salt coffee, or on a hot day, the coconut iced coffee – perfection!
Bai Dinh Pagoda Complex
The Bai Dinh Pagoda Complex is a fantastic day out. With a mix of ancient and modern pagodas, the joy of the place is that each individual stop is different. From modern towers to huge gold buddhas, remarkable views and magical forest walks. Interspersed with drink and bao bun stops along the way.
Visiting the complex itself is free, although there are a few things you do need to pay for: parking (if you are driving), transport around the site via the electric shuttles, and access to the Bao Thap Tower. It’s very cheap though!
The electric shuttles are a must, as the site is huge. We enjoyed the Bai Dinh Pagoda, the walk to the ancient Bai Dinh cave, the beautiful views from the Bao Thai Tower, and just riding around the huge property on the electric shuttles.
The stalls around the place were also elite – the sweet bao buns were amazing!
To get to Bai Dinh from Tam Coc, it was a 45 minute Grab ride, and our driver waited for us and drove us back afterwards. Although there was Grab drivers waiting at the gates.
Walk or Bike in the Countryside
Wandering through the lotus fields, rice paddies, and limestone karsts is one of the most chill things to do in Ninh Binh. Most hotels will have bikes to use for free or cheap.
Because we stayed a 10 minute walk from the town, we got to see the quiet side of the area and the different aspects of life that happen at dawn and dusk. We also got to enjoy the herds of mountain goats that liked to forage in the waste bins every morning!
We also saw a few people rent scooters. In some ways, the back roads of Ninh Binh might actually be the perfect place to learn how to ride a scooter. But it’s probably advantageous that you already have experience – because the Vietnamese roads are no joke.
Trang An or Tam Coc Boat Ride
One of the biggest attractions in the area is exploring the waterways by boat. I read a lot of blogs and opinions about which boat ride to take, and the resounding preference was for Trang An over Tam Coc. The reasons included quality and length of tour, diversity of landscape, and also less hawking / scamming at Trang An. As a result, we chose Trang An… but we did not do the Tam Coc boat ride to compare – so I can’t do an accurate comparison.
What I can tell you is that the Trang An boat tour was fantastic! We decided to hire the entire boat instead of sharing one – this made it far more roomy and comfortable. It only cost 1 million VND / 34€ for the whole boat.
We chose route no.2 – which is marketed as a ‘highlight tour’, and at 2-2.5 hours long, it’s the perfect length and has a mix of sights, caves and nature. My back was getting sore at the 2-hour mark, so I’m glad we didn’t take the longer trip! Note that paddling with their feet is not allowed at Trang An.
We had been warned that tips were expected, but not really allowed, so you may find your rower stopping before the last turn of the tour to encourage it. We had a tip waiting for our lovely rowing lady – who must’ve been about 60 – she was so strong! She would tap my shoulder whenever she saw some wildlife for me (she noted my camera and love of birds), so definitely deserved a tip.
We visited on a quiet Tuesday morning in December, and we noted it was considerably busier when we ended the tour than when we started – so go early, especially in the high season. Within the ticket and dock complex there is great queue management, but I think that when the maximum number of boats are out and on the water it would be too much!
Hang Múa Cave + Lying Dragon
Hang Múa (Mua Cave) is one of Ninh Binh’s most popular viewpoints, located around 5 km (10–15 minutes) from Tam Coc by bike, scooter or Grab. People mostly don’t go for the small cave itself, but to climb around 500 stone steps to the summit of Lying Dragon (Ngoạ Long) Mountain, a dramatic stone dragon sculpture sitting overlooking the rice fields and Tam Coc River.
Sadly, we had left our trip to Hang Mua to the end of our trip, and there were heavy clouds and thunderous storms all day – so we were unable to do this excursion. We spied the mountain through the clouds from a taxi, but we’ll have leave the climbing of it to another visit.
Some friends managed to do it the week prior and said it was a cool day out – but it got pretty crowded at the top where the dragon is, so be warned!
Explore the Towns
Don’t miss taking a wander through some of the towns in Ninh Binh. From the ancient capital of Hoa Lư, dating back to the 10th century, which is packed with temple & fortress ruins; to the laid back vibes of Tam Coc.
Each village has its own character, and it’s such a wonderfully slow pace compared to the frenetic Hanoi or modern tourism of Cat Ba. It was the beginning of the season when we were in Ninh Binh, and the weather was up and down, but we appreciate the quiet that this time of year afforded.
Karaoke and Nightlife
My husband and I are musicians, so we never thought of ourselves as karaoke fans, but the absolute joy of Vietnam’s karaoke scene converted us! Any excuse to bring out the karaoke speaker, iPad and microphones – it was everywhere!
In Tam Coc, we enjoyed a raucous evening at the Harbour BusBar in Tam Coc – a converted double decker bus with a bar at the top. When we arrived, there was only 2 people there, but we took turns for an hour and helped attract a crowd to join in. By the time we finished, the bus was full and it was a fantastic group of party-goers.
We received our drinks for free that evening for helping to organise the karaoke and encourage people! So much fun.
Eat Your Heart Out
The food in Vietnam is incredibly good wherever you go, but Ninh Binh had some absolutely wonderful specialities.
We had some of our favourite meals while in Tam Coc – but all for different reasons. Some were not objectively the best cooking-wise, but provided incredible value and great atmosphere.
- The stir-fried mountain goat from Hoàng Việt Restaurant was a stand out dish – tender and flavourful
- The pho from Father Restaurant had a mind-blowingly good broth that had us returning for more
- The combo meal from Big J sunset bar was incredible value – meat skewers, fried rice, spring rolls, fruit and yoghurt for a few dollars!
- The pineapple and tofu fresh spring rolls from Xa Ot Noodle Bar, overlooking the start of the Tam Coc boat ride, were too good to even describe
Ninh Binh Itinerary Ideas
1 Day in Ninh Binh
- Take a sampan boat ride from Tam Coc (shorter than Trang An)
- Cycle through the rice fields around Tam Coc
- Climb Hang Múa (Mua Cave) for sunset views
2 Days in Ninh Binh
- Day 1 – Boat tour at Tràng An or Tam Coc, Visit Bích Động Pagoda, Sunset at Hang Múa
- Day 2 – Explore Hoa Lư Ancient Capital, Visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, Evening in Tam Coc
3 Days in Ninh Binh
- Day 1 – Tràng An boat tour, Hang Múa viewpoint
- Day 2 – Bai Dinh Pagoda, Hoa Lư Ancient Capital, Sunset drinks overlooking the rice fields
- Day 3 – Van Long Nature Reserve boat trip, Thung Nham Bird Valley, Explore local villages by bicycle
5 Days in Ninh Binh
- Day 1 – Tam Coc boat ride, Bích Động Pagoda, Hang Múa
- Day 2 – Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex, Hoa Lư Ancient Capital
- Day 3 – Bai Dinh Pagoda, Explore Gia Viễn countryside, Local cafés and viewpoints
- Day 4 – Van Long Nature Reserve, Thung Nham Bird Valley, Sunset at a riverside homestay
- Day 5 – Cúc Phương National Park (day trip), End with dinner and drinks in Tam Coc
The Magic of Ninh Binh
I was completely enamoured with Ninh Binh. The people were so friendly, the area is less touristic than other areas (especially for overnight or longer stays – which means you can get strategic about avoiding the day-trippers), and the amenities are developed enough yet not overly so.
If there is one place I would want to spend longer in Vietnam is Ninh Binh – our week was not long enough!
See more about our South-east Asia travels or foodie adventures!
All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; and an iPhone.
Ninh Binh sounds like such a wonderful place to slow down and actually enjoy the destination rather than rushing from one attraction to another. The combination of limestone landscapes, pagodas, local food, and relaxed cafés sounds especially appealing.