Ninh Binh
After returning from Ha Long Bay I booked myself on a bus to the next destination in Vietnam two hours south of Ha Long Bay which is Ninh Binh, a town close to very picturesque mountains.
The best host ever at the Hoang Giang Homestay.
Hoang Giang Homestay
I’ve never made it to the actual city centre itself. Tourists come to Ninh Binh mainly to see the wonderful nature and its surroundings. I stayed outside the city at the Hoang Giang homestay, a beautiful villa hosted by a very amazing man whose hospitality cannot be topped by anyone.
Some impressions of the outdoor area by the entrance.
Walkthrough Hoang Giang Homestay.
Passing several caves by boat.
Tam Coc
After my stays in a tiny hostel room in Hanoi and a small ferry cabin in Ha Long Bay I was happy to finally have a spacious room just for myself for the next three nights. My host picked me up from Tam Coc which is an awesome small town along the southern edge of the mountains. If I am ever to return to Ninh Binh again I will definitely prefer staying in Tam Coc. The village has bars, restaurants and it’s basically a place where all interesting action happens.
In Tam Coc there's boats leaving for trips on the river between the mountains. I booked myself into such a trip and I don't regret it. The landscape around Ninh Binh is just awe-inspiring and you can see it from below on the river as well as from above at the top of the mountains. It is by far my favourite place in Vietnam, although I wasn't very lucky with the weather as it was raining most of the time.
Rainy boat trip around Tam Coc.
Wearing a one-dollar hat in Hoa Lu.
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
There's many stunning places you can visit around the area of Ninh Binh. The first thing I can recommend is Hua Lu, an ancient capital dating back to the 10th century packed with temples and fortress ruins. Upon arrival in front of the main gate you might be greeted with ladies selling hats. My seller was very persistent and for one dollar I got myself a hat. At the end of the group trip on day one we cycled among the rice fields and along a mountainside in the area of Bich Dong near Tam Coc. It was very picturesque despite the clouds, rain and mud on the road. I can only imagine the true beauty and wonder of that landscape on a sunny day during the dry season.
My cool raincoat outfit.
Hang Mua Viewpoint
A definite highlight of my trip was the Hang Mua viewpoint. You get there by climbing a staircase on the southern side of the mountain range. I just walked up and enjoyed a view that I’ll never forget. I got to the place on a bike as it was only about 15 minutes away from my homestay accommodation.
The Hang Mua viewpoint overlooks the surroundings in two directions: one over the river where I took the boat trip the day before and one in the opposite direction over the rice fields towards the horizon. The place offers a perfect opportunity for some incredible photos. You can even take some risks and try to climb up the rocks further to touch the statue of a dragon that curls along the mountain top. Many people do that and I also did, but you have to be careful not to slip or cut yourself along the sharp edges of the rocks.
On the other side of the staircase you have another perfect photo opportunity with a small tower at the top of the rock overlooking the scenery. However, that place was terribly crowded and people took their time to take the perfect photo with a perfect angle and a perfect pose. You really had to be patient.
Once you climb down the mountain and reach the bottom of the staircase there is a long walkway lined up with beautifully decorated bars, restaurants, hotels and gardens. It was great to just walk around there and breathe in the stunning scenery.
My Zhiyun Crane 2 overlooking the scenery from Hang Mua.
Cycling in Bich Dong area.
Bich Dong Area
On my last day around Ninh Binh I hired a motorbike and drove around the whole mountain area to explore as much as I could within a few hours. It was my first time properly on a motorbike, so I needed to get used to it. Fortunately, the weather improved on that day, so it wasn’t raining and I could feel comfortable on the road pretty quickly.
I got to a place nearby Tam Coc called Bich Dong pagoda which is an ancient temple nestled into a mountainside with a very picturesque front gate. It is a magnificent, natural place which I highly recommend to visit. It’s probably my favourite place in Ninh Binh. You truly feel like an explorer there discovering a lost world. After enjoying the cave temple complex I walked on a side path that goes past the rock leading me onto the other side behind the mountain into a valley with a lake. An amazing view awaited me there. I felt as if I landed on the movie set of King Kong. The vegetation and landscape were very primal and rich, although I wasn’t really far away from the main road and infrastructure.
I took my time to walk, sit and enjoy the solitude and silence of being wonderfully lost in this beautiful valley behind the temple rock. I felt very very peaceful and at ease in that stunning place in the middle of nowhere. There were a few tourists, but the place was generally quiet and far enough from the main touristy spots.
Cycling wet and dirty through the landscape.
Bai Dinh Pagoda
The last highlight during my stay in Ninh Binh was the Bai Dinh pagoda, a large pilgrimage site featuring an original buddhist temple and newer pagodas in an open, huge courtyard. It took me a while to get there on the motorbike, as I mixed up the roads. But soon I arrived there, parked my bike in a parking space and walked for half an hour through a long market place towards the temple area. You can enter the giant pagoda and go to the very top on the 12th floor to enjoy a magnificent view of all the temple buildings and the majestic mountain ranges that surround you from every side.
The whole area is huge. At some point two local girls approached me with the intention of trying to practice their english. We walked around the temple complex together and enjoyed the sunny weather. I felt very happy. Exploring stunning places and exchanging with interesting, international and local people is what traveling is for. It fires your creativity and creates new connections which can sometimes last for a very long time. For me it's a pure feeling of freedom and one of major reasons traveling is worth striving for.
Late in the afternoon I returned to my accommodation to relax and get ready for the continuation of my journey southwards through Vietnam. A sleeper bus awaited me in the evening.
