Ninh Binh is a popular day trip from Hanoi, with Vietnam’s ancient capital and a mini Great Wall! 

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Skip the Hanoi day trip. Boat through Trang An, cycle rice fields, climb Hang Mua, visit Hoa Lu and stay local with handpicked hosts.

Ninh Binh Things to Do: Beyond the Day-Trip Crowds

Ninh Binh

Beautiful location and nice rooms. Food was disappointing as I was as expecting this to be a highlight of the stay. The organized activities were good but some of them were unexpectedly with guides other than Thanh, whose English was difficult to understand.

2D1N Slow Travel in Ninh Binh | Lovely Village Homestay

Beautiful location and nice rooms. Food was disappointing as I was as expecting this to be a highlight of the stay. The organized activities were good but some of them were unexpectedly with guides other than Thanh, whose English was difficult to understand.

Thanh was amazing! So helpful, so knowledgeable and he definitely went above and beyond to show us the best places in Ninh Binh. We also really enjoyed all the meals we had with him, both cooked for us at the homestay and ordered for us at restaurants - by far the best experience we’ve had in Vietnam so far!

Thanh was amazing! So helpful, so knowledgeable and he definitely went above and beyond to show us the best places in Ninh Binh. We also really enjoyed all the meals we had with him, both cooked for us at the homestay and ordered for us at restaurants - by far the best experience we’ve had in Vietnam so far! 

5 stars and so well deserved- we had the best bike tour with Iris, who may I add is an incredibly intelligent, knowledgeable and kindhearted person! 

The tour helped us learn so much about the history of Ninh Binh and allowed us to see what a truly beautiful area Tam Coc and allowed us to enjoy its breathtaking landscape. Iris our guide expertly led us around historical temples, down hidden paths, to bridges and trails adjacent to the water. We stopped and made tea and also had a stop for lunch (a feast!) made by a local family. 

Iris made the tour one of the most memorable things we have done on our trip to Vietnam, thank you so much Iris for your passion. Don’t overlook this experience if you’re travelling to Ninh Binh, it was amazing!

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See Tam Coc Beyond the Boat Ride | Local Life by E-Bike 

5 stars and so well deserved- we had the best bike tour with Iris, who may I add is an incredibly intelligent, knowledgeable and kindhearted person! 

The tour helped us learn so much about the history of Ninh Binh and allowed us to see what a truly beautiful area Tam Coc and allowed us to enjoy its breathtaking landscape. Iris our guide expertly led us around historical temples, down hidden paths, to bridges and trails  adjacent to the water. We stopped and made tea and also had a stop for lunch (a feast!) made  by a local family. 

Iris made the tour one of the most memorable things we have done on our trip to Vietnam, thank you so much Iris for your passion. Don’t overlook this experience if you’re travelling to Ninh Binh, it was amazing! 

We have been absolutely delighted with our stay at Thanh’s home stay. The room was brilliant, staff brilliantly friendly and helpful and the pool was fantastic. Thanh and his team attended to our needs (transfers/late check ins/dinners/laundry etc), tailored our trip to suit our family and booked us onto an addition evening tour to see the Pagoda - definitely not to be missed. We were lucky enough to see the Delacour Langurs in the wild - an unexpected treat. Our girls loved the dog Binh as well 🐶. 
 We would wholeheartedly recommend this trip to anyone, and would have loved to have stayed longer.

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We have been absolutely delighted with our stay at Thanh’s home stay. The room was brilliant, staff brilliantly friendly and helpful and the pool was fantastic. Thanh and his team attended to our needs (transfers/late check ins/dinners/laundry etc), tailored our trip to suit our family and booked us onto an addition evening tour to see the Pagoda - definitely not to be missed. We were lucky enough to see the Delacour Langurs in the wild - an unexpected treat.  Our girls loved the dog Binh as well 🐶. 
We would wholeheartedly recommend this trip to    anyone, and would have loved to have stayed longer. 

Our guide Tuna took us on a magical trip through Ninh Binh, including temple visits, a hike up Lightning Dragon mountain, a vespa tour through the countryside, lunch at a scenic restaurant and a boat ride through the cave systems of Ngo Dong river. We could not have asked for a more perfect day, and Tuna facilitated this for us with enthusiasm, seemingly endless local and folkloric knowledge, and always a can-do attitude. And with plenty of opportunities for hydration! You’d be absolutely remiss to not book a tour with him: when I say it was the highlight of our trip, I truly mean it. Thank you Tuna!!

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Ninh Binh Small Group Day Trip From Hanoi | Skip the Crowds!

Our guide Tuna took us on a magical trip through Ninh Binh, including temple visits, a hike up Lightning Dragon mountain, a vespa tour through the countryside, lunch at a scenic restaurant and a boat ride through the cave systems of Ngo Dong river. We could not have asked for a more perfect day, and Tuna facilitated this for us with enthusiasm, seemingly endless local and folkloric knowledge, and always a can-do attitude. And with plenty of opportunities for hydration! You’d be absolutely remiss to not book a tour with him: when I say it was the highlight of our trip, I truly mean it. Thank you Tuna!!

We had a fabulous day with Hui our guide. I would thoroughly recommend the day trip, we did and saw so much, Ninh Binh is so beautiful and the morning climb and views were spectacular, the boat ride is stunning and relaxing and the Vespa ride was so enjoyable. I also recommend our guide Hui. He was so much fun and looked after us all so well.
 Thank you for a great day Hui.. and Backstreet tours and Seek Sophie

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We had a fabulous day with Hui our guide. I would thoroughly recommend the day trip, we did and saw so much, Ninh Binh is so beautiful and the morning climb and views were spectacular, the boat ride is stunning and relaxing and the Vespa ride was so enjoyable. I also recommend our guide Hui. He was so much fun and looked after us all so well.
Thank you for a great day Hui.. and Backstreet tours and Seek Sophie

An eye-opening venture into a beautiful region of Vietnam which was largely unknown to foreigners until a decade ago. The advantage of this is lots of untouched rural experiences despite the stunning scenery. 

A highlight of our trip was a river safari to see the rare local langurs whose numbers were near extinction but are bouncing back - we saw a dozen of them clambering across the rock faces (take binoculars for a better look, as they are understandably shy). 

Our guide, Thanh, himself a former farmer, also made an impromptu stop in some fields to show us how peanuts are grown and harvested, including helping the local villagers with their final bundles of the day.

An eye-opening venture into a beautiful region of Vietnam which was largely unknown to foreigners until a decade ago. The advantage of this is lots of untouched rural experiences despite the stunning scenery. 

A highlight of our trip was a river safari to see the rare local langurs whose numbers were near extinction but are bouncing back - we saw a dozen of them clambering across the rock faces (take binoculars for a better look, as they are understandably shy). 

Our guide, Thanh, himself a former farmer, also made an impromptu stop in some fields to show us how peanuts are grown and harvested, including helping the local villagers with their final bundles of the day.


This was an amazing experience and one of the highlights of our trip to Vietnam.

What made it so special was that it wasn’t just a tour, it was an opportunity to experience life as a local. Our host is incredibly passionate about what he does, and that passion shines through in every part of the experience. He and his family run a beautiful homestay where we are genuinely made to feel like part of the family.

I also really appreciated how professional and well organized everything was, while still being flexible when needed. We visited at the end of June, when the weather could change quickly from summer heat to heavy rain and thunderstorms. Our host was very accommodating and helped adjust the pace of the itinerary and also our meal choices so we could still enjoy the experience comfortably.

If you’re looking for an authentic way to experience Ninh Binh beyond the typical tourist attractions, I highly recommend staying here. The host offers a variety of tours and activities, and if your schedule allows, I would suggest staying an extra one to three more days. It gives you the chance to slow down, explore the area more deeply, and truly immerse yourself in the local way of life.

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This was an amazing experience and one of the highlights of our trip to Vietnam.

What made it so special was that it wasn’t just a tour, it was an opportunity to experience life as a local. Our host is incredibly passionate about what he does, and that passion shines through in every part of the experience. He and his family run a beautiful homestay where we are genuinely made to feel like part of the family.

I also really appreciated how professional and well organized everything was, while still being flexible when needed. We visited at the end of June, when the weather could change quickly from summer heat to heavy rain and thunderstorms. Our host was very accommodating and helped adjust the pace of the itinerary and also our meal choices so we could still enjoy the experience comfortably.

If you’re looking for an authentic way to experience Ninh Binh beyond the typical tourist attractions, I highly recommend staying here. The host offers a variety of tours and activities, and if your schedule allows, I would suggest staying an extra one to three more days. It gives you the chance to slow down, explore the area more deeply, and truly immerse yourself in the local way of life.

Ninh Binh

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