Ten years ago, Hanoi left me underwhelmed—chaotic, noisy, and forgettable. But Vietnam has been gaining momentum as a travel destination, and I decided to give the country another chance. This time, I planned a four-night couple’s getaway, leaving the kids with grandparents in Bangkok and venturing into the stunning limestone landscapes of Ninh Binh province.
Planning the Trip
October seemed like the perfect time to visit Vietnam, though I had to be strategic about the destination. The middle and southern parts of the country are typically drenched in rain during this month, so I focused on the North. My initial plan was the famous Ha Long Bay, but between the over-tourism and Kwan’s reluctance to sleep on a boat, I pivoted to Ninh Binh—often described as “Ha Long Bay on land.” The region features the same dramatic limestone karst formations, but instead of sea, you’re surrounded by winding rivers and lush rice paddies. In the end we had a lot of rain throughout…
Day 1: Hanoi’s Controlled Chaos
My first impression upon returning to Hanoi after a decade? Nothing has changed—except perhaps the pollution has gotten worse, rivaling Bangkok’s worst weeks. The Old Quarter remains lively and unique, but stepping onto the street is an immediate assault on the senses. Sidewalks, where they exist at all, are colonized by parked scooters, plastic stools, and soup vendors, forcing pedestrians onto the road where they dodge honking motorbikes every twenty meters. After experiencing this chaos, Bangkok suddenly felt calm, clean, and civilized by comparison.
The Hanoi hotel was the Delica Hotel, not that it was horrible but forgettable and not good enough for the price, the location was great though. When we arrived there it looked obvious this hotel bought some review, it can’t have so many 5 star reviews. I’d booked a balcony room, the guy at the lobby was impressed telling us we had got their best room, but the photos were deceiving, the room looked much smaller and there was no sense of luxury. Not horrible, just not to the standard we were expecting abd I have to say I was annoyed noticing the price of the hotel went down 30% right after they charged my payment a week before the date. Eventually the “balcony” was barely 15 centimeters wide and opened directly on a busy street. We were on the first floor so it was noisy until late (Vietnamese fucking honking all the time!). To make matters worse, a temple across the street burned offerings all morning, filling our room with smoke.
One thing you can’t miss in Hanoi: the red flags. Hammer and sickle emblems wave from every façade—billions of them, literally everywhere you look. I couldn’t help but wonder: does the State produce these, or is there some private capitalist company making a fortune selling communist symbols? The irony would be delicious. In the evening, near the lake in the Old Quarter, we stumbled upon a massive public event, with giant screens showing military parades and patriotic songs. It looked like National Day — but no, it was just a regular evening in the capital.
We took a bicycle-driven rickshaw for half an hour—the driver quoted us more than what our hour-long taxi from the airport cost, but we hadn’t yet adjusted to the local currency. The driver was thrilled with his windfall! During our ride, we passed a street lined with barbecues displaying some unusual meat. It turned out to be lacquered roast dog. Welcome to Hanoi.
The highlight of our day was dinner, which provided a much-needed respite from the street chaos. Despite the rough start, we were excited to head to the countryside the next morning.
A peaceful oasis in chaotic Hanoi old quarter, this restaurant is tucked away in a quiet courtyard, sheltered from the street noise. We had our best meal of the entire trip here, enjoying Vietnamese cuisine in a calm, civilized setting—a stark contrast to the mayhem just beyond its walls. The location alone makes it worth seeking out when you need a respite from Hanoi’s sensory overload.
Day 2: Escape to Tam Coc
Leaving Hanoi was a relief. We booked a Grab taxi—a VinFast electric car, Vietnam’s domestic brand. Basic but comparable to Chinese EVs, and surprisingly comfortable. Rain in the morning prompted us to move our departure time earlier, and by lunchtime, we’d arrived in Tam Coc.
After a 2 hours drive in a highway (we noticed 3 accidents on the way, including a car upside down…), the transformation was immediate. Gone were the chaotic streets and pollution, replaced by stunning vistas of limestone mountains. This is the Vietnam you see in photographs—the inland version of Ha Long Bay that initially drew me here.
The scenery around the resort was stunning—these dramatic limestone formations rising from rivers and rice fields are exactly the landscapes that make this region special.
This was the perfect accommodation choice for exploring Ninh Binh. The resort is secluded within stunning scenery—surrounded by rice fields and limestone formations—yet just a short bicycle or motorbike ride from Tam Coc town center. This location is far superior to staying on the busy main roads.
The property features clean, modern rooms with views of the karst landscape and a swimming pool (though we never used it due to constant rain). Best of all, they provide bicycles free of charge for guests to explore the area. The staff is helpful with recommendations, including steering us away from restaurants that serve dog meat when asked.
Understanding the geography helps: Ninh Binh is the whole area or region, while Tam Coc is actually a village in the middle of the attractions that’s been transformed into a tourist-centered town. It’s a mix of backpacker and Chinese-oriented tourism. The whole town is full of small guesthouses and hotels, but nothing really fancy, and we were globally disappointed with the food there as restaurants are quite limited and mostly very touristy.
Our choice of accommodation, Tam Coc Peaceful Nature, was perfect—it’s secluded in a great scenery while being just a short ride by bicycle or motorbike from the town center. Much better than staying directly on the main roads. The resort has great views, clean modern rooms, and a swimming pool, though with the intermittent rain all the time, we didn’t even try it once. Best of all, they provided bicycles for us for free.
We took the bicycles to have lunch in Tam Coc. Kwan asked the hotel for a place to eat—they recommended one, then when Kwan asked if they could confirm there was no dog on the menu, they recommended another one instead. It started to rain heavily during our lunch, so we lingered over local coffees: egg coffee and coconut coffee. Both were overly sweet (we usually drink coffee without sugar) and I ended up getting stomach cramps quickly after.
After the rain finally stopped, we biked around the Western Tam Coc area. There’s a nice road, mostly for bicycles, going to the abandoned Đền Vối temple that brings you through limestone formations—a beautiful route that showcases the region’s natural architecture.
We also planned to visit the Bich Dong Pagoda, where flooded caverns and centuries-old temples can be visited on a Ngô Đồng River boat tour through rice fields. Unfortunately, it started raining again before we could complete all our plans, so we headed back to the hotel.
This centuries-old temple complex near Tam Coc is accessible via a scenic bicycle route through limestone formations along the Ngô Đồng River. The road itself is a highlight, mostly reserved for bicycles and offering stunning views of the karst landscape. The pagoda sits nestled against the cliffs, creating a mystical atmosphere that’s worth the ride, weather permitting.
In the evening, we went to get a massage at Ninh Binh Soulful Spa, a place right next to a café. It’s a wonderful small spa with a calming atmosphere. Compared to the more touristy spas on the main street, this one has a more relaxed and holistic vibe which we really appreciated. The experience was so good that we’d return two days later.
Day 3: Motorbiking Through Rice Fields and Limestones
We rented a motorbike directly from the hotel for just 120 baht—an absolute steal. A day spent riding a motorbike through the countryside is always enjoyable, and it’s particularly nice to stroll through small roads cutting between rice fields. This part of Vietnam—Tam Coc, Ninh Binh—feels almost submerged, with lakes, rivers, and rice fields surrounded by limestone cliffs.
This is Ninh Binh area’s main attraction and absolutely lives up to the hype. The site operates like a well-organized theme park (which can feel corporate but it ensures smooth operations as it’s crowded). Visitors choose from three different boat routes—we took Route 2, recommended as the most scenic.
The three-hour boat ride takes you through a system of caves, calm waterways, and past hidden temples, all surrounded by limestone mountains and diverse ecosystems. Despite being packed with visitors (especially on weekends), the area is vast enough that it doesn’t feel overcrowded. The Bai Dinh temple complex within the UNESCO heritage site showcases impressive Buddhist architecture.
This is a must-see attraction when visiting Ninh Binh—arguably the highlight of the entire region. The combination of natural beauty, ancient temples, and the peaceful rhythm of the rowing boats creates an unforgettable experience.
We visited Trang An, the main attraction of the region. It’s very organized, like a theme park, and was crowded with local visitors on a Sunday. They give you the choice between three different loops, but it’s not very clear initially what the difference is—we took the route they recommended as the most scenic (Route 2).
A three-hour boat ride took us through calm waterways and caves to hidden temples. We were in the middle of hundreds of boats, but the area is very large, so it was still quiet enough. The experience includes exploring a system of caves, limestone mountains, and diverse ecosystems at this Trang An Ecotourism Site. You can also visit the Bai Dinh temple complex within the UNESCO heritage site for impressive Buddhist architecture. It’s a peaceful boat ride through rivers flowing amidst limestone mountains—definitely a must-see.
It was a great ride, really the highlight of the area. After Trang An, we then took the motorbike to go further to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital—an ancient capital dating back to the 10th century, packed with temple and fortress ruins. That place didn’t have that much to see actually.
This ancient capital dates back to the 10th century and contains temple and fortress ruins. While historically significant, there’s honestly not much to see compared to other attractions in the area. The ruins are interesting but limited in scope, making this more of a quick stop than a major destination. Worth visiting if you’re in the area with extra time, but not essential to your itinerary.
We decided to continue with Bái Đính Pagoda, a large pilgrimage site featuring an original Buddhist temple and newer pagodas in an open courtyard. The road to get there was actually very nice, winding through planted trees, surrounded by limestone, but we never made it there as [we turned back for some reason].
Day 4: Final Adventures
The morning took us to Mua Cave, famous for its panoramic viewpoint. The 486 steps to the top are genuinely strenuous, but the reward is worth every drop of sweat—breathtaking 360-degree views of Ninh Binh’s karst landscape, with a lotus lake shimmering below.
Prepare yourself: 486 steps stand between you and one of the most spectacular panoramic views in Northern Vietnam. The climb is genuinely strenuous, especially in humid weather, but the reward is absolutely worth the effort. From the top, you’ll behold breathtaking 360-degree views of Ninh Binh’s karst landscape, winding rivers, and rice paddies, with a beautiful lotus lake at the bottom.
The viewpoint offers perfect photo opportunities and helps you appreciate the full scale of the region’s dramatic geography. Best visited early morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat. This is one of those experiences where the journey is as memorable as the destination—your burning legs will remind you of that!
The weather continued its pattern of intermittent heavy rain, and we’d enjoyed our previous massage so much that we booked another session. After the massage, I tried an herbal bath—essentially sitting in a wooden barrel filled with hot water and aromatic herbs including lemongrass and galangal. I felt like I was being slowly cooked in tom yam soup, but in the most relaxing way possible.
Inspired by the views from Mua Cave, we decided to try the rowboat rides that depart from Tam Coc, which we could see from up there. These are similar to Trang An’s boats, except here the rowers use their feet instead of their arms—an impressive feat of coordination and strength.
These traditional rowboat rides along the Ngô Đồng River offer a different experience from Trang An. The rowers here use their feet instead of arms—an impressive display of skill and strength. The route takes you through flooded caverns and centuries-old temples, winding through rice fields with limestone formations towering above.
The booking system is unnecessarily complicated if you only want the boat ride without a full-day tour package, requiring visits to different ticket offices and shuttle arrangements. It’s also relatively expensive (around 500 baht per person). However, the unique rowing technique and scenic route make it worth the hassle. The experience is shorter than Trang An but equally photogenic.
The booking process, however, was absurdly complicated. We only wanted the boat ride, not a full-day tour, which meant visiting a different ticket office further away, leaving our motorbike there, and taking a shuttle back. The whole system felt unnecessarily convoluted and expensive (around 500 baht per person), but you don’t question the logic in a command economy. The boat ride started very nicely, we were just th etwo of us in our boat with our driver, but after 15 minutes the sky started to be menacing suddenly. We had rain coats and umbrellas so we thought we could still continue but realized our mistale after 5 minutes, we ended up coming back to the departure completely soaked, with the boat filling with water. We jumped back to the Tam Coc main square to find it inundated, our shoes deep in water, we barely managed to run to a restaurant and get a Pho (beef soup) to warm us up. Our boat driver managed to follow us and request agressively a tip, and then screamed as she felt I didn’t give her enough. OK the rain was not her fault and she was as soaked as us, but we barely saw 25% of the whole expected boat trip.
Final Thoughts
Coming from Thailand’s “Land of Smiles,” the cultural differences were noticeable. Vietnamese people tend to be quite direct, sometimes bordering on rude by Thai standards. However, many are genuinely kind. Relationships seem less relaxed than in Thailand—more European in character. Examples of this directness include people speaking only Vietnamese to you when it’s obvious you don’t understand, aggressive road behavior and constant honking, our final day’s taxi driver who texted while driving on the highway, then got grumpy when we asked him to concentrate on the road and stop risking our lives
Despite these frustrations, the natural beauty and unique experiences made the trip worthwhile.
Would I return to Northern Vietnam? Why not but I’d skip Hanoi next time and head straight to the countryside. Ninh Binh and Tam Coc offer a stunning alternative to the Ha Long Bay, with the added bonus of sleeping in a comfortable bed instead of a boat cabin, but I would still like to see the Halong Bay some time. We would also go to teh Hoi An region in the center of Vietnam as it’s where a part of Kwan’s family comes from. Interestingly, Kwan is one-eighth Vietnamese, and was often mistaken for a local, but the departure from Vietnam in the 40s was hectic and no link was kept with the local family.
One last thing to note is that we were a bit disappointed with the food. We love Vietnamese cuisine in Bangkok but what we found locally was surprisingly bland. After a few days, the meals started to feel repetitive: lots of clear soups and nems, little variety, and very mild seasoning. It’s said that the food is better in the South.
Points of Interest
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