Hanoi To Ninh Binh Day Trip
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Take a break from the chaotic streets of Old Quarter and escape into the lush greenery and serene rivers of Ninh Binh.
This province is a quick day trip away from the capital and one of the best things to do when you're visiting Vietnam.
Although it's best explored overnight or on a multi day trip, if you're short on time a day trip will suffice.
I visited Hanoi last winter and took a day tour out to Ninh Binh through Klook. We visited the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, the grottoes of Tam Coc, and hiked to Hang Mua Cave at sunset.
It was a full day packed with activities and even as someone who prefers to DIY most of my itineraries, I found this guided tour to be 100% worth it.
So, here'a full review of my experience with an analysis on some pros and cons to taking a guided tour to Ninh Binh.
Tour Highlights & Itinerary
Hoa Lu
Explore the ancient capital of imperial Vietnam during the 10th and 11th centuries.
Tam Coc
Take a relaxing boat tour along a picturesque river within this UNESCO site.
Hang Mua Viewpoint
Hike to the peak for sweeping views of the province's rice fields and limestone karst mountains.
General Itinerary
7:30 AM Pick Up
10:30 AM - Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
12:00 PM - Lunch Buffet
1:30 PM - Tam Coc - Bich Dong
3:30 PM - Bike Ride
4:30 PM - Hang Mua Viewpoint And Ngoa Long (Lying Dragon Mountain)
6:00 PM - Bus Ride To Hanoi
How To Get From Hanoi To Ninh Binh
First off, one of the main reasons why I booked a guided tour was travel logistics.
Ninh Binh is a huge province and the main attractions are pretty spread out. I didn't want to waste time getting from place to place, and felt that an organized tour was the most efficient and least stressful option.
Hanoi To Ninh Binh Distance
Ninh Binh Vietnam is located 95 km south of Hanoi.
You can get there in 1 hour and 45 minutes if traffic conditions are good, but usually it takes just over 2 hours by car or bus. By train, the commute ranges from 2 hours and 15 minutes to 3 hours.
You can DIY the route yourself (instructions outlined below) but I was already burnt out from navigating the city and wanted to use that time to rest.
Hanoi To Ninh Binh Train
The earliest train leaves from Hanoi at 6 AM and the last train leaves from Ninh Binh leaves at 23:49 PM.
You definitely want to leave as early/late as possible because the trip itself takes over two hours each way.
Tickets cost roughly 200,000 VND one way and you can book all transportation either from the Vietnam Railways official website, or with a transportation platform like 12Go.
Make sure that you arrive at the train station at least one hour early because some providers require you to exchange the voucher for a physical ticket!
Book Your Train Tickets To Ninh Binh!
Hanoi To Ninh Binh Bus
If the train is not for you, you can also opt to take a bus.
There are a lot of limousine buses (think minivan but more luxurious) that run between Hanoi and Ninh Binh that are clean, reliable, and safe.
Some of the most reputable companies include Duy Khang, Trang An Limousine, and X.E. Viet Nam.
These buses run multiple times a day and some even offer direct routes to attractions like the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, Trang An, or Tam Coc Harbor.
You can use Google Maps to identify the pick-up and drop-off locations or 12Go to search through all the options and book your ride in advance.
Ninh Binh Day Trip: Guided Tour vs Solo DIY
There are a lot of pros and cons to both of these options but ultimately, I went with a group tour because I wanted to see too many attractions and didn't have enough time.
If you're staying overnight or have a few additional days to slow travel the province, then it might be worth it to DIY the experience.
However, when I weighed the costs of booking a group tour against the logistics of organizing for myself, I felt that it would've been more stressful and cost me more money and time to piece together the components on my own.
Group Tour Pros and Cons
Pros:
• Relaxing, convenient, safe, and organized
• Stops at all the main attractions
• Tour guide informs you about the history and significance of each destination
• Local tips and genuine exchange with your tour guide
Cons:
• Strict schedule
• Can seem a bit rushed (more on that later)
• Only get to see the main attractions (no time to explore on your own)
Solo DIY Pros and Cons
Pros
• Control over itinerary and schedule
• Activities in alignment with your personal travel style
• Can explore off-the-beaten-path options and spend as much time as you'd like exploring
• Spontaneity: can randomly decide to stay overnight or take a detour to someplace else
Cons
• Lots of time wasted on public transportation and logistics
• Attractions are spread out so you might not be able to see them all
• Stressful navigating a new country with an unfamiliar language and different cultural rules
Hanoi To Ninh Binh Day Trip Itinerary
7:30 AM - Pickup
The tour guide picked us up from our hotel in Old Quarter and walked us to bus that was parked on a larger street.
Most organized tours to Ninh Binh offer hotel pick up and drop off, but if you're staying outside of Old Quarter they might ask you to gather at the company office or a general meeting point instead.
They usually confirm scheduling details via WhatsApp the day before, so make sure to give them a contact number that they can reach you at!
We grabbed a breakfast Banh Mi and coffee to go, and then were on our merry way to pick up additional passengers!
The group was about 15-20 people in total but most people kept to themselves and it felt fairly private.
10:30 AM - Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
After making pick-up rounds and taking a rest stop along the way, we finally made it to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu at approximately 10:30 AM.
This city was the capital from 968 to 1009 B.C.E. during the first two imperial dynasties of Vietnam. The Dinh Dynasty and the early Le Dynasty ruled from the citadel before the Ly Dynasty took over and transferred the capital to Thang Long (Hanoi).
You can see overlaps in architecture and symbolism that remain relevant even in modern day Vietnam.
Experience
We gathered on the bridge before the gateway to the citadel and were given a quick explanation of the ancient capital, as well as the different temples and pagodas that we would see.
It was honestly a pretty brief chat and then we were given an hour to explore on our own.
I enjoyed wandering the palace grounds and admiring the wooden and stone carvings that adorned the Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang and the Temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang.
The Half-moon Lake in Emperor Dinh Temple was especially peaceful and it was clear from the visitors praying that this was a respected historical site.
The ancient capital mostly stands out because it was the first capital of Dai Viet (a Vietnamese monarchy that ruled from the 10th century until the early 19th century) but I wish that the tour guide had gone into further detail about the accomplishments of the different dynasties and the impact that they left on Vietnamese history.
Maybe I should've visited the Vietnam National Museum of History in Old Quarter for more context beforehand, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by the lack of information provided in this first part.
Note: Some tours visit Bai Dinh Pagoda instead of Hoa Lu capital so make sure to double check your itinerary!
12:00 PM - Lunch Buffet
We gathered at a restaurant with a few other tour groups for a lunch buffet with classic Vietnamese fare. It was a pretty extensive spread with plenty of vegetarian options like spring rolls, fried tofu dishes, stir fried vegetables, and fruit.
We were given an hour to eat and then had a little bit of free time to wander the town.
One of our tour mates missed the gathering time and we almost had to leave them behind.
It was a scary experience but I guess one of the drawbacks of taking a group tour is that you have to abide by the strict schedule or else you negatively impact everyone else.
1:30 PM - Tam Coc - Bich Dong
Next stop was a river boat trip of Tam Coc to visit the three grottoes. Hang Ca, Hang Hai, Hang Ba.
Tam Coc-Bich Dong is often called Halong Bay on land.
It’s part of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex UNESCO World Heritage Site and features a peaceful green river that glides through the limestone karst mountains of the Ninh Binh countryside.
Experience
We made our way over to the Tam Coc Dock (Van Lam Pier) and were given life jackets before lining up to board our rowboat.
They had an established system in place and our tour guided handed each of the Vietnamese rowboat ladies a ticket before we hopped our designated boat and then set off!
One of the most unique things about this experience is that they row the boats with their feet.
Apparently they used to do it the typical way with their hands, but an increase in tourism made it challenging to keep up. Feet rowing is less physically taxing and also frees up their hands for holding umbrellas or doing other things.
The sampan auntie took us on a relaxing ride through the protected park and three grottoes, and although it looked like there were a lot of tourists from the dock, it was actually pretty peaceful on the river.
The boat ride was almost an hour long and it was a welcome change of pace after a few hectic days in the city.
I wish that we were able to row ourselves, but also understand why they chose to have designated operators instead.
Tam Coc is a protected area and with the amount of tourists that they got, the damage to the landscape would be irreversible. Having local operators who are familiar with the river and caves causes less harm and also gives back to the immediate community.
3:30 PM - Bike Ride
We got off our boat at the opposite dock and waited for the rest of our tour mates to arrive before heading around the corner for bike rentals.
This part of the trip was optional, so some people decided to hang around town and explore on foot, but my friend and I decided to go with the tour guide for a quick ride.
This is one of my favorite parts of the experience.
We got to slow down and experience the beauty of the countryside from within the rice paddy fields.
It was a really short ride (maybe 15 minutes or so), but I enjoyed getting active for that brief bit.
Note: It’s not mentioned on the listing anymore so they may have eliminated it from the experience (or it might be a seasonal thing) so double check with your specific itinerary!
4:30 PM - Hang Mua Viewpoint And Ngoa Long (Lying Dragon Mountain)
Hang Mua Viewpoint (also known as Mua Cave) is one of the most famous attractions in Ninh Binh.
You hike up 500 stone steps to enjoy stunning panoramic views of the rural town down below.
Experience
Our guide dropped us off at the entrance and gave us verbal instructions on where to go, as well as when to meet back at the bus.
There was a rest area with little coffee shops and photo attractions at the base of the mountain.
To get the vantage point, you have to hike up 500 large stone steps.
I’m a big hiker so the journey took me 15 minutes but on average, it should take between 20-30 minutes at a moderate pace.
The steps are distinct but steep and depending on the weather, they can potentially be slippery. Make sure to hold onto the handrail for extra security.
The Mua Caves technically feature two vantage points: the dragon viewpoint and the pagoda viewpoint.
We went to the dragon viewpoint first because that was the most famous one and we weren’t sure that we would have time for both.
At this point, my Tevas decided to break down so I had move slowly to ensure that the soles didn’t get caught on any of the ridges or stones.
There were a lot of people at the dragon so it was basically impossible to get to the head.
To be honest, I feel like it’s a potentially dangerous experience because the dragon was shaky and a lot of people were holding onto it for support.
You could tell that most people weren’t that experienced with navigating the steep drop-offs and there were definitely too many tourists to safely move around.
Despite that, we settled at a stable spot and were able to snap some photos and enjoy the sunset.
This was hands-down, my favorite part of the whole experience because we got to explore at our own pace and enjoy nature at its finest!
6:00 PM - Bus Ride To Hanoi
After the sunset, we made our way down the mountain and then grabbed a quick snack before heading on the bus.
Is A Ninh Binh Day Tour Worth It?
An Full Day Ninh Binh Tour is definitely worth it!
I really enjoyed getting into nature and having the convenience of an organized tour made the entire experience a lot less stressful.
Mua Cave was definitely the highlight for me and while the first two spots felt a little bit rushed, it was understandable as this was a FULL day of activities with proper 2-hour commute times to and from the city.
What I Enjoyed:
Soaking in the peace and quiet in nature
Lots of time to explore Hang Mua Viewpoint
Biking! It was nice to get active for a bit
Things That Could've Been Better:
Tam Coc was more touristy than I thought
Wish we talked more about the cultural significance of Hoa Lu capital
Pacing was a little off (especially at the first to spots)
Where To Go Next
While a guided tour was definitely the best choice for visiting Ninh Binh on a day trip, I think the next time I go back I'd like to stay either overnight or spend a few days exploring the province.
One day was definitely too rushed and it had to do more with the sheer amount of things to see rather than poor pacing on the tour provider's part.
On the other hand, it was really nice to get back into the city at night and have additional time to explore French Quarter and grab a bite of turmeric fish to unwind.
We were able to prepare for our day trip out to Incense Village the next day, and then pack up and begin to make our way north to Ha Giang and Sapa!
If you're working with a limited amount of time and are looking for an effortless way to explore Ninh Binh, then a guided tour is the best way to go. Otherwise, I would recommend spending a few days in the province and DIY-ing the agenda on your own.
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