If you’re planning a trip to Hanoi, Ninh Binh is likely on your radar. It’s one of those bonus cities in Vietnam that’s usually tacked onto a trip to a nearby hub city, similar to Hue being added to a Da Nang trip.
Ninh Binh is worth visiting if any of the following apply to you: you love nature, the outdoors, are active, like hiking and exploring, or like riding bikes or scooters. It’s also a great choice if you’re tired of big cities and want a bit of quiet time while still having access to a bit of convenience.
🏨 Trang An Ecolodge (see on Agoda / Booking): Surrounded by nature in Ninh Binh, while being less than a 5-minute ride from the Trang An boat tour location
🏨 Tam Coc Center Luxury (see on Agoda / Booking): Where I recently stayed on a trip to Ninh Binh. Clean and in a great location for convenience, plus right near the Tam Coc boat tour (read where to stay in Ninh Binh)
🎟️ Tours & Activities: from Hanoi, this Ninh Binh, Trang An, and Mua Cave day tour, and from Ninh Binh, this Hoa Lu, Bai Dinh, Trang An, and Mua Cave tour
If you’re flying into Hanoi, you can either head to Ninh Binh right away or spend a few days in Hanoi first, then go down to Ninh Binh. The train from Hanoi goes directly to Ninh Binh, making it very easy to visit. I’ve covered transportation choices below, reasons to visit or skip Ninh Binh, and hotel choices if you do decide to visit. I personally toured every recommendation.
Like every guide on my site, all photos and videos below were taken by me in Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
Getting to (and around) Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh doesn’t have an airport, so you’ll need to plan some form of ground transportation to get here.
If you fly into Hanoi (Noi Bai International Airport), you can take a private taxi or a shared van directly down to Ninh Binh. Since Hanoi’s airport is north of the city, and Ninh Binh is south of Hanoi, this trip can take 3+ hours. You can book a private taxi through GetYourGuide, inside the Grab app, or a shared van on Klook here.
Personally, I try to avoid riding in taxis or vans for long trips in Vietnam whenever possible. There’s bumpiness, traffic, stopping and going, honking, swerving to avoid scooters, and drivers taking personal video calls during the ride, all of which can make a long taxi ride nauseating.
I would take the train instead. Hanoi Railway Station is in a convenient area west of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. The train goes directly to Ninh Binh Railway Station. You’ll just need to arrange your transportation to and from each station, and juggle the train schedules. But the trip is much smoother than any taxi ride. The train ride is around 2+ hours, and tickets cost between 125.000 VND and 250.000 VND each for normal seats.
You can view the train schedule and book tickets on Baolau here or on 12Go. I recently took the train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh and booked my tickets on Baolau. I received an email confirmation, then showed this at the ticket counter inside Hanoi Railway Station to receive a physical ticket.
Once you’re in Ninh Binh, you can use the Grab app to get between attractions, or you can rent a scooter, e-bike, or normal bike. Ninh Binh is actually a very bikeable place to explore.
Reasons to Visit or Skip Ninh Binh
This is an overview of what I think are fair reasons to visit Ninh Binh or to skip it. If you’re planning to visit Vietnam and are already set on Hanoi, then I would strongly consider visiting Ninh Binh. To get you started on both cities, this guide covers things to do in Hanoi, and this one covers Ninh Binh.
| Reasons to visit Ninh Binh | Reasons to skip Ninh Binh |
|---|---|
| Beautiful scenery all over | If you have mobility issues |
| Lots of outdoor activities | If you’re not an outdoor person |
| UNESCO sites and history | If you’re tight on time |
| Affordable homestays and hotels | |
| Great for biking and scootering |
If you’re into nature, outdoor activities, and are at least somewhat active, then you should visit Ninh Binh. If you have mobility issues, but still love nature and the outdoors, you are not excluded; you’ll just need to plan a bit more beforehand.
The 500-step hike at Mua Cave may be impossible if you lack mobility, but hopefully, you can at least sit in a boat. The boat tours in Ninh Binh (either Tam Coc or Trang An) are two very scenic, laid-back activities. I filmed this video during the hike at Mua Cave.
The Mua Cave hike leads to arguably the most famous views in Ninh Binh, with the far-reaching limestone karsts and the river below cutting through them. When I did this hike recently, I did see plenty of folks using hiking sticks. It is 500 steps, but it is not straight up non-stop; there are plenty of places to rest along the way. The above video is at the homestretch.
If you aren’t able to do this hike, but you’re still interested in Ninh Binh, you should still visit. There are tons and tons (literally) of great and scenic views all over the area, many of which don’t require any kind of hike to see.
Why Ninh Binh is Worth Visiting
The Beautiful Scenery
Many people think the beautiful views in Ninh Binh (mainly of the famous limestone karsts) are only in one area. Actually, they’re all over. If you opt to stay in either Tam Coc or Trang An, you’ll be surrounded by scenic views. This isn’t an exaggeration: anywhere you stay in Tam Coc or Trang An will put you within minutes of awesome views and nature.
I stayed in the Tam Coc area of Ninh Binh recently, and within minutes in all directions (literally), I was in places with far-reaching, beautiful views. I stayed at the Tam Coc Center Luxury (see on Agoda / Booking), and the location was a very convenient base to explore Ninh Binh.
My piece of advice would be to either rent a scooter, an e-bike, or a regular bicycle.
Outdoor Activities
If you’re an active traveler, Ninh Binh will be right up your alley. It definitely rewards people who get out there and explore. I was constantly stumbling upon awesome viewpoints, caves to explore, and scenery while riding my rented scooter around Tam Coc and beyond.
If you love exploring on a bike, you’ll love Ninh Binh. If you like hiking to viewpoints or inside caves, you’ll love Ninh Binh.
If you aren’t very active or have mobility issues, don’t worry; you can still enjoy Ninh Binh. It’ll just take a bit more preparation. The boat tours at either Trang An or Tam Coc are very popular things to do in Ninh Binh. There are also tours around town that chauffeur guests on electric golf carts.
UNESCO Sites and History
The Trang An Landscape Complex is one of nine World Heritage Sites in Vietnam.
The overall site is more than 6,000 hectares (or 15,000+ acres). It covers the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital area north, the Trang An area in the center, and the Tam Coc area to the south. If you opt for either a Tam Coc or Trang An boat tour, you’ll be within the World Heritage Site.
If you explore the north-south areas of Tam Coc and Trang An on a bike or scooter, you’ll be riding within the zone, constantly seeing some of the best views in the area. The Hoa Lu Ancient Capital is the site of the first capital of Vietnam (from 968 to 1009/1010).
Homestays and Hotels
On my recent visit to Ninh Binh, I toured several homestays in both Tam Coc and Trang An. Some of them required riding down dirt roads in the middle of nowhere to access.
There are tons of great and affordable hotels and homestays in very convenient locations in Tam Coc. This would be the area to stay for the most convenience. Besides the homestay above, Lys Homestay (see on Agoda / Booking) is an affordable homestay in a great area of Tam Coc. Rooms here are regularly under 1.000.000 VND per night.
There are also tons of homestays surrounded by nature in very quiet and scenic parts of Trang An. These are less convenient locally, but provide more of a peaceful and quiet stay. The Trang An Ecolodge (see on Agoda / Booking) is a nice choice here.
A lot of hotels have bike and scooter rentals available. But if not, there are several places locally to rent e-bikes, regular bikes, or scooters.
Biking and Scootering
Because Ninh Binh is largely about its nature and outdoor sites, all of which are pretty spread out, I didn’t expect it to be bike-friendly. I assumed most people would be taking taxis or riding scooters from place to place. If you’re thinking how I did, think again!
I stayed in the Tam Coc area, and there were tons of travelers riding around on metal cruiser bikes provided by homestays or rented from nearby shops. I rented a scooter myself, and I saw lots of travelers out and about on their own scooters. For a compromise in between, I’d look at renting an e-bike.
This place rents e-bikes and mountain bikes. This place does e-bike tours and rentals.
I scootered all over Ninh Binh, thoroughly exploring the Tam Coc and Trang An areas, and nearly everywhere I went (including being pretty far out), I saw travelers on bikes, e-bikes, or scooters. There are so many random roads leading to far-reaching, beautiful views. Plus, lots of cool cafes just plopped down in the middle of some really scenic areas — like this one.
I stopped for a coffee and lunch at the place linked above, Minh Quan Restaurant. The owner had friendly kittens and puppies roaming around. There are also places in the area with ducks and ducklings wandering about. I discovered these only by getting out there and exploring!
Where to Stay in Ninh Binh & How Many Days
On a high level, there are three areas to stay in Ninh Binh: Tam Coc, Trang An, or in the city. I’ll say first that staying in Ninh Binh’s city doesn’t offer any real benefits compared to staying in either Tam Coc or Trang An. The city itself is small, tame, and doesn’t have a whole lot going on. Most of Ninh Binh’s attractions are outside the city.
The only cool thing worth visiting in the city is the riverside area called Hoa Lu Old Town. I’d recommend a visit at night to see the two towers lit up.
If you’re planning on being out and about (sort of a requirement for any trip to Ninh Binh), then you’ll want to base yourself in either Tam Coc or Trang An. There is no right or wrong between the two, just a matter of preference. The area around the lake in Tam Coc is very convenient. There are convenience stores, laundromats, and tons of restaurants. It’s also where the Tam Coc boat tour departs from.
For Tam Coc: Besides Lys Homestay (see on Agoda / Booking) mentioned above, the Tam Coc Friendly Homestay (see on Agoda / Booking) is another great choice.
The Trang An area is a lot more spread out. There are some really cool homestays in the middle of nature that I visited. So if you prefer a bit more peace and quiet, this is a great choice. You’ll just need to rely more on Grab taxis or your own scooter/bike rentals to get around from here.
For Trang An: Besides the Trang An Ecolodge (see on Agoda / Booking) I mentioned earlier, the Green Mountain Homestay (see on Agoda / Booking) is my next top choice. I filmed this video at the Green Mountain Homestay.
If you have full trip flexibility, I would allocate a minimum of two full days in Ninh Binh. Three would be great, so you can take your time. Four days would be fine if you’re OK with a bit of downtime. Five or more days would be too much in Ninh Binh unless you really prefer taking things slow.
Some people opt for a day trip to Ninh Binh from Hanoi. You can do this yourself or as part of a full-day tour, like this one. If you do it yourself, you can take the train or a taxi down to Ninh Binh in the morning, then you’ll have full freedom to explore whatever you want. If you join a tour, your day will be pre-planned.
I would only do a Ninh Binh day trip if you really can’t make the time to spend at least two days there. Otherwise, a day trip will be a very long and rushed day, but it’s better than not visiting Ninh Binh at all.
