Ninh Binh Vietnam is a travelers dream. It is filled with delicious restaurants, historical temples, beautiful rice fields, mountains filling a valley, rivers and nature. Besides the beaches, it has absolutely everything you are looking for in a destination, including kind and helpful locals. This travel guide will include all the many things to do, places to eat, how to get to Ninh Binh, where to stay, what to pack and more.
To be quite honest, this may be one of my favorite places we visited in Vietnam (we went all the way from up north in Sapa, down to Ho Chi Minh City). It had everything we love about travel – kind people, good food, and plenty of things to do. It’s one place I highly recommend visiting when coming to Vietnam. It’s worth it, I promise!
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This travel checklist includes items you would have never thought about. For more explanations, please visit my travel checklist blog post here!
How to get to Ninh Binh
Vietnam has made it extremely easy to get around the country. Pretty much no matter where you are, you can check in with your accommodation or go to the bus station. However, if you are backpacking, you may be coming from the below locations.
From Cat Ba: From Cat Ba, the journey will take around 4.5 hours. Easily book transportation through your accommodation or with a tour agency. Blue Swimmer Adventure booked our transportation and it was the best bus experience we had while in Vietnam. They knew English well, and it was super organized. You will take a bus, to a speed boat, to another bus that will bring you to Ninh Binh.
From Phong Nga: Getting to Ninh Binh is about an 8-9 hour journey, so I recommend taking the night bus to save cost on accommodation and save time! Send a note to your accommodation just letting them know you will be there early.
By airport: The closest airport to Ninh Binh is the Hanoi airport, which is just about an hour and a half car ride away. You can hire a private car, or take a bus which would be the more affordable option.
Costs of a trip to Ninh Binh
Please note that this can vary depending on traveler, time of year you go, and when you go!
The cost of Ninh Binh for 3 days amounted to $191.87. We could have definitely spent a bit less on food and accommodation, but we wanted to treat ourselves to some delicious western food and a nice comfy bed. So, no regrets here!
Recommended number of days
There is so much to do in Ninh Binh, and is also a great place for relaxation as well. Therefore, I would recommend staying for at least 3 full days to explore all it has to offer and give yourself some down time.
Best time to go
This truly depends on the type of weather and experience you are looking for. During the summer months, between April and November, it is their peak season, and also turns into rain season. I went in February, and I personally loved the weather during this time. Cooler during the morning and nights, but warm during the day. Plus it is their dry season so the chances of a rain storm is unlikely. Since it is in the southern part of Northern Vietnam, it is also green much earlier in the season! Therefore, I personally would recommend visiting between November and March!
Where to stay in Ninh Binh
Please, for the love of god do not stay right in Ninh Binh center. That might be the biggest mistake you could make! When looking where to stay, look at staying within the Tam Coc area. It’s an adorable town that is close to literally everything you could possibly do. Here are some great accommodations to check out:
- Hang Mua Family Homestay: this was where we stayed. It was run by a young girl and her family. It was a nice accommodation a little out of the center so it was quiet. Cheap laundry, fine breakfast and rent motorbikes!
- Tam Coc Ecofield: Another location we looked at that includes breakfast, beautiful mountain views and in a more remote area of Tam Coc.
- Green Mountain Homestay: A bit more pricey, but this bungalow looks dreamy and I wish we stayed here! It includes breakfast and even has a pool…
Where to eat in Ninh Binh
Especially in Tam Coc, the main road is filled with delicious restaurants! It was honestly difficult to choose from for each meal! We did a lot of research and checked the reviews, and these were our favorite locations:
- Family Restaurant – We are silly and didn’t end up going here, but the place next door, which was still good! But we heard from several people afterwards that this was their favorite restaurant. Cheap and amazing authentic Vietnamese cuisine.
- Hometown – this was next door to Family restaurant and it was also very good and cheap! I wanted a real coconut for my water and the man ran across the street to get me one! So sweet.
- Chookies Beer Garden – A little bit more expensive as it is Australian influenced, but has delicious western food and a cool atmosphere. You will see lots of other travelers while you’re there.
Things to do in Ninh Binh
There is so much to do in Ninh Binh, including nature, temples, bicycling around the town and more. I’m constantly in search of the best things to do in each place I go, and I’ve provided below my favorite things we did during our stay.
Trang An Boat Tour
Several people opt for the Tam Coc boat tour, however, I read over and over again that the Trang An boat tours are significantly better. So we decided to go with the recommendations. They offer a few different route options, but we went with option number 3. It has fewer caves, but we knew we were going to be seeing a lot of caves in Phong Nha. The views were stunning.
I’d highly recommend getting there early, like right when they open, or much later in the afternoon. If you arrive later than 9am, it is going to be crowded, busy and not the relaxing boat ride that you were hoping for.
Cost: 250,000 VND per person
Explore Tam Coc by bicycle
Why do I say bicycle rather than motorbike? While I love the motorbike, a bicycle can slow you down a bit and you can get places where motorbikes or cars can’t go, such as rice fields! We stuck with the motorbike the whole time, but I think one day on a bicycle riding around Tam Coc and the rice fields would be a great option.
Cost: Look for homestays that provide them for free, or it is a small cost per day
Grab a coconut coffee at Brick Coffee
If you don’t know, now you know – I love myself a good coffee shop. I saw Brick Coffee on the map and thought for sure it would be an overcrowded place. Hmmm nope, we stayed there for like 5 hours and saw just two people. WHAT! This place is so cute and delicious, plus the man who runs it is just the sweetest, kindest person ever. You have to make this a stop when you’re in Ninh Binh.
Cost: 50,000 VND for coconut coffee
Watch sunset at Hang Mua
I wish I could tell you to go see sunrise here without the masses of people, but generally in the mornings it is very foggy, so you won’t see much. Sunset is stunning here, but don’t think you won’t be the only ones here. Just venture off on your own and try to find a private area.
Oh, what is Hang Mua? They’ve made this location into an experience, but it’s generally known for its magical view from the top of the 500+ stairs you climb. There is a pagoda at the top, and a stunning landscape beyond. Before you climb up, there is also a waterfall, a cool bamboo bridge and cave.
I’d recommend going around 3pm and wandering around before sunset. Then around 4pm, head up to the top and take in the stunning views around you and watch the sun go down.
TIP: Thankfully I read a bunch of reviews before we went here and found out there will be tons of people trying to get you to park in their lot before the entrance. DO NOT get fooled. Go directly to the entrance where you will pay a small parking fee and the ticket. Seriously, people will literally jump in front of you to try and get you to pay them.
Cost: 100,000 VND per person
Walk to the cave temple at Bich Dong Pagoda
One of my favorite locations in Ninh Binh was the Bich Dong Pagoda. We went at sunset, so there were very few people. This has a picturesque bridge leading to the entrance of the temple. Walk up the stairs to the temple in the mountains, and don’t forget to go through the cave to find the OTHER hidden temple! Very cool and beautiful.
Cost: free, but 20,000 VND to park your vehicle. However, we just parked our motorbike down the street and walked over to avoid the fee. Hindsight, those people probably needed the money more than we did.
Watch the birds during dawn at the Thung Nam Bird Park
I didn’t see this on many other blogs I read, so this was a hidden treat! Our friends were told about this from their accommodation, and I’m so glad we found out about it. At either dawn or dust is the best time to go, because that’s when there is the most activity with the birds. We decided to go at dawn. We were the only people in the park besides the workers. We walked around, and ended up at this crazy cool area that was just FILLED with birds! Honestly it was just so beautiful and you have to go there.
Cost: 100,000 VND per person, + an additional 10k for parking
Take photos of the bright green rice fields
Sapa is usually known for their stunning vibrant green rice fields, but Ninh Binh stole the beauty (probably for the time of year of course!). But really, it is just beautiful. Grab your bike and go meander through the rice fields. Watch the locals work, and take in the scenery around you.
Cost: free
Visit the ancient city
I heard that this was a quick stop and not many people spent a ton of time there. I personally loved it, but maybe that’s because I’m a photographer… anyways, it is such a cool place with a lot of Asian architecture that will make you feel like you’re back in the day. I highly recommend going!
TIP: MANY people are going to try and stop you before the ancient city to park there. Do NOT let them. Go right into the entrance and you can pay when you get in there.
Cost: 20,000 VND per person. Don’t let them fool you!
Have more time? Add in some day trips!
Cuc Phong National Park
If we had more time in Vietnam, we would have loved to add on Cuc Phong National Park. This is supposed to be a beautiful national park home to several wildlife, variety of plants and local tribes. It’s about an hour and a half away from Ninh Binh, so if you leave early it could be a great place to have a day trip!
What to pack for Ninh Binh
You won’t be doing anything too strenuous right in Ninh Binh, so plan for some adorable photo outfits, comfy biking clothes and shoes and a swimsuit if you stay somewhere with a pool!
A reusable water bottle: There are plenty of places (including your accommodation) to fill up your water bottle. You can definitely double check that it is filtered, but most are. Don’t be lame and buy plastic – reuse! I have the LARQ filtered water bottle and the large Hydroflask.
Sneakers: Sneakers are good for the Hang Mua sunset as there is rocky spots, and also if you want to do a lot of walking around the rice fields.
Temple clothes: Make sure to bring clothes that cover your knees and shoulders out of respect to the Vietnamese culture and temples.
Additional tips & tricks
- Travel insurance: Things happen, especially when you least expect it. Most of the time you’ll be lucky, but those few times you aren’t, you are going to want protection. Getting travel insurance before traveling is HIGHLY recommended and I never travel without it. There are so many reasons to get travel insurance, and I personally use World Nomads. They are highly recommended by other well traveled bloggers as well. Not only are they extremely affordable, they offer comprehensive packages and are super easy to use. Click here to get a quote now!
- Money:
- Make sure you have cash. It is very rare that you will be able to use your credit card when visiting in Vietnam. Scared of ATM fees? I was too. That’s why I opened up a Charles Schwab Checking account which reimburses all ATM fees! It will save us hundreds of dollars throughout our travels!
- Haggle! Don’t be afraid to ask them to cut costs. The worst they can say is no. Typically they start off high, assuming you will bring them lower.
- Safety: We felt extremely safe in Ninh Binh, even when we were staying in the outskirts of Tam Coc. However, like in all places you go, just be smart. Keep your items close to you and tucked away. Watch your belongings, and your back.
- Food / Drinks:
- For water, unfortunately there aren’t a ton of places that will have filtered water out in the open. However, still make sure you have a water bottle with you. If you have a filtered water bottle, then even better! You can always ask the restaurant or accommodation that you are in if they have it.
Travel responsibly
Travel has changed drastically throughout the years. Its gone from connecting with others, to traveling to get the same photo as others have again and again. To me, it’s unfortunate, but I’ve decided I can use my blog to do my part by trying to educate and help you travel better.
- While I cannot prevent this, I ask you to think about not geotagging exact locations on social media. Doing this creates “instagram hot spots” instead of the excitement of the unknown. It makes masses of people gather to one specific location, causing harm to the place, where there is a whole world to explore. You have made it to my blog, which means you are doing a ton of research of places to see along your journey! I am trying my best to share amazing places to visit and enjoy, not create an IG photo opp of these incredible natural locations.
- Pick up your trash, and if you have room, others too! I’m not going to sit here and tell you this is a beautifully clean route. Vietnam has a pretty big waste problem. I wish I would have brought a garbage bag with me to have been able to do my part.
- Bring a reusable water bottle. Many places around the world are standing behind the reduction of plastic. They offer free or minimal charge water re-fills. It saves you money and saves the planet!
- Be respectful. Ask permission before taking a photo of someone. You wouldn’t want someone randomly snapping a photo of you, would you? Travel is about connection. Say hello (in their language), wave with a smile, and maybe even take the time to help them with something they are doing. They will appreciate it.
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