Ninh Binh tourism is known as one of the three
beautiful tourist places in north Vietnam. Ninh Binh
landscape is a blend of rivers and mountains,
accompanied by historical stories of the feudal
dynasties. Traveling to Ninh Binh, there are a lot of
impressive attractions
in Ninh Binh such as Trang An complex, Tam
Coc, Bai Dinh Pagoda (the largest temple in Vietnam),
Van Long lagoon...
In this article I will set up a typical 2
day trip to
Ninh Binh for your referrence.
Ninh Binh Tour itinerary 2 days 1 night by train
With 2 days 1 night you cannot visit all beautiful
places in Ninh Binh, however you can include the most
worth visiting sites, here I include Van Long lagoon,
Kenh Ga village, Mua cave, Thung Nham bird garden,
Thien
Ha cave and especially traveling by train from Hanoi to
Ninh Binh.
First day
6:00: be at Hanoi Station for the Thong Nhat train to
Ninh Binh (you should buy tickets 2 to 3 days in
advance, just buy a seat ticket is ok, because the
distance is short, just 2 hours)
8:30: Arrive at Ninh Binh Station, rent the motorbikes
from a shop, just contact before you come and they will
have the bikes ready upon your arrival. With a map of
Ninh Binh tourist sites in hand you can go to Mua Cave
right in the morning as it is close to other
destinations (Thung Nham and Van Long lagoon).
9:30 am: Spending about 45 minutes on the road we arrive
at Mua Cave. From the top of the mountain, we can look
to the side of the Tam Coc river, if going in the ripe
rice season, the scenery will definitely be very
beautiful, far away, the small boats are still waving
their oars slowly on the river. Turning to this side of
the mountain you can see a wide landscape with vast
fields interspersed with solitary mountains.
11h00: Move to Tam Coc area to have lunch and rest,
there are quite a few restaurants for you to choose
from. I suggest The Long restaurant as it is very close
to boat station and a lot of foreign visitors stop for
lunch, Sai
Gon tours.
13h00: Continue on to Thung Nham tourist area, this is a
tourist service complex of private investment, with many
tourist activities such as: boat trip to visit caves,
visit Bird Garden, where birds fly out in the morning
and back to the nest in the afternoon. In addition, this
place also provides accommodation and
restaurants.
13h30: After buying entrance tickets and parking, we
board the boat to visit But Cave. The cave is dark
because there are no lights, every time passing through
the beautiful stalactites, the driver explains and reads
a few interesting verses. After going through But Cave,
you will have the opportunity to walk a section to visit
Thien Ha Cave, this cave is more beautiful than But Cave
because there are bright colored lights, the way to the
cave is also beautiful by the trees on both sides of the
road. Thien Ha Cave has just been put into operation, so
there are quite a few tourists. But the beauty is
perhaps even more beautiful than Trang An, or Tam Coc.
16h30: We take a walk around Thung Nham tourist area,
then get on the boat with another group of guests to
watch the birds in the bird garden. It is usually around
5pm before the birds come back a lot, get on the boat
again for the return. The boatman will let you stop at a
distance from the bird garden, from here you can watch
the birds from afar.
18h00: Back to Ninh Binh city, rest after a long day.
Second day
Get up early and have breakfast, take a walk around and
enjoy the peaceful life of local people in the early
morning.
8:30: Depart for Van Long lagoon. From Ninh Binh town,
you will go in the direction to return to Hanoi, when
you arrive at the turn to Cuc Phuong, turn in. On the
way, you will see the sign showing the way to Van Long
lagoon. Hire a boat and enjoy the natural beauty of the
lagoon (visit
Cuc Phuon national park).
11:30: Return to the dock and continue driving to Kenh
Ga village, just consider taking a mineral bath if you
have time, if not you just have a look at Kenh Ga church
and stop for lunch.
13h30: Spend your time playing with the friendly
children at the church, ride back to Ninh Binh city in
the direction to Bai Dinh pagoda. Return to the city,
return the bikes and rest.
17h00: Get on the train back to Hanoi or downsouth to
Hue or Danang, you can also take
a bus, catch the bus at the bus station or just go to
the highway and catch a bus.
