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Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Feb 22, 2023
By Linda
When comes to Vietnam, many people will look to the best places such as Hanoi, Ha Long or Ho Chi Minh City. Ninh Binh is probably a recent emerging city thanks to the movie Kong: Skull Island 2017. Since then, tourists know a lot and often ask the question: Tam Coc or Trang An if they just have time for 1 day? These are both famous places and belong to Ninh Binh, which will be an embarrassment to visitors. Let's learn about these two places with Vietnam Escape Tours.
The first point is probably the similarity of Tam Coc and Trang An, which is that they both experience the charming scenery on a traditional canoe boat rowed by local people. With stunning scenery, the variety of caves formed by limestone mountains makes it difficult for visitors to choose a better place.
As a bay formed from mother nature, Tam Coc has long been known as “Halong Bay on land”. About the name, “Tam Coc” means “three caves” including Hang Ca (First Cave), Hang Hai (Second Cave), Hang Ba (Third Cave) formed by the river that crosses the mountain. Hang Ca is the largest with a length of about 127 m, inside the ceiling there are places up to 20 m high with stalactites of many shapes.
The boat trip to Tam Coc takes about 2 hours and Ngo Dong river is the start location of three caves through the mountain. Another distinctive feature with Trang An is that there are rice fields here. By going back the same way, you can pass the same rice fields two times.
Tam Coc, Ninh Binh
The unique feature about this place is the rice fields, so when is the best time to visit Tam Coc? It would be considerably more attractive from March to June, with the finest period being during the golden rice fields from April to early May. Visitor crowds often peak midday to visit, so it's best to take the Tam Coc boat trip early in the morning or late in the afternoon after 4 PM.
Our guide will pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter and straight to Ninh Binh to start your Hang Mua Peak Tam Coc One Day Tour. First location we arrive at is the foothills of Hang Mua Peak, known as “Lying Dragon Mountain”. To get to the top, you will have to climb 486 stone stairs (one of things you must do in Ninh Binh) and from there you will admire the verdant scenery of Ninh Binh on the way to the top. Once we reach the top, we will take some time to take pictures and see the natural beauty through the mountains, rice fields and winding river. At midday, you will have time to enjoy Ninh Binh traditional cuisine and take a rest.
The second part of the trip is the center of Tam Coc. Here, you will experience the locals rowing boats taking you winding along the river, between limestone cliffs and rice fields on either side. Not only that, you can also see caves with goats on the hillsides. At 3 PM, our guide takes you back to the center of Tam Coc. You can ride a bicycle and explore the rest of the village and 2 hours later we will take you back to hanoi.
Hang Mua Peak
Our guide will pick you up from your hotel in the Old Quarter and take you directly to Ninh Binh to start your Tam Coc Hoa Lu Private Day Tour.
The first portion of the journey is to Tam Coc's center. Locals will rowboats for you while you weave your way along the river, amid limestone cliffs and rice fields on each side. Not only that, goats may be seen on the hillsides. Our guide returns you to Tam Coc's center at 1 PM. You may have time to enjoy Ninh Binh traditional food and ride a bicycle to explore the rest of the village.
Our second destination is Hoa Lu, an architectural complex with a history spanning over 1000 years. The initial capital of the central feudal dynasty was Hoa Lu, which served as the location of significant celebrations honoring the kings who had helped to establish the nation. After this, we will go back to Hanoi and finish the trip.
Trang An, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2014, is a famous artificial scenic area of Ninh Binh. Unlike Tam Coc, this place has three different routes and each route has brought you through the immense mountains. A boat tour takes more time than Tam Coc one, which is around 2,5 - 3 hours in total. In this trip, you can travel through a wide range of caves with different sizes (long,short or dark,light), other places like pagoda (Trinh and Duc Ong pagoda), temples (Hanh Cung Ngu Lam) and a part of the movie set of Kong: Skull Island in 2017. The combination of breathtaking mountain scenery makes Trang An become a memorable experience, and possibly the greatest boat tour in Ninh Binh.
Trang An's service is quite professional since it is operated by a private corporation, and all boatmen work for that company. They obey the laws and regulations in order to serve clients properly and make them satisfied.
Trang An, Ninh Binh
There are no rice fields in Trang An, but the ecology beneath water, with clean water, is worth seeing. Given Ninh Binh's normal weather, you may embark on a boat ride at any time of year. However, the best time to visit Trang An is from March to April or from August to October, when the weather is not too hot or too cold, the sky is clear, and there is less rain. I highly recommend taking the boat ride early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds.
To start your Trang An – Bai Dinh Full-Day Tour from Hanoi our guide will take you from a hotel in Hanoi to the luxuriant Ninh Binh province, you can take in the freshness of nature in the Red River Delta along the trip. The first location we go is Trang An, it takes about 3 hours by rowing boats by local people. During this trip, you can explore 9 caves with different sizes, temples and a part of the movie set Kong: Skull Island. At 12 PM, you will have lunch at a local restaurant and eat dishes with goat meat (Ninh Binh traditional cuisine).
The second location is Bai Dinh Pagoda, one of top 7 places to visit in Ninh Binh. This is known as Vietnam’s largest Buddhist complex covering an incredible 540 hectares. Throughout the way, our guide will describe many aspects of the fascinating architecture around Bai Dinh, as well as its current significance in Southeast Asian Buddhism. After this, we will drive back to Hanoi and end our journey.
Bai Dinh
Here are some of the unique features in Tam Coc and Trang An. Both have their attractiveness.
If you visit Tam Coc, the rustic beauty bestowed by nature will surprise you with three caves: Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba. Many visitors would select Tam Coc for their holiday, especially in April or early May when the rice fields are colorful and increase the poetic character of this place.
On the other hand, Trang An attracts certain tourists due to its stunning scenery, abundance of caverns, amazing limestone structures, and Buddhist temples. Tourists frequently choose to visit this location in August and October since the temperature is comfortable.
Because each location is so beautiful, we hope you will have two days to explore Ninh Binh. If not, you may combine seeing other Ninh Binh attractions including Mua Cave, Bai Dinh Pagoda, and the former capital Hoa Lu, depending on your preferences.
Which do you prefer, Trang An or Tam Coc? Don't worry if you haven't chosen yet. Let's get in touch with Vietnam Escape Tour to ask our knowledgeable team for help and to learn more about Ninh Binh.
