Best of Ninh Binh

The bustling city of Ninh Binh is the gateway to tropical rainforests, craggy mountains and meandering rivers. Owing to the region’s limestone peaks, the province is sometimes called “Halong Bay on land.” Several important nature reserves lie outside the city, including the wildlife-rich Cuc Phuong National Park and the wetlands of Van Long. There are also a few human-made attractions of note. Bai Dinh Pagoda is Vietnam’s largest temple complex, while Hoa Lu contains temples and ruins dating back to its heyday as the 10th-century capital of Vietnam.      

Boat excursions take you across an aquatic landscape where limestone pinnacles soar high above the rice paddies. In some places, slow-moving rowboats are the ideal way to experience the scenery and give access to caves hidden along the Sao Khe River. You can also hit the back roads of Ninh Binh Province on cycling tours, traversing rural villages and historic sites - like the ruins of a 10th-century citadel. Wildlife lovers shouldn’t miss a chance to go on a guided trip inside Cuc Phuong National Park, which has primary tropical rainforest with over 2,000 plant species and an impressive variety of animal life. At the park’s Primate Rescue Center, you can have memorable encounters with gibbons, langurs and lorises.