Posted December 15, 2019
Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh. It’s pronounced just like you’d think: Nin Bin. For some reason that I can’t put my finger on, I really enjoy saying Ninh Binh. It’s just kind of fun to say.
Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh. Yes, it’s got a certain ring to it.
The Recommendation
A fellow traveler, a solo woman from Washington DC, who had been to Vietnam countless times, highly recommended Ninh Binh to Steve one morning during breakfast in our Hanoi hotel. She liked it even better than Halong Bay, she said. Halong Bay is a famous Vietnam destination that is overflowing with tourists, and for good reason.
The Upgrade
After our days in Sapa, we had reservations for our second overnight train south to Hanoi, with our ultimate destination of Ninh Binh. In Sapa, we learned that the train company had entered our reservation incorrectly, for the 27th of December, rather than the 7th. It wasn’t a big deal, but they felt badly, so they upgraded us to a private compartment. What a wonderful surprise.
Morning People Rejoice
We arrived in Hanoi at 4:30 am, a bit early in anyone’s book. The next train to Ninh Binh was leaving at 6 am, and we planned to be on it. It was a short 2.5 hour ride.
A Change of Plans
After all my talk of the name Ninh Binh, I must confess that we actually stayed in the town of Tam Coc, about 15 minutes west of Ninh Binh. Sorry Ninh Binh, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’d read that Tam Coc was closer to all the sites we’d want to see, and very bicycle friendly. So, Tam Coc it was.
Karsts
The big draw in the Tam Coc area are the ancient limestone formations that suddenly jet up, jagged and beautiful, out of the otherwise completely flat terrain (karsts). Many call the area the Halong Bay of the land. I wasn’t sure if it would seem repetitive, after visiting Halong and Bai Tu Long Bays a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn’t. Not at all.
Bicycles for Rent
Our hotel rents bikes for a couple of bucks a day. The flat terrain is ideal for bicycling, not to mention there is very little traffic on the one main road through town.
The first day Steve’s bike had a beige, hard plastic child seat secured right behind his seat. I thought it was quite funny.
Then, the second day, both our bikes were so equipped. We looked like two foreigners who had somehow misplaced our children, riding along with empty child seats.
I’m Only Joking
Our hotel proprietor, who was forever grinning, happily shook his head up and down in agreement as I made a joke that we could pick up a cute kid or two as we bicycled through town. It’s probably not a great idea to joke with someone who has limited understanding of what you’re saying. As we departed for our ride, I was wondering if he would quickly run and alert the authorities about what I’d just said.
New Territory
All was well on our ride, and we weren’t followed. The weather was perfect, almost 70 degrees and sunny.
Five minutes out of town and we had the paths all to ourselves. We peddled out to two pagodas. There were wide open vistas broken up by karsts, long paths into rural areas, and dense jungle too.
We came to a picturesque, relaxing river, and sat on a park bench admiring the view. I’m not sure if that river really exists though, because it didn’t show up on google maps. Regardless of the fact that it wasn’t on google maps, the river was busy with hundreds of boats full of tourists.
The unusual, and infinitely interesting thing about the boats floating by is that the rowers row using their legs. Honestly, it looks like an advanced yoga move. I never could have imagined that leg/foot rowing was a thing, but they all do it, and only on that one, uncharted river.
The Scam
We decided to skip the leg rower boats (officially called the Tam Coc boat trip), even though the starting point was very close to our hotel and they row with their legs (which is pretty cool). Apparently the Tam Coc boat trip has had numerous incidents where the rower, once far into the countryside, pulls over and refuses to continue without a tip. We agreed that could be unpleasant and potentially very awkward, so instead opted for the Trang An boat ride.
Trang An Boat Ride
The Trang An complex is impressive. You immediately see that it’s built for high volume tourism. The railings, that go on and on, are twisted into the familiar back and forth configuration to handle the throngs, like Disneyland.
We had been advised to arrive early to avoid the crowds. We arrived just before 8 am.
The rows and rows of crowd control railings sat empty. The large complex was like a ghost town, to our great delight.
I guess being slightly off-season helped keep the tourist count low.
Boat #952
All the rowers were women. They all wore the same turquoise jacket and sun hat, the round Vietnamese hat that comes to a point.
There were hundreds, maybe even a thousand, empty boats lined along the dock, waiting for customers to fill them.
Typically they load four people into each boat, but it was early and only one man sat waiting, Adam from Astoria, Oregon, (actually Warrenton). We were happy to complete a boat, with only the three of us, as we took our seats with Adam and boarded boat #952.
Heavenly
As we left the dock we had the river all to ourselves. The glassy, clear, pristine water quietly and gently parted as we glided upriver, with a view of enormous Karsts all around us. It was so peaceful that we all whispered, as if we were somewhere spiritual and needed to be reverent.
Watch Out: Cave Ahead
Our journey that morning included rowing through nine caves. We’d have to duck our heads, or scrunch to one side or the other, to avoid our body colliding with the cave entrance or a stalactite protruding from the cave ceiling.
There was never a word of warning, or any utterance really, from our rower. It could be quite dangerous for someone not paying close attention, like someone taking video or snapping pictures, but who would be silly enough to do that? (see pictures attached).
The Review
I had read a boat trip tour review from a woman who said a spider dropped down on her head from the top of the cave, and she almost upended the boat. I’m not particularly fond of spiders (understatement), so I wish I’d never read that, but all was well, and the only thing that dropped from the cave ceiling was an occasional water droplet.
Breathe Deep, Mask Recommended
The serenity and quiet beauty of our 3 hours on the river was breathtaking.
Speaking of breath, there was some haze, which Adam, our boat-mate, said was air pollution that blows down from China.
It’s true that all over Vietnam we see lots of smog, even up in the mountains of Sapa. Many, many locals wear face masks to protect themselves as best they can.
Early Arrival for the Win
On our way back towards the dock we could see that the crowds had started increasing. Many boats were passing us, just starting out on their tour. Getting to Trang An early was perfect.
During prime season I’d recommend getting to Trang An right when they open, at 7:00 am. The views remain spectacular no matter the number of boats or tourists, but the quiet and solitude of being the only boat on the river (for much of our tour), made it that much more special.
Wins & Losses
Wins
While eating dinner at an outdoor restaurant, we watched as the Vietnamese football team won their game against Indonesia, 3-0. We didn’t know until it was over that they were playing for the gold in the SE Asia games! We heard a lot of locals honking horns, shooting fireworks, and celebrating into the night.
Having an awesome hotel owner, who was happy to make our travel arrangements, as needed, throughout our stay. We typically muddle through on our own, but it sure was relaxing to have the assist.
Losses
Enduring the very loud construction just a few feet away from our hotel that started at 7:30 am, including weekends.
Deciding to leave my loyal and trusty, albeit fake, North Face coat behind for the hotel owner since (fingers crossed) I won’t be needing it the rest of our trip.