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The most extensive waterway tour in Ninh Binh. Many tourists prefer this trip to Tam Coc as there are many more caves to pass through and not as many hawkers. After buying a ticket, find your way to the boarding area, and decide on your route. (Do not agonize over your decision, as each route includes plenty of temples, caves, and landscapes.) Each is about 3 hours, so make sure to carry sun protection, water and some nibbles (restrooms are available at each temple stop). An employee will pair you to a boat with a rower, and fill the boat with about four passengers (smaller parties will be grouped up). Once underway, you can help paddle, or take in the scenery. In case of rain, there are two big umbrellas on board too. The caves are tight in places, so watch your head. Be aware that most caves have been widened in order for the boats to pass through, compromising their natural beauty.
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Đảo Khê Cốc
The former filming location of the village from Kong: Skull Island, repurposed in 2024 as an outdoor cultural museum. There isn't much there yet.
Hang Múa
The cave here is an afterthought; the main draws are the two hilltop viewpoints. 500 steps will lead you to the first peak, an unimpressive temple with incredibly stunning views over Tam Coc and Ninh Binh’s countryside, including a large lotus flower field at the bottom (should bloom in June/July). On the second slightly higher peak, there is a long dragon statue which you can climb around.
Caution when arriving by bike or motorbike: On the street leading up to the entrance gate there are multiple places trying to convince you that they're the official parking spot, some even utilizing whistles or intimidation tactics. Don't listen to them, you can drive right up to the gate and park there for 10,000 dong.
Chùa và động Hoa Sơn
Cố đô Hoa Lư
The ancient capital during Dinh (968-80) and Le dynasties (980-1009). Little remains from this period, but there are a few large temples and monuments built from the 1600s on: the temple of Dinh Tien Hoang, the temple of King Le Dai Hahn, Nhat Tru Pagoda, and on top of a hill, Dinh Tien Hoang's tomb. Consider a guide, as there is little interpretive information (or even useful maps) onsite. There are also boat trips on the river to Xuyen Thuy cave, less spectacular than other caves in the area.
Chùa Bích Động
Three temples carved into a limestone mountain, dating from the 15th-century reign of Le Thai To. The lower temple has a stone next to it that resonates when tapped, plus a Buddha footprint. The middle temple has an 18th-century bell, a cave and resonating pillars. The top temple has a view of the surrounding countryside, which is good for sunsets.
Dộng Thiên Cung
Only very few tourists wander into this secluded valley. There is a shop selling some drinks and ice cream, but which might be closed. There is a boat advertising a tour into a 350m deep cave, a wide peaceful field with some goats and then there is the 15min walking tour through a cave. The guide babbles about in Vietnamese only, shows various fossil shells and funny shaped wall markings, stalagmites and stalactites and even turns your head into the right direction to look using his hands.