Ninh Binh Province-Vietnam: How to plan your trip - A travel guide
About Vietnam
What intrigued me to visit Vietnam was "To understand the cultural depth and pinnacle of human values in Vietnamese which forced USA to face domestic opposition in war ". But now, when the trip is over, i feel much more than that- An incredible country with unique landscape, great history, delicious cuisine and generous people with so much of bonding in whatsapp and instagram era!
Vietnam is located in Indochinese peninsula and shares boarder with China, Laos and Cambodia. Historians suggest about human existence in this area since 500,000 BC based on fossils found in different caves. In 16th and 17th century Portuguese, Britishers (Through East India Company! India got colonized the very same way when they reached here in 1600.) and French came here and large portion of population was Christianized. When people and the kingdom realized the underneath agenda of French Government curtailed by trade, they started fighting against but all the revolutions were brutally suppressed by French Army. When you are in Vietnam, Visit Hoa Lo Prison Memorial. This memorial says it all! After France, this country faced war with China and finally with US which was a case-study for me on this trip.
How to reach Vietnam from India
Two major cities of Vietnam: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city are well connected internationally. You could easily get flight from all the major cities of India: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Banglore and many more! What I have observed that flights from kolkata are way cheaper than Delhi and thats why we decided to go kolkata first and then take flight to Ho Chi Minh City!
Our flying plan was: New Delhi ->Kolkata->Ho Chi Minh City (2 Days) -> Hanoi (2 days) -> Ho Chi Minh City (2 Days)-> Kolkata -> New Delhi
But ideal plan could be
New Delhi ->Kolkata->Ho Chi Minh City (3 Days) -> Hanoi (3 days) -> Kolkata -> New Delhi
Or similar from any other city!
Weather of Hanoi and Hochi Minh City
HO CHI MINH CITY WEATHER
While planning any trip to Vietnam do consider the tropical monsoon climate of the country. So, It will all depend upon where exactly you want to go. Southern and Northern Vietnam have different weather conditions and trip should be planned keeping this in mind.
Places to visit in Vietnam
Country provides you different geographical terrain, rich culture and fabulous historical places. Few beaches are beautiful but if you have been to Krabi or Phuket in Thailand then it could be skipped. But, if you have not been there you can try Ha-Long-Bay! What made me crazy was the Ninh Binh province and tunnels used in Vietnam war with US. Crazy stuff! Do consider having guide as he will enlighten you with such an amazing facts that you wont believe it.
Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam
My main agenda of this blog is to make you acquainted with a totally different geographical terrain- Ninh Binh. When we were planning the Vietnam trip, my main goal was to identify the place which is unique and difficult to find anywhere else in the world and after so much of internet research i zeroed down to Ninh-Binh! Suppose god brings some low height hills with lime caves in the paddy field of Punjab and one spiral river is flowing in the center of the field through those caves, then that is Ninh-Binh! Mesmerizing terrain... simply unbelievable!
As per plan, we were picked up from the apartment in Hanoi at 7AM sharp and kids were extremely excited for the day!
Our mini van stopped at a shop for a while and then directly reached at MUA CAVE. Its almost 2-3 hours drive from Hanoi. If you want to stay nearby then its just 5KM away from tam coc village which is center of the Ninh Binh province.
Pagoda from dragon mountain
Best thing to do at Mua Cave is to hike it first and then reach to the dragon mountain. From dragon mountain, there is 360 degree view of the place! There are almost 500 stone stairs you will have to climb in order to reach to the peak. Time to reach there depends upon your fitness level but I would suggest not to loose patience and its best if you could make it to here early morning and see the rising sun.
Ngo Dong River fro top
At the half-way point, you will find 2 paths: On the right it will go to the pagoda number one and on the left: it will go to the Bodhisattva statue, dragon mountain. I went to pagoda first and then ascended to dragon mountain. Dont worry! cool breeze will make you fresh again after a tiring hike! From the top you can see flowing Ngo Dong river at the bottom, rice field and small small mountains scattered all around.
Important things to note before reaching MUA Cave
- Best time to visit from End October to End March
- Try to hike early morning
- Wear loose cloth
- Carry sun-glass and also a rain coat (Depending upon weather)
Boating in Ninh Binh
This is classic part specially when you have already hiked Cave Mua. From the top of Dragon mountain you see the river and now from the river you see the top of the mountain. When we reached at the starting point, it was drizzling but rain disappeared as soon as we came out of the van :) Total time on boat is almost 2 hours and I have never experienced such ride in entire life.
You pass through so many lime caves, your boat floats in total dark but the boat men are so skilled that even in the dark they don't let any stone touch your head.
When we reached half-way, It became so hot and humid. You can feel it from the condition of a kid:
*Boat men sometimes become too greedy and asks for so much tip. Pls be aware.
*If somebody comes to sell fruit on boat, pls buy if you don't feel it too expensive. This is for their livelihood
Bike ride in Ninh Binh
This was the last part of our Ninh-Binh trip! They provided bicycle to ride through rice field trail, mountain dust and alongside river bank. Route to cycle ride is so scenic. You will love it. Its not at all hectic and demands no fitness level. Do try this activity if you are there!
You can get wiki information of the place here.
Stay: There are multiple accommodations available in Ninh-Binh from budget to luxury hotels. You can choose it from here or you can stay in Hanoi and make one day trip.
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