Since we only had one day to explore Ninh Binh, we booked a last minute day tour and had a pretty specific itinerary of going to Mua Cave, Bich Dong Pagoda, and the Trang An river boat ride. We got to visit all of these spots, along with a visit to a local countryside home and a bicycle ride through rice paddies. Since this is not a common tour that people book (we wanted the extra physical activity), we got this as a private tour and had QA as our driver and Hoa (aka Bruce Lee, yes this is his nickname hahaha) as our tour guide. They took very good care of us and answered all our questions about Vietnamese culture/customs/history, along with keeping us entertained with their jokes and great rapport (they call each other best friends!).
The only thing I would adjust is that since we booked a private tour, it would have been nice to select the kind of food we wanted for lunch. I wanted to try local cuisine (e.g., duck, goat), and we had items that were more catered to the western palette (e.g., pumpkin soup, cucumber tomato salad). We also would have liked more meat/protein (got very hungry after our the bike ride), so we ordered a plate of goat to supplement our food, which we paid extra for. The restaurant owners were very sweet and friendly though.
Some tips to help those of you decide the best spots to check out:
- Tam Coc is a natural river, and Trang An is a man made UNESCO world heritage river. Both have boats that row you through beautiful limestone mountains. Tam Coc is a shorter boat ride of 1.5 hrs, and Trang An has 3 routes (the longest being 3.5 hrs). More foreigners tend to choose Tam Coc, since 3 hrs sitting in a boat can be uncomfortable. I wanted the extra time on the boat so we went on Trang An. But after a day of climbing steps and riding a bike that had a seat cushion with very little padding, my behind was quite sore. I was grateful to have seat cushions that Hoa provided us. I was also glad we chose Route 2 of Trang An, which was only about 2.5 hrs. It was just enough time to see Trang An and the different caves.
- I had read about situations where on Tam Coc, the boat rowers will stop in the middle of your boat ride to ask you for tips, and will not continue the boat trip without them. I was worried about that experience, but Hoa and QA reassured me that this won't happen if you go with a tour company. It was one reason I wanted to go to Trang An (it's more regulated so it won't happen there), but I felt more reassured that this wouldn't happen had we chosen Tam Coc.
- Go to Mua Cave as the first item in your schedule, because on a hot day, the climb up the mountain can be very hot and it's all exposed. It was starting to get pretty warm when we were on our way down.
Overall, our time in Ninh Binh was much more enjoyable because we had their presence, and I'm glad we got to end our last day in Vietnam with so much joy and fun. Thank you Stunning Vietnam Travel, Hoa, and QA!
diegomperilla
27 Apr 2023
"QA" and Hoa aka "Bruce Lee" were great! QA was an excellent driver and ensured we were comfortable throughout the entire drive. He did small things such as going to the car to turn on the AC ahead of time, to ensure the car was comfortable for my wife and I. The car was was clean and smelled good, like coffee beans. It was great. QA driving was so smooth that my wife didn't get car sick on the 2 hour drive. My wife is extremely sensitive to motion sickness, so this is sincere compliment. Hoa was extremely friendly and engaging with us. Hoa made us feel welcomed and answered many of my questions during our trip in Ninh Binh, including taking the time to explain why Vietnamese use bricks to build homes, and why bricks have holes in them. Hoa and I had great conversations about cultural differences in how death is observed in our respective countries, along with any traditions that follow. Hoa was extremely patient with my wife and I, as we took our time to take in the scenery and take great photos in the rice patties. I would recommend this company to my friends and family without any hesitation!
Vi havde en fantastisk tur med "Bruce Lee" og hans vittige chauffør (tydeligt at de er gode venner der joker med hinanden det var hyggeligt) Vi havde bestilt en tur med 9 personer men endte med en privat tur på vores præmisser helt uden at betale ekstra. Bruce er meget vidende og vi fik mange forklaringer/historier vi ikke har hørt før. Helt igennem en dejlig dag med smukke udsigter, smuk cykel tur gennem rismarker og en flot rotur på floden. Frokosten var på en lille restaurant hvor vi var eneste gæster og maden var frisk og super lækker.