Ninh Binh is a breathtaking travel destination in northern Vietnam, often referred to as the "Ha Long Bay on land." Located about 100 kilometers south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh offers a mix of stunning limestone karsts, scenic rivers, ancient temples, and rich cultural heritage. It is an ideal getaway for nature lovers, history enthusiasts, and adventure seekers. With its UNESCO-listed Trang An Landscape Complex and numerous other attractions, Ninh Binh has become a must-visit destination for travelers exploring Vietnam.
Best Time to Visit Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh is a place you can visit at many times of the year. However, you should come here in spring (January - March) when the weather is cool, there are many festivals and summer (May - August) to see the golden rice fields or fragrant lotus ponds.
Move
From Hanoi, you can catch a bus at Giap Bat bus station or book a Limousine to Ninh Binh. Ticket prices range from 100,000 - 150,000 VND, travel time is about 2 hours.
If departing from Ho Chi Minh City, visitors can fly to Hanoi and take a bus to Ninh Binh with the above options. Vietnamese airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Jetstar, all operate flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. Currently, ticket prices range from 900,000 - 1.3 million VND/way.
In addition, visitors from other provinces can go to Ninh Binh by train. The website of the Railway Corporation allows booking tickets in advance or visitors can buy them at the station. Ninh Binh train station is located right in the center.
If traveling by personal vehicle, from Hanoi, visitors follow Giai Phong Street, pass Giap Bat bus station, turn onto Phap Van - Cau Gie highway, from there go towards Phu Ly to reach Ninh Binh.
To get around the city, visitors should rent a motorbike for 100,000 - 150,000 VND/day to be proactive because the tourist attractions in Ninh Binh are quite far apart. If traveling in a large group, visitors should call a taxi to save costs.
Accommodation
Tourists coming to Ninh Binh as couples, in groups of friends or alone can choose to stay at homestays near tourist attractions with green, peaceful spaces and friendly services. Some popular and conveniently located addresses are: Ninh Binh Friendly Homestay, Hang Mua Ecolodge, Diep's House, Ninh Binh Palm Homestay, ChezBeo Homestay... With costs ranging from about 200,000 VND/person/night.
To enjoy more luxurious services and amenities such as swimming pools, spas, gyms, bars... visitors can choose 4-5 star quality resorts such as Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh, Tam Coc Garden Resort, Ninh Binh Hidden Charm Hotel And Resort, An's Eco Garden Resort, Aravinda Resort Ninh Binh... Room rates range from 1.7 - 6 million VND/night.
Eat and drink
Coming to Ninh Binh, you cannot miss the specialties of burnt rice, raw goat meat with lemon, stir-fried goat, grilled goat, crab fried with betel leaves, eel salad...
Goat meat is a favorite dish of many tourists when coming here. Goat in Ninh Binh is raised on rocky mountains so the meat is firm and chewy. To find reputable restaurants with standard mountain goat, diners should go to mountainous areas such as Hoa Lu, around Trang An eco-tourism area, Tam Coc... Each portion of goat meat costs 100,000 - 250,000 VND depending on the preparation method. Suggested dining addresses in Ninh Binh:
- Chinh Thu goat meat restaurant (Khe Thuong, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh)
- Duc De Restaurant (446 Nguyen Hue, Ninh Binh City)
- Dung Pho Nui Restaurant (Ninh Xuan Commune, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh)
- Mrs. Phan's eel vermicelli (999 Tran Hung Dao, Ninh Binh City)
- To Nhu vermicelli with meatballs (Highway 10, Kim Son, Ninh Binh)
- Thanh Hang sticky rice ice cream (Luong Van Tuy street, Ninh Binh city)
Top Attractions in Ninh Binh
Trang An
This place attracts tourists with its majestic mountain scenery, winding rivers, and pristine valleys... The entrance fee to Trang An is 250,000 VND for adults and 100,000 VND for children under 1.4 m. The accompanying tour guide will cost 300,000 VND per tour.
Once here, you can choose one of three boat tours to visit the caves. Route 1 will take visitors through 9 caves, Trinh Temple - Tran Temple - Khong Palace. Route 2 goes through 4 caves and Cao Son Temple - Vu Lam Palace - Tran Suoi Tien Temple. Route 3 includes 3 caves, Trinh Temple - Tran Suoi Tien Temple - Vu Lam Palace. Each tour lasts from 2 - 3 hours.
Tam Coc – Bich Dong
Coming here, tourists often first visit Bich Dong Pagoda - "Nam Thien De Nhi Dong" to see the whole view from above. Then, tourists can take a boat down Ngo Dong River to explore Tam Coc . Tam Coc means three caves: Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba. Tam Coc is stunningly beautiful in the eyes of tourists with towering limestone mountains, along with strange shapes in the caves and golden rice fields on both sides. Entrance fee is 120,000 VND/person, boat fee on Tam Coc route is 150,000 VND/trip.
Hang Mua
About 15 minutes drive from Trang An, Hang Mua tourist area is located right at the foot of the mountain. Entrance fee is 100,000 VND/adult. This is a place that tourists often check-in when visiting Ninh Binh. To reach the top of Hang Mua, visitors will have to climb about 500 stone steps, the weather is quite hot so remember to bring water. From the top of Hang Mua, you will see the beautiful panorama of Ninh Binh with winding rivers, rice fields and majestic mountains. Visitors can spend about 2 - 3 hours staying at the tourist area to visit and take pictures.
Hoa Lu ancient capital
Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1010, through 3 dynasties: Dinh - Tien Le - Tien Ly. This is one of the four core areas of the Trang An World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO. Here, visitors can visit the temple of King Dinh (Dinh Tien Hoang), King Le (Le Dai Hanh) and the museum preserving relics. These two temples were built around the 17th century, surrounded by many trees. Visitors should register to listen to the commentary during the tour to better understand the historical value of this place. The entrance fee is 20,000 VND per person.
Bai Dinh Pagoda
Bai Dinh Pagoda complex was built in 2003, covering an area of over 500 hectares, surrounded by majestic limestone mountain ranges. The pagoda is divided into 2 areas: Tan Tu and Co Tu. Here, visitors can walk around or travel by electric car (price 30,000 VND/person/trip). Some of the temples that visitors often visit when coming here are Phap Chu Pagoda (consisting of 5 rooms, the middle room has a 10m high, 100-ton Buddha statue), Tam The Temple... or you can go up to the bell tower to admire the Great Bell weighing 36 tons.
Am Tien Cave
As a scenic spot belonging to the Hoa Lu ancient capital national relic complex, Am Tien cave is located in Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district, more than 10 km from Ninh Binh city center. Surrounding the area are towering limestone mountains like citadels, in the middle is a cool blue lake. This place is often commented by tourists as having a poetic beauty but mixed with sadness and mystery. In the past, the only way to get here was climbing the mountain, so Am Tien was named Tuyet Tinh Coc. Today, visitors can go through the tunnel through the mountain, then climb the mountain to visit the pagoda to offer incense, and admire the cave with magical stalactites. Entrance fee is 20,000 VND/person.
Van Long Lagoon
Known as the "bay without waves", because when taking a boat on the lagoon, visitors will see the water surface flat without a ripple. The water is not as blue as the sea, but clear, revealing layers of moss underneath. This is also the place that owns 2 records of the Vietnam Record Book Center in 2010: The place with the largest number of white-cheeked langurs and the place with the largest natural picture . Entrance ticket is 20,000 VND/person and boat ticket is 60,000/2 people.
Thung Nham Bird Garden
Thung Nham Bird Garden Ecological Area is about 12 km from Ninh Binh city, is home to many species of birds, about 40 species and more than 50,000 birds. The best time to see flocks of birds returning from foraging is around 5pm. Entrance fee is 100,000 VND/person, boat ticket to visit the Bird Garden is 20,000 VND/person.
Phat Diem Stone Church
28 km from Ninh Binh city. Phat Diem Cathedral has a unique architecture, although it is a Catholic building, it is modeled after traditional Vietnamese pagodas with a curved roof shaped like a boat's bow. Phat Diem Cathedral complex includes a large church and 5 small churches (including one church built entirely of natural stone, called the stone church); bell tower; pond and 3 artificial caves.
Cuc Phuong National Park
Located in Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province, the park is the border between three provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa. This is the first national forest in Vietnam, with an area of about 22,000 hectares, attracting a large number of tourists with diverse types of tourism, from eco-tourism, research, to adventure... Visitors to Cuc Phuong can explore the primeval forest, caves with strange shapes, caves containing ancient cultural and historical relics such as Trang Khuyet cave, Chua cave, Thuy Tien cave, Nguoi Xua cave... Cuc Phuong National Park also has hot springs, rich flora and fauna, ancient trees thousands of years old such as the thousand-year-old cho tree, animal conservation area...
Phat Diem Stone Church Cuc Phuong National Park