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Ninh Binh

Best season Mar–Jun · 20 tips · 4 checked by a local · counted from 2,910 traveller posts & comments

What to eat

Eat
Tam Coc restaurant strip
Most restaurants and bars sit in Tam Coc, many aimed at tourists.
Eat
Trang An village cafes and homestays
Trang An side has lakeside cafes and village homestays that serve food.
Eat
Cafes and coffee stops
Lakeside cafes and coffee stops come up often around Tam Coc and Trang An.

Where to stay

Stay
Tam Coc
Where most guesthouses and homestays are, walk to the boat pier.
447 travellers mentioned
Stay
Trang An
Next to the main site, quieter than Tam Coc.
375 travellers mentioned
Stay
Bich Dong / the rice fields
Homestays among the fields — you'll want a bike.
11 travellers mentioned

What to do

Do
Mua Cave viewpoint
500 steps up for the view over the valley
188 travellers mentioned local-checked
Do
Bai Dinh Pagoda
The largest temple complex in Vietnam
72 travellers mentioned local-checked

Shopping

Shop
Ninh Binh city night market
A night market in the city, the main evening thing travelers mention.

Day trips · more

Day trip
Tam Coc boat ride
Tam Coc is livelier with restaurants; its boat ride passes limestone karsts.
Day trip
Trang An boat tour
Trang An boat tour, about three hours, often preferred over Tam Coc.
Day trip
Day trip from Hanoi
Many visit as a Hanoi day trip; several say one night is better.
Day trip
Cycling around the rice fields
Cycling or scootering around rice fields is the usual way to explore.

After dark

Night
Hoa Lu old town at night
Weekend night market with lit temples, mostly locals
97 travellers mentioned

Worth knowing · more

Worth knowing
Mua Cave climb
Mua Cave climb is short but steep; people say the view is worth it.
113 travellers mentioned local-checked
Worth knowing
Van Long and Chau Son
Van Long wetland and Chau Son monastery are quiet, with very few tourists.
16 travellers mentioned local-checked
Worth knowing
Stay in Tam Coc or Trang An
Base in Tam Coc or Trang An; Ninh Binh city itself is a plain town.
Worth knowing
Grab availability
Grab works here; people use it between town, Tam Coc and Trang An.
Worth knowing
Tipping the boat rower
Travelers tip the rower; one rower asked for nothing and was not pushy.

Traps to avoid

Careful
Boat rowers pushing for tips
Settle the tip before you get in the boat.
Heads-up

Nearby — often compared

Deciding where to go? Travellers often weigh Ninh Binh against nearby: Hanoi · Ha Long & Cat Ba · Sapa · Ha Giang · Cao Bang