Ninh Binh overview

Ninh Binh is located in the southernmost area of the Red River Delta, connects the North and the Central by the majestic Tam Diep Range. Located 93km south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh is a place for economic and cultural continuity between the Red River delta and the mountains and forests of the Northwest. Being favored by nature as well as the long history, Ninh Binh owns many beautiful spots and historical and cultural relics. With favorable geographic location, rich tourism resources, tourism service system is being invested quite synchronously and is the basic platform to attract tourists to Ninh Binh.

Being favored by the nature as long as the long history, Ninh Binh owns many beautiful spots and historical and cultural relics

Climate

Because of its geography and diverse terrain, Ninh Binh’s climate is characterized by the northern delta climate and is influenced by the climate of Thanh Hoa region and the former IV area. The annual average temperature is 23.1 degrees Celsius. The total rainfall of the year reaches 151.9mm distributed fairly evenly across the province. On average, there are 125 – 157 rainy days in a year. The rainfall is mainly in the summer, from May to November and accounts for 80-90% of the total rainfall of the year.

Beautiful spots in Ninh Binh

Coming to Ninh Binh, people will be surprised by the beauty of Hoa Lu ancient capital, the worship of Phat Diem stone church, astonished at the creativity of the ecological caves in the area of Trang An, Tam Coc – Bich Dong… or the unique in diverse fauna and flora system of Van Long wetland nature reserve …

Trang An eco-tourism scenic complex

Coming to the Trang An ecological tourist area, you can admire the unique beauty of the caves here with a total length of more than 12,226m. This place is considered as a complex of caves, mountains, valleys, lakes, streams… which all create a unique “Trang An” landscape in the Northern Delta as well as all in all region of the country.

Trang An cave resort is located in Thanh Tri Thien Tao mountain range in the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. Around this place, the mountain enclaves on four sides, behind the mountains are the caves. The miracle here is that the caves are connected by the extremely dangerous water streams to create a strong defense area for the capital of Hoa Lu with.

Trang An is considered as a complex of caves, mountains, valleys, lakes, streams… which all create a unique Trang An landscape in the Northern Delta as well as all in all region of the

The towering mountains are the observation towers, also the walls guarding the capital. Many archaeologists coming to the Trang An cave complex claim that this site is like an “outdoor geological museum” because the entire Trang An area is surrounded by limestone karst mountains in the middle of the flood plain. Fissures from the limestone mountains show the geologic movement creating flows in the caves.

What is unique in the cave system is the regularly flooded horizontal water caves crossing the labyrinth of large mountains. These caves transfer the convective water flowing between the ravines into a stream connecting the valleys together. This place will be an attractive destination for visitors.

Phat Diem Cathedral (Phat Diem stone church)

The population of Phat Diem stone cathedral was built in many different categories: ponds, statues, Phuong Dinh, cathedral, chapels, artificial caves … All are arranged on a total surface in the shape of character “Wang” (?, a Chinese character), in the style of Oriental architecture with the lake in front and mountains behind, which not only makes the scenery more charming but also expresses the thoughts and perceptions of Asian people and their hope that everything will go well in present and future life.

It can be said that the population of Phat Diem Cathedral is the interference, the harmonious and subtle combination of Western church architecture and traditional Oriental architecture

It can be said that the population of Phat Diem Cathedral is the interference, the harmonious and subtle combination of Western church architecture and traditional Oriental architecture. Catholics bring faith to the people, but architectural style, space worship carries bold images of the communal house and temples which are deeply ingrained in the minds of Asians in general and Vietnamese in particular. They create peace, protection for followers and this is also a symbol of the encounter between Catholics and traditional beliefs of the nation of Vietnam.

Phat Diem Cathedral is also an attractive tourist destination for domestic and international visitors, the highlight of the panorama of historical relics and scenic spots of Ninh Binh homeland.

Phat Diem tile- roofed bridge

Phat Diem tile- roofed bridge was built in 1902. The bridge crosses the An River, shapes like the rainbow of 3 spans. This bridge of over 100 years old is one of the famous ancient bridges in Vietnam, along with Thanh Toan tile- roofed bridge (Hue), Pagoda Bridge (Quang Nam) … Phat Diem tile- roofed bridge has unique architecture, the surface is the road, the top roof is covered with tiles that make the bridge look like a brick house crossing the river.

Over a long time, Phat Diem tile bridge still retains its ancient design. After many repairs, large wooden pillars in the bridge were replaced with reinforced concrete pillars and steel beams to make it solid. Phat Diem tile- roofed bridge is not only a place for people to travel but also a cultural symbol of Kim Son district.

The two sides of Phat Diem tile- roofed bridge look like the village communal houses. To ensure the longevity of the bridge, for many years, the local authorities have allowed only pedestrians to commute on the bridge. Visitors coming to Kim Son district to visit the stone church do not forget to visit this unique bridge.

Van Long Nature Reserve

Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve was established in 1999 and is the place owing to two records of the Vietnam Records Book Center in 2010 for the place preserving the largest number of white-tailed deer langurs and the place of the biggest natural picture

Van Long is a mythical land, a beautiful tourist area and the largest wetland reserve in the Northern Delta. In the Van Long forest, there are 457 species of higher plants

Van Long is a mythical land, a beautiful tourist area and the largest wetland reserve in the Northern Delta. In the Van Long forest, there are 457 species of higher plants. There are many rare plants and animals listed in the Red Book of Vietnam.

With unique terrain, this place has a unique flora and fauna of two ecosystems, limestone forest, and wetland in the Red River delta. Van Long Nature Reserve is also supported by the Government of the Netherlands, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Cuc Phuong Primate Rescue Center for the conservation of rare species.

Not only does Van Long wetland nature reserve own the outstanding ecological values, high biodiversity, it also owns beautiful scenery, charming paintings, and becomes an attractive destination for visitors coming to Ninh Binh.

Coming to the Van Long Lagoon Resort, you will have the opportunity to sit on a rustic bamboo boat, glide on the calm water as a huge clear mirror with the layers of moss oscillating in the bottom, see the “painting of water “reflecting the strong deflection of the mass of limestone mountains as strong as the rampart walls. As a result, it is easy to understand why Van Long is dubbed “ the Bay without wave “.

After visiting the Van Long Nature Reserve, you can also stay at the homestay in the houses of local people, sleep in the old house with a wooden frame, dirt ground; try moving by buffalo, ox carts, or ride bikes around the tranquil northern countryside. What is more, experiencing a day working as a further with everyday tasks such as rice milling, pounding rice, picking vegetables, going to the market, cooking then enjoying the savory dishes… will be memories which are difficult to forget.
Compared with Tam Coc – a relatively famous tourist destination, Van Long is still quite primitive and not much explored. Rivers, mountains, caves, rice paddies, ancient houses, local friendliness, and bamboo boats…. all create a Van Long that visitors can not ignore when arriving in Ninh Binh. According to the survey of scientists at home and abroad, here, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the rich biodiversity of flora and fauna in the wetland in Vietnam.

Tam Coc

Tam Coc – Bich Dong, also known as the famous names such as “Halong bay on land” or “Nam Thien Ðe Nhat Dong” (the second most beautiful cave in Vietnam), is a key national tourist destination in Vietnam. Located 100km from Hanoi to the south in the province of Ninh Binh, Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist resort is an extremely popular and attractive tourist destination that tourists know such as eco-tourism, culture, and history tourism, festivals tourism, spirituality tourism…

Tam Coc – Bich Dong also known as the famous names such as Halong bay on land or Nam Thien Đệ nhị động (the second most beautiful cave in Vietnam), is a key national tourist destination

This place still retains the original nature with the beauty of the rustic countryside with many water caves make people immersed in nature with domestically and globally famous historical culture monuments such as Thai Vi Temple, Bich Dong Pagoda, Tam Coc Cave, Tien Cave, Linh Coc Pagoda …

Tam Coc literally means “three caves” including Ca (The First) Cave (127m), Hai (the Second) Cave (60m) and Ba (the Third) Cave (50m). All three caves are formed by the Ngo Dong River piercing through the mountains. Tam Coc is a completely natural tourist resort. Except for the marina, this area has not had any human creation. Tam Coc is known as “Ha Long on land”. With pristine and extremely romantic beauty, this is an attractive tourist destination for tourists in Vietnam and abroad.

If you want to reach Tam Coc, visitors should take boats from the central wharf. Boats take visitors on Ngo Dong River winding through the cliffs, waterfalls, rice fields. The total time of the journey is about 2 hours. Sitting on the boat, visitors have the opportunity to see the scenery along the river. The mountains leaning down the green river create a beautifully natural picture. The paddy fields appear behind the steep cliffs, enjoy the winds streaming through the mountains and the singing of birds.

Bich Dong Pagoda

Located 2km from Tam Coc wharf, Bich Dong Pagoda is built on the slope of Ngu Nhac Son Mountain. The scenery here is filled with bridges, ravines, mountains running long, the fragrant flowers blooming in four seasons, the ancient trees crowded with ancient temples, pagoda connected to the caves … Bich Dong is said to be the second most beautiful cave in Vietnam (the most beautiful cave is Huong Tich and the third is Dich Long).

Bich dong pagoda is filled with bridges, ravines, mountains running long, the fragrant flowers blooming in four seasons, the ancient trees crowded with ancient temples, p

Bich Dong Pagoda is an ancient temple associated with rock mountains with Asian style. The pagoda was built in the beginning of Later Le Dynasty. In the pagoda, there is a large bell cast from the time of King Le Thai To, the tomb of the monks who built the pagoda. In the reign of King Le Hien Tong (1740-1786), the pagoda was expanded including the Ha (Lower) Temple, Trung (Middle) Pagoda, Thuong (Upper) Pagoda spreading over three levels of a mountain.

Bai Dinh Pagoda

Bai Dinh Pagoda is located in the west of the ancient relic of Hoa Lu, in the territory of Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province. This pagoda is about 15 km from Ninh Binh city center, more than 95 km from Ha Noi in the direction of Highway 1A. Bai Dinh Pagoda is also a special spiritual destination for many domestic and foreign tourists. The temple keeps many records in Vietnam as well as in the world.

Bai Dinh pagoda where keeps a lot of records in Aisa and Southest Asia, this is also the largest pagoda in Vietnam

Bai Dinh Pagoda was built with a unique architecture with many raw materials from Ninh Binh green stone, wood and bamboo glaze from Bat Trang (the traditional ceramic village in the suburb of Hanoi. The temple has a dark brown dome that is curved like a phoenix tail, has rustic but noble beauty.

Bai Dinh Pagoda keeps many records such as the temple awning the biggest bronze gold gilded Buddha statue in Asia, the temple owning the largest bronze Maitreya Buddha in Southeast Asia, The temple owning the largest bronze bell Vietnam (the great bell weighs 36 tons in the Bell Tower), the Largest pagoda in Vietnam (the total area is 539 ha, in which 27 ha is the ancient temples, and 80 hectares is of the new one), the pagoda having the longest corridor with Arhat statues in Vietnam, the temple having the largest jade well in Vietnam, the temple having the most pagoda (linden) trees in Vietnam. These are the hidden beauty and the tourist’s attractions of visitors.

Kenh Ga Hot Spring

Kenh Ga hot spring belongs to Kenh Ga village, Gia Thinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province. The stream flows from the heart of a mountain located in the Kenh Ga floating village, this is an ecotourism, relaxation and healing destination that attracts many domestic and foreign tourists.

Kenh Ga mineral water is a source of hot mineral water discovered during the French colonial period, water appeared in many circuits. The main circuit called Vung Sôi is located on the right bank of the Hoang Long River at the junction of the Hoang long River and Nho Quan River. The water source was first described in the study on Northern Indochina geography by C.Madrolle, published in 1923 in Paris. In 1931, he recalled this source in his book, “Climate studies and Hot Springs in Indochina.” In 1941, M.Autret took samples in the spring, analyzed and published the result of the research in many famous magazines of the world.

About 90 km from Hanoi, it takes visitors less than 2 hours to get to the Kenh Ga hot spring and eco-tourism resort in Kenh Ga village, Gia Vien district, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province by car. Tourists come here to bath in Kenh Ga mineral water, which has long been famous as the “holy” water to cure the various diseases, to see the charming natural scenery; to enjoy the high quality services for resort needs such as spa pool, herbal soaking tub, restaurant, hotel, massage, karaoke …

Coming to the Kenh Ga Resort, you are not only immersed in the romantic, charming natural scenery of a peaceful countryside but can also enjoy many local specialties. With spacious area, harmonious layout, enthusiastic, thoughtful staff, this resort surely please the need of every visitors.

Cuc Phuong Forest

Cuc Phuong National Park (or Cuc Phuong forest) is a nature reserve and special use forest located on the boundaries of the three regions of North West, the Red River delta and the North Central in the three provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa. The park has a rich flora and fauna with tropical rainforest features. Many endangered species of plants and animals are discovered and preserved here. This is also the first national park in Vietnam.

Cuc Phuong National Park (or Cuc Phuong forest) is a nature reserve and special use forest located on the boundaries of the three regions of North West, the Red River delta and the North

Cuc Phuong National Park is a popular tourist destination for ecology and environment. Cuc Phuong attracts several hundred thousand visitors each year. Visitors come here to explore the rich fauna and flora, admire the beautiful natural landscape, participate in ecotourism programs, resort, campfire, adventure, research and study about culture and history. The center of the natural park is located in Cuc Phuong, Nho Quan, Ninh Binh