Take a rowing boat through the caves of Trang An

What the experience is

Trang An lies a few kilometres west of the town of Ninh Binh, about 90 kilometres from Hanoi. It is a block of limestone hills with flooded valleys between them, a World Heritage site since 2014 listed for both natural and cultural values. Visitors board a small flat boat with a local rower and follow a circuit of waterways. The boat slides under a cliff into a cave, low enough that passengers may need to duck, and comes out into a valley enclosed on all sides. Then it does so again. Temples and shrines stand on the banks, and some circuits stop at several.

Trang An or Tam Coc

A second boat trip leaves from the village of Van Lam, a few kilometres south. At Tam Coc the Ngo Dong river runs through rice fields and three natural tunnels, and some rowers work the oars with their feet. The scenery is similar. Trang An is longer and has more caves. Tam Coc has the rice, and is at its best when the fields are ripening. One of the two is enough for most visitors.

When to go

March to May and September to November are the best months. July and August are hot, with occasional storms. Go as early in the day as possible. By late morning the coaches from Hanoi have usually arrived and the boats leave in convoys.

Good to know

The boats have little shade, so a hat is essential. Boats take a few passengers and several routes are offered, which differ in the number of caves and temples. The rowers are local people working in rotation, and a tip at the end is customary. Add the climb at Hang Mua, a stair of several hundred steps to a view over the whole landscape, and the site of Hoa Lu, the capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1010, a short distance north of Trang An.

Getting there

Trains, buses and private cars link Ninh Binh with Hanoi. A day trip is possible, but a night nearby allows an early boat and a bicycle ride through the fields around Tam Coc.

Why OKYTO recommends it

The pleasure is in the quiet. Away from the landing stages, there is mostly the sound of the oars and of birds, and the limestone rises straight from the water on every side. It is a limestone landscape in the manner of Ha Long Bay, on rivers instead of the sea. Our guide to Trang An and Ninh Binh covers the whole area, and a night on the water in Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay makes the natural companion.