Trang An: river caves and the old capital of Hoa Lu
Be rowed through flooded caves under towering karst cliffs, then visit the temples of Vietnam’s tenth-century capital hidden among the same mountains.
- Area
- Ninh Binh & day trips
- Start from
- Hanoi
- Distance
- about 95 km south
- Time needed
- 1–2 days
- Best season
- October – April; May–June for golden rice nearby
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Transport
- Bus, train or car to Ninh Binh; bicycle or motorbike locally
- Tickets & rules
- Boat tickets for Trang An; entrance fees at Hoa Lu temples
Why go
Ninh Binh is the landscape people imagine when they think of northern Vietnam: steep green limestone towers rising out of flat rice fields and still rivers. Trang An is the grandest part of it. The boat trip takes two to three hours, and your rower guides you along winding channels and under low cave ceilings so close you duck, past temples built on tiny islands.
The silence is the thing. In the caves you hear only dripping water and oars.
Combine it with Hoa Lu, the old royal capital nearby, and stay a night: the evenings in Ninh Binh are among the most peaceful in the north.
The story
The Trang An Landscape Complex became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, recognised for both its natural beauty and its archaeology. Excavations in caves here have shown that people lived in these karst valleys for tens of thousands of years, adapting as sea levels rose and fell and the valleys became islands and then dry land again.
Hoa Lu was the capital of Dai Co Viet from 968 to 1009. Dinh Bo Linh, a local leader, united the country after a period of conflict, declared himself emperor and chose this protected valley surrounded by mountains as his capital. Temples to Dinh Tien Hoang and to Le Dai Hanh, who followed him, stand in the old capital, rebuilt in the seventeenth century on the foundations of earlier temples. In 1010 the capital moved to Thang Long, today’s Hanoi.
Trang An’s cinematic scenery has attracted film-makers. The Hollywood film Kong: Skull Island was partly shot here in 2016, and a replica of a tribal village from the set was left on an islet, which some boat routes pass.
The rowers are mostly locals from nearby villages, working in rotation. Many have rowed these waters for years and know every cave.
Getting there
Ninh Binh is about two hours from Hanoi by bus or car via the expressway; trains on the North–South line also stop at Ninh Binh station. Many visitors take a day tour, but staying a night is better.
Locally, rent a bicycle or motorbike or hire a driver; distances between sights are short, around 10–15 km.
A suggested plan
- 7:30Arrive at the Trang An boat wharf early to avoid the crowds.
- 8:00Choose one of the boat routes; two to three hours through caves and temples.
- 11:00Lunch with goat meat, a local speciality, or fried crispy rice.
- 14:00Hoa Lu ancient capital and the temples of the Dinh and Le kings.
- 16:30Cycle back through the rice fields in the late afternoon.
Where to stay
Base yourself in Tam Coc or in the villages around Trang An, where homestays and small hotels look out on rice fields and karst. Ninh Binh city itself is less charming.
Good to know
- Go early or late; tour buses arrive mid-morning.
- Bring a hat and sunscreen; the boats have no shade.
- A small tip for the rower is customary.
- Try com chay, crispy rice with sauce, and de, roasted goat.
- Low cave ceilings: keep your head down when the rower warns you.
- In rainy periods, some routes and caves may close because of high water.