Trang An

Trang An, just two hours out of Hanoi, seems a world away from it. I was equally excited to visit Trang An as I was Ha Long Bay when I planned our family vacation to Vietnam in January 2025. On a long day trip from Ha Long, we climbed up Hang Mua, had a lunch of fried corn and goat stir fry among other local specialties, and took a boat tour of the Trang An complex before catching the sunset at the Ho Dynasty Citadel. I must say that a tour of the Ninh Binh area would definitely be a highlight for any trip to Vietnam. It’s extremely scenic and enjoyable. But what about the WHS that is Trang An?

Climbing about 375 steps to the viewpoints in Hang Mua would be enough to enjoy a fairly panoramic view of the surroundings and appreciate the scale of Trang An, including a glimpse of the Tam Coc boat tours below the far side of the mountain (pictured). For the best views but only for the able, 100 more steps and a bit of limestone scrambling gets you as high as you can go, with a true 360° vantage point, albeit often with a precarious grip (which didn’t stop tourists of all ages). For the less able, picture opportunities exist at the adjacent Lotus Lake, with views of Hang Mua and several limestone monoliths rising from the plains. Then, for the boat tour, we chose Route 3 as the only way …

I really enjoyed our trip to Trang An. It's a great place and the carsts around the greenery you enjoyed while on a boat ride are a treat. We chose Bai Dinh as our base - it's basically one street but the road to it is lined with decorative lampposts and signs so you know you're reaching a touristy place. There are many homestays and restaurants, we chose Bai Dinh Garden Resort and Spa, a lovely new place affording a bit more luxury at a decent mid-point price. We booked a driver at the reception for the next day, when asked what to do at three in the afternoon, the receptionist shrugged and recommended us to see the Bai Dinh Pagoda, as it was just about 500 metres from our hotel. So we walked.

And man, it was a surprise, the whole religious complex full of temples, a big pagoda with golden and marble interiors should be visited if only for the views of the surrounding area. Each of the temple proudly presents the inscription certificate, claiming they're part of the inscription. Well, yes and no. Apparently, at the mountaintop of the complex is the old shrine that actually is historical and included in the WHS. But a good visit anyway, if only for marveling at the massive massive complex and everything in it being so big. You take an electric car from the ticket booth and from the top right side, past the Buddha statue, a 1,5 km …

The Trang An Landscape in Northern Vietnam essentially is a scenic karst area with some prehistoric cave shelters thrown in. I stayed for 3 nights in the town of Tam Coc, at a homestay in the core zone next to the rice paddies and with views of the karst hills. It was pouring rain on the day that I arrived and on the third day I had planned to see another nearby WHS (the Ho Citadel), so I only had one full day in the Trang An area. In hindsight, I felt that was enough, although maybe in better weather one might add more activities.

I started my day of exploration on a rented bike. I rode it for about half an hour to the docking area of the Trang An boat trips. Both Tam Coc and Trang An do have regulated boat rides which are very popular and possibly the best way of getting to know this area. At Trang An, you can choose between 3 routes. They all cost 200,000 dong (ca. 7.5 EUR) and take 2.5-3 hours. Two of them pass along the popular Kong: Skull Island film set, but I went for the other one – Tour #1 with 3 temples and 9 caves. You pay at a central ticket office (which also has some exhibits, a video and even an ATM for the frequently needed replenishment of Vietnamese dong!).

I was put in a boat with a German couple and a male rower. …

I remembered the first time I went to Vietnam with my friends in 2008, we had one free day, and our host asked us to choose between Ha Long Bay in the sea and Ha Long Bay on land for sightseeing. We decided to visit the celebrated Ha Long Bay in the sea as we did not know Ha Long Bay on land before. Almost a decade later the Ha Long Bay on land become a World Heritage Site under the name of Trang An. While my friend and I planned a visit to Trang An, we found out that actually it was the famous Tam Coc, but after further searching, Trang An and Tam Coc are in the same area but located on the different sides of the mountain, while Tam Coc is famous for its rice fields, Trang An is well known for its pristine environment and numerous caves. So, the question of which part of this scenic landscape we want to see, the famous Tam Coc or the less well-known Trang An, eventually we have visited both areas.

After Ho Citadel, our group traveled to Trang An and reached our hotel, Hang Mua Ecolodge which was located inside the Core Zone of World Heritage. After checked-in, we climbed almost 500 steps to the famous Mua Cave, a viewpoint on the mountain, to see great view of Tam Coc at sunset. The view of karstic mountain, rice fields and lake reflecting sunset sky in pink and …

I visited the Trang An Landscape in April of 2015 and really enjoyed the experience. It is a beautiful area that you can spend quite a lot of time exploring.

In order to see it, I did the standard Trang An boat tour which costs 150,000 dong and takes about two hours. While it is quite popular with (local) tourists groups, you are in a boat of just six people so it is not as touristy as it could be. The boat takes you through caves and to little waterscapes you wouldn't be able to access otherwise.

There is no shade on the boat so, a word of warning, make sure to take sun protection and some water!

To get to Trang An you can get a direct train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh and then a taxi from there (about 75,000 dong).

I actually stayed overnight near Ninh Binh (you can get here on a direct train from Hanoi) and enjoyed spending a couple of days cycling around the region and seeing some other natural areas. They may not technically be part of the WHS, but they look the same.

I joined a day tour group from Hanoi to Trang An during my last trip to Vietnam in 2011. The tour mini bus picks up foreign tourists from the hotels in Hanoi in the morning and sets off quite early.

the first stop is to visit the temples. Based on the reconstructed gate, it seems to be the ancient capital city site of Hua Lu during the Dinh and Li Dynasty. the guide was saying the king's tomb was somewhere around in the mountains. The temples and internal settings are quite Chinese with Kings' statues and Chinese couplets. but they are not dating from 10 or 11 AD but more recent reoncstructions.

then the tour moved on to a lunch buffet at a local restaurant which was quite decent local food.

the highlight of the tour is the boat trip to visit the Trang An grottoes. the locals row the boat by foot with 2 to 3 passengers. Along the way, rice fields besides the river and limestone karst mountains not too far away. the river cut through a few mountains, so able to go under it. the rower would ask for tips in the middle or by the end of the tour.

the extra bonus is bicycle riding after this. following the guide, i visited another temple which seems to be more recently built but with a old pagoda and with rice fields all around.

i think the trip would be a nice family outing. there are many local …