Ninh Binh was a place we'd read about briefly on blogs, but most folks had only spent a day or two there. All reviews were positive, so we headed there for three days after Hanoi, and oh man, did it blow our minds. Ninh Binh is easily the most beautiful place we've been in Vietnam, without all of the tourists. That made it cheaper, and we were able to eat without people aggressively trying to sell us bracelets and hats.
We were amazed at every turn, starting with Bich Dong (try saying that without cracking up, seriously). We headed there in the evening, and 1.5 hrs was definitely not enough time. It was a temple that was built into the limestone and surrounded by beautiful rice paddies.
On the second day, someone let us rent a scooter. Lord help that person, who clearly has poor judgement. We jetted off to the Bai Dinh Temple, which we were told is the largest Buddist Temple in Asia.
Since we were experiencing the rush of independence that comes with access to a moped which slightly resembles a motorcycle, we made a day of it and headed to Trang An, where they filmed part of King Kong Skull Island. We went on a three hour boat tour that took us through caves and temples. We thought the limestone protrusions were even more beautiful in Trang An than Ha Long Bay. Also, it was interesting that it was almost exclusively local tourists, which we thought was super cool.
On our last day, it actually warmed up quite a bit (we froze our asses off the first two days), and we spent some time walking through the rice paddies up to Mua Cave. Again, we were just amazed by how beautiful it is, and there are so few tourists. It was fantastic.
2 additional shout outs for Ninh Binh:
1. We stayed in the most amazing place, Tam Coc Lake View Homestay. The bungalows were clean, and the beds were comfortable. The people were friendly, and breakfast was delicious (and included egg coffee). AND it was only $15/night. Total win.
2. Chookies was great. It was pretty westernized (including western food prices), but the vibe was awesome- complete with outdoor fire pit, and beautiful sunset views.
Our only regret about Ninh Binh was not having 3 more days to explore this amazing place.
We were amazed at every turn, starting with Bich Dong (try saying that without cracking up, seriously). We headed there in the evening, and 1.5 hrs was definitely not enough time. It was a temple that was built into the limestone and surrounded by beautiful rice paddies.
On the second day, someone let us rent a scooter. Lord help that person, who clearly has poor judgement. We jetted off to the Bai Dinh Temple, which we were told is the largest Buddist Temple in Asia.
Since we were experiencing the rush of independence that comes with access to a moped which slightly resembles a motorcycle, we made a day of it and headed to Trang An, where they filmed part of King Kong Skull Island. We went on a three hour boat tour that took us through caves and temples. We thought the limestone protrusions were even more beautiful in Trang An than Ha Long Bay. Also, it was interesting that it was almost exclusively local tourists, which we thought was super cool.
On our last day, it actually warmed up quite a bit (we froze our asses off the first two days), and we spent some time walking through the rice paddies up to Mua Cave. Again, we were just amazed by how beautiful it is, and there are so few tourists. It was fantastic.
2 additional shout outs for Ninh Binh:
1. We stayed in the most amazing place, Tam Coc Lake View Homestay. The bungalows were clean, and the beds were comfortable. The people were friendly, and breakfast was delicious (and included egg coffee). AND it was only $15/night. Total win.
2. Chookies was great. It was pretty westernized (including western food prices), but the vibe was awesome- complete with outdoor fire pit, and beautiful sunset views.
Our only regret about Ninh Binh was not having 3 more days to explore this amazing place.
These are amazing views!
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