Trang An is one of the most beautiful tourist areas of Ninh Binh province. The beautiful scenery is endowed as a natural gift. Trang An landscape includes winding mountain ranges surrounding the water flow of natural streams, creating countless beautiful and mysterious caves. Sitting on a boat, you will discover the caves around, silently watching rice fields on two sides of streams. A extremely beautiful natural space open itself fades out before your eyes. If you live in Vietnam you should go to Trang An at least once.
MAIN CONTENTS
How to go to Trang An, Ninh Binh
You can take a bus from Hanoi (starting from Giap Bat bus station, My Dinh. The bus departs daily, with different departure time. You should contact to the bus station for more details). Or you can go with the open bus as The Sinh Tourist Company which is the night bus, arrive to Ninh Binh about 10:00 am or 11:00 am. You can stay one night in Ninh Binh, in the next day you go Trang An. References of the best bus company in the North of Vietnam.
If you go by motorbike, you can rent a motorbike in Ninh Binh, or you ride straightly your own motorbike down to Ninh Binh from Hanoi (Hanoi to Ninh Binh is about 80km). It is quite easy to rent a motorbike in Ninh Binh, the price is about 120 000 VND / motorbike / a day (no inclusion gasoline). If you rent a motorbike with driver, you can go from Ninh Binh city to Trang An, then crossing Hoa Lu, or Bai Dinh. The distance from Ninh Binh City to Trang An is approximately 7km, from Trang An to Bai Dinh is approximately 7km. Going by motorbikes are more economical, if you drive by yourself, you should be becarefull at turning sections, asphalt road is very easy to fall down in rain.
Accommodation in Trang An
If you go in two days and want to stay overnight, you may contact Thien Truong motel. This motel also offers accommodation services with cheap and affordable price in Trang An. And if you want to stay in hotel, you have to go in Ninh Binh city.
Food Service in Trang An
You can order food right at Trang An tourist site, or it will be cheaper than when you eat at the roadside diner from Hoa Lu to Trang An (Let’s remember specialty: Mountain Goat). Personally, I suggest you eating at Thien Truong restaurant (Phone number: 098 944 1975). I also book this place for my tourists. They offer good food with reasonable price. If you want to get good price, you can contact me.
What to visit
Trang An boasts a system of adjoining limestone mountains and valleys belonging to the ancient ocean branch of the Tethys from China into Vietnam, on an area of around 10,000 ha, including three areas: Trang An eco-tourism site, Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourism site and Hoa Lu Ancient Capital cultural and historical heritage site.
Trang An is often referred to as a “Halong Bay on land”, but few people know that only a few thousand years also there existed an ancient bay demonstrated by the water marks on the limestone cliffs, vestiges of oysters on them, abrasion terraces, and marine sediments of the Quaternary period.
Trang An is also a tropical karst landscape with a humid monsoon climate, and witnessed a lot of sea invasions and transformations similar to Halong Bay; its karst landscape is terrestrial, concentrated on a smaller area, and regular in variety of shapes and sizes.
The landscape is replete with tower shaped karst along the fringe of a block of limestone islands with flat peaks of varying styles. The karst islands are widely scattered among incoherent flat fields and, in season, neighbor to a sea of golden grain.
These cone shapes of different sizes seem to be floating, scattered and unconnected on the even and flat rice fields, filed with the color of ripen rice. The karst landscape, with a pyramid shape in the middle, connects the sharp pointed peaks into a chain with vertical cliffs enclosing deep valleys in an isometric or linear form.
Cultural values: Recently scientists from the Cambridge University (the UK) and the Vietnam Archaeology Institute conducted surveys, research and eight archaeological excavations at Nui Tuong Cave, Oc Cave, vang stone roof, Ong Hay stone roof, Cho stone roof, Trong Cave, Boi Cave and five relics at Hang Pagoda. The results included many working tools, pottery, and food remains of the ancient people such as animal bones, shells of species of mollusks and crustaceans. Especially, excavations found human remains in three of six locations. Based on the results of the research, scientists at home and abroad have put forward some initial assessment of the value of the prehistoric culture of the Trang An region.
Trang An is an unique and impressive tourism attraction of Viet Nam, and one which has already proven its ability to bring a multitude of benefits to the local community. To ensure that these benefits continue into the future, the responsible and participative management of the site is essential.
Entrance tickets in Trang An
It is 150 000 VND / pax applied for everyone going by boat all the route. Normally, you will spend over 3 hours (visiting 6 – 9 caves) on the boat along Trang An route. About 4 to 5 people / one boat.
Tips for you in Trang An
If you can’t swim, you should rent a safety jacket.
When you buy any food and drinks, you should to ask the price before buying (specific questions).
The electric cart at Bai Dinh Pagoda is 60 000 VND / 2 ways.
Other tourist sites near Trang An
There are two tourist sites that you can combine with your Trang An trip in one day: Bai Dinh pagoda and Hoa Lu ancient capital. If you go to Bai Dinh pagoda, you have to start early (Bai Dinh Pagoda is a very big complex and very time-consuming for visiting). It is near from Hoa Lu to Trang An (about 1 – 2 km).
Hi,
I like to know that whether the yellow rice fields in the photos above are from Trang An area or Tam Coc. Would appreciate your reply.