Exactly What to Do in Ninh Binh (For First-Timers)

There are plenty of things to do in Ninh Binh for active travelers: hikes, caves, boat tours, cycling, and scootering. This isn’t the kind of city where you can book a central hotel, then wander around on foot locally and see all of the attractions.

In order to fully enjoy Ninh Binh, you’ll need to be outside your hotel or homestay — doing things. And you’ll be rewarded with a ton of great visuals because Ninh Binh is a real scenic, nature-y overload.

I spent some time exploring Ninh Binh recently, and visited the city’s popular attractions, discovered some new ones, and gathered as much up-to-date info and original imagery as I could. If you have any questions about visiting Ninh Binh for the first time, ask me in my free Hanoi travel planning FB group.

If you’re planning to visit Ninh Binh on a day trip from Hanoi, you’ll want to prioritize seeing/hiking the Mua Cave. That’s really the highlight in Ninh Binh, and after that, you have a lot of flexibility. You could do the cave hike, a boat tour, and then see Hoa Lu Old Town at night — just an idea.

Where to Stay in Ninh Binh

The two best areas to stay in Ninh Binh are Tam Coc or Trang An. The Tam Coc area is centered around the lake in the middle of town and has far more local convenience than anywhere in Trang An. This lake area is where the Tam Coc boat tour departs. There are tons of places to eat, rent bikes and scooters, laundry places, and mini-marts. Lys Homestay (see on Agoda / Booking) is in a great location next to the lake.

North of the Tam Coc area is Trang An. This area is more spread out and less convenient on foot, but it has some great homestays in the middle of nature. I visited the Green Mountain Homestay (see on Agoda / Booking) and thought this was a great place to stay in nature. This guide details more places to stay in Ninh Binh.

Both Tam Coc and Trang An are great choices — only a matter of personal taste. I logged over 200 kilometers on a scooter exploring Ninh Binh recently, and I saw tons of travelers in both Tam Coc and Trang An riding bikes all over and between the areas. No matter where you choose to stay in Ninh Binh, you’ll be able to easily access every attraction I cover below. If you aren’t planning to rent/ride a bike, e-bike, or scooter, you’ll want to use the Grab app to get around Ninh Binh.

Mua Cave Hike (500 Steps)

The Mua Cave (or Hang Múa, located here) is what I consider the main highlight of Ninh Binh. If you’ve seen any photos of Ninh Binh, you’ve likely seen the view from the peak of Mua Cave, with multiple limestone karsts in the distance, and the river below cutting through them. You’ll see travelers in small boats on the river, as it’s part of the Tam Coc boat tour (discussed next).

Besides the hike, there’s a small physical cave to see on the ground level, and a huge lily pond area with multiple paths and wooden bridges to walk out on. From on top of the hiking area, you get a great view of this lily pond area. Tickets cost 100.000 VND each for adults and are free for kids under 1m tall.

Here’s a video I filmed from the famous viewpoint on the Mua Cave hike (left path).

Tips for the hike itself: The Mua Cave hike is entirely stone steps, so you’ll want to be careful or avoid visiting on wet days. Sneakers or normal shoes are fine. I wouldn’t wear flip-flops. The beginning part of the hike is pretty basic, with multiple places to rest as it weaves up the mountain. Then the path splits, and you can go up to one of two viewpoints. These paths are steeper, with little to hold onto in places. It’s only a few minutes up each one, so you can do both if you want. But if you’re tired by this point and only want to do one, choose the left path. I went to the top of both peaks since I traveled this far anyway.

The left path leads to the famous and best views of the far-reaching limestone karsts. A secondary path then goes up even higher, atop Lying Dragon Mountain, with the dragon statue. The left path leads to more spacious areas from its viewing locations.

The right path leads to a much smaller viewing platform, but has the better views west, into the valley, and of the lily pond area. But it doesn’t have the limestone karst/river views (blocked by a mountain). I would skip the right path if you’re only choosing one.

This attraction gets crowded. I was here by 9:30 AM, and the crowd was manageable. It was easy to get all of the photos I wanted. But by 11 AM, it was noticeably busier. My research tells me that sunset is a very busy time. I would come earlier (if you don’t want the sunset photos). If you’re traveling with kids, they can definitely do at least the first part (to where the path splits). Then from there, it’ll be a case-by-case basis on going higher. I did see some younger kids (probably 4 or 5 years old) going up to the different peaks.

Ninh Binh Boat Tours

The boat tours in Ninh Binh are very popular. Most people do either the Tam Coc or Trang An boat tour, but there’s actually a third option: at Van Long Nature Reserve. I visited all three boat tours to get as much information as I could for this article. The first two, Tam Coc and Trang An, are part of UNESCO’s Trang An Landscape Complex.

The Tam Coc boat tour is 250.000 VND for adults. This tour is about 1.5 hours. A big benefit of this boat tour is its departure location. It’s right in the Tam Coc area. I stayed at the Tam Coc Center Luxury (Agoda / Booking), which is right across the street. This boat tour departs from here.

The Trang An boat tour is the most popular, well-run, and commercialized boat tour in Ninh Binh. This tour has three routes to choose from. There are displays at the ticket booths showing the details of each route. They are all between 2 and 3+ hours. Tickets also cost 250.000 VND for adults. The Trang An boat tour departs from here. The Trang An Freedom Hood (see on Agoda / Booking) is a nice choice, two minutes away.

The Van Long boat tour is a third option. This one’s more niche, as it’s not nearly as commercialized as the Tam Coc and Trang An boat tours. It’s much quieter and far more rural than the other tours. When I visited, only two groups were going on boat tours. The downside is the location (30+ minutes north of the Tam Coc area). The boat tour is 1.5 hours. Tickets cost 100.000 VND for adults.

Choosing a boat tour: All three boat tours see nature. The Tam Coc and Trang An boat tours offer a similar experience, both with caves and limestone karst views. The Van Long boat tour is good if you want an off-the-beaten-path experience, not touristy at all, but it doesn’t have the same great views as the others. For all boat tours, be mindful of the sun, bring something to cover up, and extra water. If you’re totally free to choose, I would do one of the Trang An boat tours.

Bai Dinh Pagoda

The Bai Dinh Pagoda is located here, about 30 minutes northwest of the Tam Coc and Trang An areas. I rode my rented scooter here from Tam Coc, but you can use the Grab app to book a taxi. This is a popular attraction in Ninh Binh, so getting a taxi here and back is no problem.

The Bai Dinh Pagoda is a huge complex, with a lot of temples and buildings to explore. I spent around three hours here, but I wanted to see as much as I could before tiring out. They give out maps at the ticket booth.

The main highlight is the Bao Thien Stupa, which has an observatory on the 12th and 13th floors. This has awesome 360-degree views of the Bai Dinh complex and the surrounding area. I filmed this video from the 12th floor of the stupa.

Guests all take a shuttle from the ticket area to the main complex. This is included in all ticket packages. The most basic package costs 100.000 VND for adults. To enter the stupa, you’ll need the 150.000 VND ticket package. A third package costs 300.000 VND and includes entrance to the stupa and access to the shuttle cars at the main complex, which gives rides between all the sights.

I bought the 300.000 VND ticket, but ended up doing a lot of walking by choice to explore the complex fully on my own. It’s big and spread out, and the on-site shuttles follow set routes. If you’re up for a lot of walking, get the 150.000 VND ticket (so you can enter the stupa). Otherwise, the 300.000 VND ticket will save you a lot of energy.

Bike Around Ninh Binh

Similar to Hoi An, biking is very popular in Ninh Binh. Tam Coc is mostly bikeable, and there are a lot of roads leading out into nature minutes away. Trang An is north of Tam Coc, and is a more spread-out area overall, but I saw a lot of people biking between the two.

I spent a lot of time traveling between attractions on my scooter, through various roads in the rice fields, and to a lot of random places/viewpoints — and I still saw people on bikes. You’ll be able to bike from Tam Coc or Trang An to many places, including the Hang Mua Cave hike, the boat tours, and more.

Many hotels and homestays provide free bikes (of varying quality). These are mostly the single-speed metal cruisers with a basket in the front. They sound like a fun idea and are more than fine locally, but if you’re going further out, I’d look to rent a real bike (like a Trek) or an e-bike. I stumbled upon more than a few couples on dinky metal bikes who were way far out of town, with one or both of them looking pretty grumpy. Here’s a place in Tam Coc that rents electric bikes. This one does e-bike tours in Ninh Binh.

No matter where you choose to stay in Ninh Binh, there’s nature and beautiful views only minutes away. At every attraction I visited around Tam Coc and Trang An, I saw people on bicycles.

Scooter Around Ninh Binh

If you’re able to ride a scooter, I definitely recommend it. You’ll be able to cover a lot more ground on a trip to Ninh Binh. I rented a Honda Air Blade from here in Tam Coc for 150.000 VND per day. A very nice owner, and an easy rental process (just a picture of my passport). Not in the best condition, but more than fine for a couple of days in Ninh Binh.

I realize most tourists don’t rent scooters, so don’t worry if you can’t. It’s not required to enjoy Ninh Binh or to see any beautiful views. As I said above, I saw tons of travelers riding bicycles everywhere, far more than were renting scooters. I chose to rent a scooter so I could cover more ground for my new Ninh Binh travel guides.

Bikes, e-bikes, and scooters are just fun ways to get around town and are nice bonus activities. I don’t want to exclude any of my readers. There were also plenty of travelers taking Grab taxis (private cars) around town. It’s very easy to order a Grab and take it from your hotel to any of Ninh Binh’s attractions.

Coffee and a Meal With Views

I stumbled upon several places to eat and coffee shops outside of the main areas of town, usually down one-way or dirt roads. Some of these had awesome views. Some had several friendly cats and dogs. Some have ducks and ducklings wandering around.

I spotted these ducks outside one of the many cafes around the Tam Coc area. These were on the road heading toward the restaurants linked below.

Since you’ll need to eat anyway, you should definitely make your way to one or more of these. I ended up eating meals at a few different places. Have a look at the Minh Quan Restaurant here or the Tam Coc Pet Coffee here. These are both on the same dead-end road near the Bich Dong Pagoda.

There are tons of other choices in and around Tam Coc and Trang An. These are just two that I stumbled upon while scootering around town.

Hoa Lu Old Town

The Hoa Lu Old Town (located here) is in the city and has a walking street and two towers/pagodas on the lake. The walking street is more of a family-friendly restaurant scene. Tons of choices to eat along the lakeside here — this pizza place was super busy when I walked past.

I visited here just before sunset and was blown away by the views I got. The towers in the lake against the lakeside looked awesome. Then at night, the towers lit up, and the lakeside was lit with lanterns. There’s a 50m “mountain” called Ky Lan, which has walking steps to reach the top. All of this is (as of now) free to explore. If you want to stay in Hoa Lua Old Town, the C’Lau Hotel (see on Agoda / Booking) is a good choice.

I filmed this video at night in Hoa Lu Old Town.

These last two items up next, I would consider more of bonus things to do in Ninh Binh. These are good if you’re here for a few days and want to see as much as possible. If you’re short on time and figuring out which things to do and which to eliminate, I would prioritize the items above.

Bich Dong Pagoda

The Bich Dong Pagoda is west of the Tam Coc area, located here. The ride out here on a bike or scooter is pretty great. And you’ll actually go by some of my recommended places to eat with views above. As for the pagoda itself, as I said above, it’s a nice bonus activity in Ninh Binh. There are stairs to hike, and a cave to cut through to the other side, with some nice views. Plan to spend maybe 30 minutes here.

The pagoda is free to visit. But at the time of writing, there are a lot of street sellers inside and around the pagoda, and parking scams right out front. There’s a parking lot right outside the pagoda’s entrance, with official-looking workers who will tell you it’s 50.000 VND for an entrance ticket and parking. When I questioned them, they quickly lowered this to 30.000 VND. I then relocated down the street for free — then entered the pagoda, for free. A fair parking price, anywhere in Vietnam, is between 2.000 and 10.000 VND, give or take.

Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

The Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, not to be confused with the Hoa Lu Old Town item above, is located here in Trang An. This area was the first capital in Vietnam in the 10th century. There is a map display board near the entrance, but it still felt a bit disorganized and confusing to visit, which is why I listed this as a bonus thing to do in Ninh Binh.

Tickets here cost 20.000 VND. There’s a bridge over the river to the official entrance. The ticket booth is small and (currently) just before this bridge. There are parking scams here, too, with several people hollering to get you to pay to park your bike or scooter near the ticket booth, before the bridge. However, you can ride your bike/scooter over the bridge, to the entrance, then inside the grounds. You just need your ticket first.

I did this, then was able to ride my scooter around the grounds inside and park at each thing I wanted to see, for free. I had no issues when doing this.

The highlight of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, for me, was immediately to the left upon entering. There’s a small staircase that is easily overlooked. This felt like a pretty long way up, and led to some nice views of the area and the tomb of the first emperor of Vietnam. But the views and tomb are nothing like the Mua Cave hike or the royal tombs in Hue. Like I said, consider this a bonus activity in Ninh Binh, and not a must-do if you’re tight on time.