A place with so much history.

Ninh Binh is stunning and diverse; it is also extremely traveler friendly. However, Ninh Binh remains far less popular than its sister to the northeast, Ha Long Bay.

During our Southeast Asia tour, we chose this country as our last stop because of these following photos and reasons why we loved it here and why we want to go back for more! I will definitely go back for more… coffee and coffee and Jana Mae’s terrible noise! :)

When is the best time to visit Ninh Binh or Vietnam in general?

Ninh Binh is located in Northern Vietnam where there are four distinct seasons. Summer is very hot and winter, by contrast, can get very cold. Ninh Binh’s delta location means the landscape is very flat. The area often experiences flooding and sometimes even landslides during the rainy season (approximately May to September), so it might be wise to plan a trip outside those times to be on the safe side. But for us we need to pray for a better weather since while we are in Myanmar few weeks before our trip here in Vietnam, I have seen friends visiting the province and saw their IG Stories that its weather permitting going up to the look out and the weather was changing every minute, considering that our visit is June! in the middle of their wet season. But we prayed all the gods from the temples in Bali, pagodas in Bagan, and Temples in Thailand. IT GAVE US MOSTLY SUNNY DAYS AHEAD OF US!

So here are the reasons why I feel in love with this place!!

Scenic Views

Ninh Binh is also known as the Ha Long Bay on land for an obvious reason – it looks like Ha Long Bay but on land instead of water. There are hundreds of limestone monoliths topped by dense greenery that emerge from the ground, scattered around the city with rivers flowing through them and caves formed in them. While the mountains are in the west and northwest, the east and south have coastal parts. Ninh Binh really does have everything.

Convenient Location

Ninh Binh is only 95 kilometers away from Hanoi (about a 2-3-hour journey) and makes for a good first stop for those making their journey slowly from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. You can even get here quite conveniently from Ha Long Bay. Catching overnight buses from Ninh Binh to other cities is pretty easy too – ask your hotel reception and they will help you out.

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A chance to ride the Reunification Express

While the train option between cities far away from one another is sometimes slow, uncomfortable, with problems and delays, this is not the case for Ninh Binh. Since Ninh Binh is only three hours away from Hanoi, you should definitely opt to visit there on the Reunification Express. Time to tick that off your bucket list!

Vietnam 5 from Jarylle Paloma on Vimeo.

Day trip possible

If you get to Ninh Binh early in the morning, you can easily cover a few attractions such as Tam Coc, Trang An and the pagodas scattered around them. You can even make time to visit the beautiful Gothic Phat Diem Cathedral which is about a 40-minute drive away from the center. Although it is best to spend more than a day here, many of us can be strapped for time, and if that’s the case for you, Ninh Binh makes for a perfect day trip option from Hanoi or Ha Long Bay.

Trang An

Is a complex of mountains and caves to which you can only get to by water. There are eight caves to explore on boat. On the way you will see many beautiful religious structures, surrounded by green nature, giving the area a rather serene outlook. Go early in the morning around 7 a.m. to fully enjoy your experience.

Rowing those caves

There are so many caves formed naturally or artificially inside the limestone mountains. In Trang An, you can ask your boat peddler to take you through eight caves. Make sure you duck your head as you make your way through some of the caves. Some walls aren’t high enough and some rock formations are quite pointy. The peddler will warn you when you have to duck. What’s also interesting is that the peddlers have learnt to peddle with their feet to avoid getting injured.

Hang Mua Peak

This is the best place to get an elevated view of the area. After a steep climb of around 400 steps, you will surely be rewarded on top with opportunities to take magnificent Instagram viral-worthy shots. Make sure to take a bottle of water – the climb up isn’t easy. You will also bump into goats.

Staycation

After a long day visiting the Elephant Sanctuaries in the Jungles of Chiang Mai, we rushed to the airport and catch our afternoon flight to Vietnam. It was our last leg in SEA Trip. I was a little sentimental about it since the long trip is about to end! Well, we saved the best for last.

Hanoi;

Hanoi has a fantastic and modern airport called Noi Bai Airport, which is just 10 miles north of the city. It serves both domestic and international flights from hundreds of locations around the world. Assuming Hanoi is your port of entry into Vietnam, then you’ll probably be arriving at Noi Bai International Airport which is about 45 minutes from Hoan Kiem District. There are several ways to get to your hotel or Airbnb from the airport. But before the big adventure we saw P O P E Y E S ! ! ! ! and the rest was history LOL

**Make sure to check if you need a visa before arriving in Hanoi** (Americans and citizens from many other countries can apply for an e-visa online for $40). If you get an e-visa, you can pick it up at the airport if you print out the necessary papers. It’s easy.

LINK HERE.

In fact, if i plan on living from city to city in the near future, Hanoi will probably be our first stop. It’s one of our favourite cities so far and one we can really see myself living in.

Spend a few days exploring its tree-lined neighborhoods with crumbling but charming French colonial buildings, and you may understand why.

I’m a Philippine passport holder so I can visit Vietnam visa-free for up to 21 days. Requirements and fees may vary depending on what passport you carry, so you can visit iVisa.com for more information and to apply. In my case, the process was quick and easy.

Technically, Hanoi has two main seasons – rainy (May-Sept) and dry (Oct-Apr) – though it does experience variances in weather that can simulate the four seasons.

The unit of currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (VND). The best places to exchange foreign currency are at banks and gold/jewelry shops.

The most well known and important districts in Hanoi are Ba Dinh District (aka the French Quarter) where the government offices are located and Hoan Kiem District (aka the Old Quarter) which is considered the city’s business hub and main tourist destination.

Ba Dinh District (aka the French Quarter)

Hoan Kiem District (aka the Old Quarter)

Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages of Vietnam, and features a combination of five fundamental tastes in overall meals. Each Vietnamese dish has a distinctive flavor which reflects one or more of these elements.

CHEERS to Jana and Brey who made my Hanoi experiences magical :)

@BreyStudios

@JarylleAdriane

@janamae.cueva

Part II - trip to where we stayed during our trip and more, CLICK ME!

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