Ninh Binh, 93km south of Hanoi, isn't a destination in itself, but it's a good base for exploring some quintessentially Vietnamese karst scenery and bucolic countryside (including Tam Coc and Cuc Phuong National Park). However, Ninh Binh has become a big destination for domestic tourists, and many of the attractions are heavily commercialized.
Known as "Halong Bay on the Rice Paddies" for its huge rock formations jutting out of paddies, Tam Coc has breathtaking scenery.
The only way to see Tam Toc is by rowboat on the Ngo Dong River. The boats take you through karst caves on this beautiful two-hour trip. Boats seat two passengers (and have no shade); arrive before 9 am to beat the crowds, as it can be a bit of a circus thanks to the pushy vendors.
Tam Coc is 9km southwest of Ninh Binh. By car or motorbike, follow Highway 1 south and turn west at the turn-off.
A vast Buddhist temple complex, Bai Dinh Pagoda attracts thousands of Vietnamese visitors. Cloister-like walkways pass 500 stone arhats (statues of enlightened Buddhists). They line the route up to the triple-roofed Phap Chu pagoda, which contains a 10m-high 100-tonne bronze Buddha, Bai Dinh Pagoda is 11km northwest of Ninh Binh.
In the tenth century, this site was the capital of an early, independent Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet. The fortified royal palaces of the Dinh and Le Kings are now reduced to rubble, but their dynastic temples (seventeenth-century copies of eleventh-century originals) still rest quietly in a narrow valley surrounded by wooded, limestone hills. Though the temple buildings and attractive walled courtyards are unspectacular, the inner sanctuaries are compelling - mysterious, dark caverns where statues of the kings, wrapped in veils of pungent incense, are worshipped by the light of candles.
The boat trip around the Trang An Landscape Complex is the same as the one at Tam Coc, so unless you love the experience, you wouldn't want to do both. The differences are that there are a generous nine caves here, with three different routes on offer, and it's a bit more expensive. Rowers steer their boats along the Sao Khe River, through the various caves and along lush valleys between them, and the trip usually includes one or more stops at temples to stretch your legs.
Mind your head when passing through caves as some have very low clearance; in fact, some caves have been widened or heightened to accommodate boats, which detracts somewhat from their beauty. As at Tam Coc, it's a rather commercial experience, with hundreds of boats lined up at thee pier, but there's less hassle from vendors and once you're on the river you can concentrate on the natural beauty around you. If you are cycling in the area, you can see the pier and boats bobbing along the river from the main road.
Mua Cave is worth the diversion, though people do not come for the grotto itself, but for the pagoda and its viewpoint from the hillside above. A punishing 467 steps zigzag upwards from beside the cave entrance to a lookout across a vast karst mountainscape. The land around the cave entrance has been developed into a resort, so there's an overpriced restaurant on site where you can pick up refreshments.
The cave-pagoda of Bich Dong, or "Green Pearl Grotto", is three pagodas: one at the base, one in the middle, and one at the top of Ngu Nhac Mountain. Stone-cut steps, entangled by the thick roots of banyan trees, lead up a cliff face to the middle pagoda. Though originally built in the fifteenth century, several of the buildings you see are quite recent. Inside the cave, three Buddhas sit on lotus thrones beside a head-shaped rock, which purportedly bestows longevity if touched. Walk through the cave to emerge higher up the cliff, from where steps continue (you will need a torch) to the third and final temple and a viewpoint from where you can gaze over the waterlogged scene.
One of Vietnam's most important reserves is this National Park. Ho Chi Minh personally took time off from the war in 1963 to dedicate the area as a national park, Vietnam's first. The hills are laced with many grottoes, and the climate is subtropical at the park's lower elevations.
There are excellent trekking opportunities in the park, including a hike (8km return) to an enormous 1000-year-old tree (Tetrameles nudiflora, for botany geeks), and to a Muong village where you can also go rafting. A guide is mandatory for longer treks.
Check accommodations in Ninh Binh: https://www.trip.com/t/MJslXv4yTZ1
