7 Best Things to Do in Ninh Binh & How Long to Stay (+ Itinerary)
- Shal & James
- Jan 20
- 9 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
Often rushed as a Hanoi day trip, the sheer number of unique things to do in Ninh Binh is exactly why we stayed longer.
Ninh Binh has a way of surprising you. Part of the UNESCO-listed Trang An Landscape Complex, it’s a landscape of flat rice fields abruptly interrupted by dramatic limestone karsts that feel almost unreal. Tam Coc is a functional home base, but luxury is thin on the ground.
However, Ninh Binh’s natural sites are jaw-dropping, even with its oddly industrial edge. The temples are beautifully atmospheric, you can even meet rescued moon bears, and the sheer number of unique things to do in Ninh Binh makes it instantly clear why Vietnamese travellers love it here.
P.S. If it’s your first time in Vietnam, don’t miss our 15 essential travel tips, including how to cross the street without panicking and a few other handy nuggets we learned the hard way.
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7 BEST THINGS TO DO IN NINH BINH
Things to do in Ninh Binh are grouped by location, so you can base yourself in either Trang An or Tam Coc. After plenty of research, the seven activities below were the right choices for two days. If you’re staying longer, there are a few more sites that may be worth adding: Thai Vi Temple, Thung Nham Bird Valley, Am Tien Lake, Van Long Nature Reserve and Cuc Phuong National Park.
After failing to uncover a true luxe stay in either location (and yes, we tried), we booked the 4-star Ninh Binh Hidden Charm Hotel & Resort (£81 pn; converted: €93.42 / US$108.42). The rooms are spacious and the bed is comfortable, though the pillows are lumpy and the breakfast, horrible.
The hotel is within walking distance of Tam Coc’s backpacker-heavy strip and the family-run Tam Coc Kitchen, where we ended up eating dinner every night, surprisingly good given how cheap it is.
Everything in (and around) Ninh Binh is spread out, which is why cycling between sites is popular. Based on what we saw, we’d skip doing that for safety reasons and use GrabCar or taxis instead. GrabCar is Vietnam’s Uber equivalent and absurdly cheap. We linked our credit card, but you can also book in-app and pay cash.
Taxis will often try to overcharge, but showing the GrabCar fare usually gets them to match it (but you must pay cash), as work is limited thanks to mostly domestic tourists with their own transport and budget travellers on bicycles.
DAY 1: NINH BINH CORE HIGHLIGHTS
DAY 2: GREATER NINH BINH PROVINCE
We’ve included what we paid with currency conversions based on current exchange rates to help with planning, but things change, so it’s always worth double checking to dodge any last-minute surprises.
1 | TRANG AN
Daily 7AM - 4PM
250,000 VND pp; converted: £7.11 / €8.20 / US$9.51
Trang An is the must-see spot in Ninh Binh and for good reason. With UNESCO-listed karsts that rival Ha Long Bay, it's a jaw-dropping landscape you won’t forget. Take a 3-hour rowboat tour (there are 1,500 boats, so get ready to share the views). We recommend going in the morning as your first activity.
When you buy your ticket (which you can do with a credit card), you’ll get a map of four routes. We took route 3 because it's the most scenic, though all routes are crowded. You’ll be paired with another couple based on your preferred route unless there's four people in your party or they let you buy four tickets to get the entire boat to yourself (good luck with that during peak times!).
We queued to buy tickets on site, but if you’d rather skip the line and get straight to the good bit, you can book yours in advance here.
You’ll need to board last to claim those coveted seats at the front of the boat, but you can ask to swap seats halfway through (which worked for us, especially since the best scenery comes later). You’ll stop at temples along the way, and yes, there are toilets, but no toilet paper, soap, or dryers, so pack accordingly.
There are spare oars if you get the urge to row, but the women who run the boats have it down to an art and most of the “helpers” seemed to make things worse! And don’t forget to tip your rower. We tipped 100,000 VND (converted: £2.84 / €3.28 / US$3.81).
2 | MUA CAVE (HANG MUA)
Daily 6AM - 5PM
10,000 VND pp; converted: £0.28 / €0.33 / US$0.38 [cash]
Down a sleepy road between rice paddies is Mua Cave; while the cave itself isn't impressive, the view from the top is. A stone staircase inspired by the Great Wall of China near the cave entrance zigzags up nearly 500 steps to an altar for Quan Am, the Goddess of Mercy.
Word on the street is that the best time to visit Mua Cave is early morning before the tour buses arrive, but we visited late afternoon and the crowds had thinned. It’s just a 12-minute drive from Trang An, so this makes the most sense as your next stop. If you’d rather dodge the crowds, head to Bich Dong Pagoda first instead.
If you're using GrabCar to get to Mua Cave, input "Hang Mua Tourist Village" into the app. That's as close as you can get by car to the entrance. You'll pass through Hang Mua Tourist Village to reach the entry, perfect for a post-hike coconut or cold beer.
3 | BICH DONG PAGODA
Daily 7:30AM - 4:30PM
Free
Bich Dong Pagoda is a serene, hidden gem tucked into the limestone hills of Ninh Binh, though it’s far from quiet these days with plenty of tourists flocking to its steps. This 15th-century complex has a rich history, having served as a place of worship and reflection for centuries.
Fun fact: the pagoda is built into the cliffs, so you’ll get a mini workout climbing to the top for stunning panoramic views. It’s one of those spots where the beauty still manages to shine through the crowds.
4 | HOA LU OLD TOWN
Daily ~7AM - 11PM
Free
Formerly Vietnam’s capital in the 10th and 11th centuries, Hoa Lu Old Town is steeped in history. While sights are limited beyond Ky Lan Mountain and the lake, the lantern-lit walking street more than makes up for it, particularly at dusk around 6PM.
While the area looked like a dreamy spot for dinner under twinkly lights, none of the restaurants exactly dazzled on Google, so we called a GrabCar and hightailed it back to Tam Coc Kitchen.
5 | KY LAN MOUNTAIN & LAKE
Ky Lan Mountain Shrine: Daily ~7AM - 10PM
Bac Pagoda & Tu An Tower: Daily: ~7AM - 11PM
Free
Local folklore says this area was once terrorised by a black unicorn, until a brave princess sacrificed herself. She took poison before facing the beast, and after the unicorn killed her, it died too and merged with the rocks to form Ky Lan Mountain.
Don’t miss the climb up to the Ky Lan Mountain Shrine, built right into the rocky outcrop of Ky Lan Mountain (a petite limestone karst nestled beside Ky Lan Lake and Hoa Lu’s Old Town's walking street).
Make sure to explore the beautifully lit Bac (Silver) Pagoda at the foot of Ky Lan Mountain and Tu An Tower which shimmers like a lantern in the middle of Ky Lan Lake.
We didn’t spot any boat rides running during our visit, but Ky Lan Lake is said to offer them from 3–11pm for around 150,000 VND pp [cash] (converted: £4.26 / €4.91 / US$5.71).
6 | BAI DINH PAGODA
Daily 6AM - 9PM (electric buggy runs until 6PM)
Car park entry fee: 40,000 VND per car [cash]; converted: £1.13 / €1.31 / US$1.52
Each electric buggy ride: 30,000 VND pp [cash]; converted: £0.85 / €0.98 / US$1.14
Bao Thap (stupa tower) entry: 50,000 VND pp [cash]; converted: £1.42 / €1.64 / US$1.90
Bai Dinh Pagoda is Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist complex and home to some of the region’s most colossal Buddha statues. Bai Dinh isn’t just enormous, it’s ancient. The original pagoda dates back to 1121, meaning monks have been meditating, chanting, and dodging tourists here for almost a thousand years.
The walk from the car park entrance to the ticket office is absurdly long, so pay the 40,000 VND fee per car [cash] (converted: £1.13 / €1.31 / US$1.52) so your driver can drop you right at the ticket gates. Worth every dong.
The ticket office is a bit of a zoo and it's cash only. While queuing, a staff member pitched us on an upgraded ticket with buggy rides between sights, making it sound essential. It’s not. Unless you have mobility issues, you only need the buggy to get from the ticket office to the Internal Three Gates and back. We paid extra and got carted to random temples like it was Buddhist roulette. Don’t get upsold.
We spent four hours exploring (not including lunch, unless you count protein bars eaten mid-stride). You could easily spend more or less time depending on your pace.
Apparently, you can request a tour guide for an extra 300,000–500,000 VND [cash] (converted: £8.51 - 14.18 / €9.81 - 16.36 / US$11.42 - 19.04), though it wasn’t one of the upgrades the staff mentioned at the ticket office. In hindsight, it might have been worth asking, unless you fancy using AI as a makeshift guide like we did.
7 | FOUR PAWS NINH BINH BEAR SANCTUARY
Daily 9AM - 5PM
Immerse Package: 250,000 VND pp; converted: £7.09 / €8.18 / US$9.52
When Mi was just a month old, she was rescued by Four Paws Ninh Binh from an illegal bear bile farm, where bears are kept in tiny cages and repeatedly exploited for their bile for use in traditional medicine.
Despite government crackdowns and the work of organisations like Four Paws, hundreds of bears are still trapped in these conditions, even though synthetic and herbal alternatives exist.
Mi still carries the scars of her past. The marks on her forehead are a stark reminder of what she endured, making it both heartwarming and heartbreaking to watch her roam freely and enjoy her second chance at life.
We booked the appointment-only "Immerse Package", which includes a private tour of the bear enclosures, with a double fence separating visitors from the bears. To arrange a private tour, email Trang Nguyen (trang.nguyen@four-paws.org). You’ll pay on arrival and yes, they take credit cards and no, there’s no fee.
Visit around 1PM or 4PM, about 20 minutes after feeding time, when the bears come out to forage. The Sky Walk and guided tour give the best views.
NOT QUITE DONE EXPLORING?
About to check Vietnam off the bucket list? Start with our 15 Vietnam travel tips for first-timers and exact 3 week Vietnam itinerary, or opt for the pared-back 2 week Vietnam itinerary if you’re travelling on a tighter schedule.
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