Nature’s Skyscrapers & a Bear Named Mi in Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Xin chào from Ninh Binh, Vietnam!

Ninh Binh is a bit of an enigma. Over 12,000 hectares are UNESCO-listed as the Trang An Landscape Complex—think endless flat rice fields, then BAM!—hundreds of prehistoric limestone karsts shooting up like nature’s skyscrapers. The surreal factor only deepens with a mix of beautiful temples, crumbling buildings, half-finished building projects, litter, mud, and an overall industrial aesthetic.

Tam Coc: where rice fields meet karsts… and a factory tower crashes the party.

Tam Coc, the main town, is essentially one long, tin-roofed strip of backpacker-friendly restaurants and hiking gear shops. We stayed at the one “nice” hotel—a stark white tower that somehow exuded ’70s retirement home vibes despite only being less than a decade old. Add in a dose of England-style weather (cold, damp, miserable) that we were wildly underdressed for, and we were ready to bail before we even unpacked.

Tam Coc, as it turns out, is basically one long, tin-roofed catwalk of backpacker cafes and trekking gear shops—not exactly the charming main street we’d hoped for.

BUT… the sights? Jaw-dropping. Otherworldly. With so many things to do in Ninh Binh, there’s a reason this place is a hotspot for Vietnamese tourists—and 100% worth the discomfort. Looking back, if we’d known then what we know now (and if we weren’t so eager to see rescued bears), we would have considered making it a day trip from Hanoi.

View from the Mua Cave climb: Ngo Dong River snakes through Tam Coc’s limestone karsts—proof that cardio pays off in jaw-dropping panoramas.

100s of Prehistoric Karsts

Karsts exist in about a dozen places worldwide, but few are UNESCO-listed. The UNESCO-listed Trang An Complex, often called “Ha Long Bay on land” (and yes, we’re heading to Ha Long Bay too!), is composed of several stunning sites. We tackled most of them.

Route 3 for the win! The most scenic Trang An boat tour glides past caves, temples, and enough karsts to make your camera overheat—if only the sun had RSVP’d. Overcast skies kept things cool... and moody.

Exploring the ecological site means hopping into one of 1,500 rowboats for a three-hour river journey. We took the most scenic route (route 3), which included a rather low 1km cave. So low, in fact, that we ended up sitting on the floor of the boat for most of it!

The boarding process itself is almost as fascinating as the landscape—tiny yet incredibly strong women row tourists around for hours.

Organised chaos at its finest—Trang An’s rowers lined up like a floating game of bumper boats, ready to whisk the next batch of passengers off into the karst-studded wilds.

We also visited Bich Dong and the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, both home to spiritual structures built into karsts.

Bich Dong Pagoda, a centuries-old temple complex nestled into the limestone cliffs of Ninh Binh, is part of the UNESCO-listed Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. Its mossy stone steps and cave shrines offer a serene escape—if you can dodge the selfie sticks.

Shal at the summit of Ky Lan Mountain Shrine, soaking in views of Hoa Lu below. 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 the mountain.

A Stunning View

Strangely, Mua Cave is famous for its views, not the cave itself (which we didn’t even bother with). Instead, we tackled the 500 steep stone steps—designed in the style of the Great Wall of China—for a panoramic view of Tam Coc’s karst-studded landscape.

Our last chance to climb, and we got lucky—no rain at all, just perfect views of Mua Cave’s epic stone staircase.

Mega Buddhas

Next, we made the pilgrimage to Bai Dinh, the largest Buddhist complex in Southeast Asia. Sprawling over 539 hectares, this place is massive—so the electric buggies came in handy. And when a sudden Vietnamese downpour hit, we were beyond grateful for the covered walkways lined with 500 Arhat statues (monks that became enlightened beings).

Shal throwing up joyful energy in Bai Dinh’s epic Arhat Corridor—home to 500 stone statues of enlightened disciples of Buddha, each carved with its own unique expression. It’s the longest corridor of its kind in Vietnam.

Bai Dinh isn’t just enormous—it’s ancient. The original pagoda dates back to 1121, meaning monks have been meditating and dodging tourists here for almost a thousand years.

Bai Dinh Pagoda's real showstopper? Asia’s largest gold-plated bronze Buddha—a 10-meter-tall, 100-ton masterpiece sitting serenely on a lotus in the Dharma Master Temple.

The Hall of the Three Worlds, home to three enormous Buddha statues, each standing 7.2 meters tall and weighing 50 tons was also quite a sight.

Gold-plated statues of the three Buddha manifestations—Past, Present, and Future—towering over the Hall of the Three Worlds at Bai Dinh Pagoda.

While the Buddhas in the hall looked almost identical—aside from their sitting poses and hand gestures—Buddha statues usually vary quite a bit. So if you’ve ever wondered why some Buddhas look completely different from others, there’s a reason for that!

• Past Buddha: Emaciated, symbolising his extreme self-denial before realising balance was key.

• Present Buddha: Serene and full-bodied, the enlightened teacher of today. Often depicted with a left-facing swastika, an ancient symbol of eternal life (not to be confused with its later misuse).

• Future Buddha: Smiling, round, and joyful, representing prosperity and happiness in the era to come.

And Lady Buddha? Not actually Buddha at all. She’s Quan Am, the goddess of mercy, with her own temple within the complex. We learned from our guide in the Marble Mountains that in Vietnam, people find it easier to talk to their moms—so Quan Am became the go-to for prayers and petitions. Makes sense, right?

Quam An's legendary statue at Bai Dinh supposedly has 1,000 eyes and 1,000 hands to see and help everyone in need. We couldn’t quite count the eyes, but those thousand golden hands on the disc behind her? Absolutely mesmerising.

Oh, and then there’s Maitreya Buddha, casually perched on a hilltop—except he’s 10 meters tall, 80 tons of solid bronze, and officially the largest outdoor bronze Buddha in Asia.

A Bear Named Mi

Mi could smell us before she could see us. In fact, her little nose—one of the most powerful sniffers in the animal kingdom—can pick up a scent from 18-20 miles away. And lucky for us, she was curious. This gentle, inquisitive moon bear wandered right up to the fence, getting as close as possible to investigate. It was the highlight of our private tour at Four Paws Ninh Binh, a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing bears from the horrors of bile farming.

Our highlight? Seeing Mi—one of 40 rescued Asiatic black “moon" bears—up close on our private tour at Four Paws Ninh Binh.

When Mi was just a month old, she was rescued from an illegal bear bile farm—a cruel industry where bears are confined in tiny cages, unable to stand, and repeatedly “milked” for their bile. Even today, despite government crackdowns and the tireless work of organisations like Four Paws, hundreds of bears remain trapped in these horrific conditions, their bile used in traditional medicine despite the existence of synthetic and herbal alternatives.

Mi bears the scars of her past—literally. The marks on her forehead are a painful reminder of what she endured, yet they don’t detract from her sweet, trusting face. Watching her roam freely, sniffing out new scents, and enjoying her second chance at life was both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Next stop? Hanoi for a dose of chaos, cuisine and silversmithing.

xoxo

Shal & James

P.S. Fancy replicating our adventure? Check out our post about Things to Do in Ninh Binh (includes 3 day Ninh Binh itinerary + how to see Ninh Binh as a day trip from Hanoi), and nab our full 3 Week Vietnam Itinerary (includes destination guide and travel tips).