“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
After fun filled days in Hanoi AKA Hanoisy, it was time to get a little disconnected from the city, that’s where Ninh Binh comes in.
Just less than two hours via train south of Hanoi, you can find the Ninh Binh province where the charming, small town of Tam Coc lies known for its limestone karst and rice paddy fields scenery.
We decided to rent bicycles for a few days to explore Tam Coc at our own pace. We quickly adopted the sleepy feel of the town and decided to take things slow. After indulging in our amazing hostel breakfast buffet, we set out to explore the countryside.
Just about a 15-minute bike ride from the town is the famous Hang Mua. A limestone karst housing the Mua Cave with 500 stone steps placed in an orderly fashion to the peak of the mountain.
After a sweaty, steep ascent from two people who lingered at the complimentary breakfast buffet too long, we arrived to the peak right around midday.
From uptop we were rewarded with stunning panoramic views of the rural town of Tam Coc and the Ngo Dong River winding through the mountains below.
Some people even call it the Ha Long Bay of land because of its limestone karsts set all around the area.
>>SIDE NOTE: Locals will try to physically stop you to pull over and pay to park in their ‘lot’, but parking is free in the gates of the entrance to Hang Mua so just ride on past despite what they shout out to you.
Another highlight of Tam Coc is the opportunity to take a rowboat trip along the river. There are two popular boating options: through the Trang An grottos or along the Ngo Dong River.
We decided to do the Trang An grotto tour. This was just a casual 20-minute bike ride north of the town along the rice paddies. The cost is 200k VND pp (8USD) (4 persons to a boat) and there are three routes to choose from. I’m not sure which is most popular but route 2 and 3 last about two hours (3 caves/3 temples) and route 1 is three hours long (9 caves/9 temples). When in doubt just randomly point to the board and go with that. Route 2 it was and we joined another Vietnamese couple on a row boat.
While the accustomed form of rowing the boat is for the rower to use their feet to maneuver the paddles, with four of us plus the driver on the boat she stuck to the modern day form of paddling. We even had paddles to assist her and feel more useful!
The highlight of the boat ride was going through the three different caves. Each time we would tuck through a dark shallow cave and emerge into a bright new part of the river. It’s such a magical feeling!
The landscape was so picturesque, no development just natural lush karsts and greenery all around. Just breathtaking soaking in all that mother nature offers.
We stopped at three different temples and were able to walk around them and explore.
The last temple we stopped at was also the site that King Kong was filmed known as Skull island. There were even a few movie props left on the island for us to explore.
>> SIDENOTE: Even though it’s not stated, it’s expected that you tip your rowboat driver.
With the capability of attending to hundreds of tourists based on row boats available I would recommend going early morning or late afternoon. Even though we arrived late afternoon there were still lots of people around doing the boat ride.
Sometimes the tours we go on feel like a theme park. Where you arrive to a place feeling like an actual sardine. It’s hard to want to keep to the road less traveled when the popular tourist sights obviously exist for a reason. We ask ourselves if it’ll be worth it or not. If the masses and assembly line like tour operations will ruin the sights for us. But then I’m reminded that we live in a big, beautiful world full of wonders that everyone deserves to see! Just look at how far we’ve progressed in the past decade where travel has become much more common and accessible. So I try to not let the crowds get to me and just take it in all the same. Remaining so, so grateful we all have the opportunity to see the world! Exploring and experiencing together.
Tam Coc could easily be done in a one or two day trip. Hanoi even offers a day trip here for a reasonable price. While it’s small and simple, it is definitely not a destination to be missed! The landscape offers the serenity and charm Northern Vietnam is known for. Sit back and relax in Tam Coc you won’t regret it!
Recommendations
Accommodation
- Backpacker Hostel Tamcoc/The Long Hotel. 11USD per night. Large private ensuite with AMAZING complimentary International/Asian breakfast buffet.
Transport
- Bicycle rental. Various locations. 100k VND. (4USD) (24 hour)
Entertainment
- Hang Mua viewpoint. 100k VND. (4USD)
- Trang An Grotto Tour. 200k VND. (8USD)
Food
- Anh Thang Restaurant. (Cheap and local, very friendly staff. *Go for the tomato tofu!)
- Ninh Loan Rose Restaurant. (Cheap and local)
