The new day started with a visit to Mua Cave. It is a new tourist attraction in Ninh Binh but this place has been very famous among travelers. We had a climb up the mountain to the top where we got the whole panoramic view of Ninh Binh. This land is regarded as Halong Bay on land and at that time we were sure about this. Ninh Binh is so stunning with a system of rivers, karst mountains and lush rice fields. The scenery in front of our eyes was like a well-painted picture of nature.
Vietnam is a beautiful country that is worth a visit at least once in your life. And we have really had a life-time adventure to discover this S-shape country on our 10-day holiday. I think it is my responsibility to share the experience to travel connoisseurs or adventure lovers who would like to check-in the very best places in the world. Hope to see your pics in this country on your next holiday. Now I will tell you the itinerary of our 9-Day Hanoi To Hoian Adventure Tour and why the trip left us a lot of memories.
We arrived Hanoi at Noi Bai International Airport. After being warmly welcomed by our tourguide who spoke well English, we started being transferred to Hanoi Old Quarter which is 30 km from the airport. We started the city tour to discover Hanoi afterward. Hanoi is so crowded and dynamic. And there were a lot to see and witness. We were first interested in looking the people there going about their daily lives.
We had a meaningful city tour after that, visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple Of Literature, Museum of Ethology. We ended up the day with a relaxing walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and a visit into Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of the lake.
The second day we said goodbye to Hanoi and transferred to Ha Long Bay. It took us 4 hours on the car. The scenery on the way was so beautiful and we liked very much the lush rice fields. No doubt we couldn't resist stopping a few times on the road for pics :)
Ha Long Bay gradually appeared in front of our eyes. It was such an impressive area where we could see both the mountains and the seas with a lot of karst islands. We got on our day cruise and started discovering the bay with the help of our guide. We had a tasty lunch on boat while cruising and waiting to reach the places for visitors.
We visited Thien Cung Cave after that. The cave was amazing with stalactites and staglamites that have spent millions of years to be formed. We had to climb a few hundreds steps to the cave where we were rewarded with incredibly panoramic view of the whole area.
Next, we continued the exploration with a visit to a floating village of local fishermen, where they raised mussels for pearl as well. It was such an amazing experience to see the village. From the floating village, we ended up with a fun kayaking around at sun set.
Heading back on the cruise to the wharf finally, we continued to move to Ninh Binh for the next adventure.
Day 1: Hanoi Arrival - Hanoi City Tour
Day 2: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Ninh Binh
Day 3: Hoa Lu - Mu Cave - Tam Coc - Night Train To Dong Hoi
We arrived Dong Hoi Railway station followed by a pick-up by our local guide there. After breakfast, we moved to Phong Nha National Park.
That day was a fun day with a first exploration into Phong Nha Cave. We jump on a boat to follow the river which leads inside the cave. Phong Nha Cave is not only beautiful but also unique because the cave system forms from mountains and rivers flowing through.
Saying goodbye to Phong Nha, we did a road trip to Hue - the ancient capital of Vietnam during 17th century. We had chance to visit Vinh Moc tunnels, a historical war relic where Vietnamese people took as shelter to hide from bombarding from 1965 to 1972.
We arrived Hue early in the after noon. the city looked so nice with a slow living space. But coming here giving us a feeling of peace. We loved so much the accent of people here, though we didnt understand Vietnamese:)). We then went to see Thien Mu Pagoda, an acient temple since 17th century. Now the pagoda has been a symbol of the city in people's heart.
We woke up early the next day for photo hunt around before a light breakfast at the hotel. After the meal, we met our guide again and started the city tour to discover the area. We went to Hue Imperial Citadel and King Minh Mang Tomb. Both sites look ancient with unique architecture and interesting folk music performance. Our guide explained us a lot about the history of the Nguyen Dynasty and how they built a strong feudal reign that lasted for more than one century.
Next, we had a meaningful visit to Hoa Lu Ancient Citadel and had a great lesson about the history of Vietnam, and about this first capital of the country during the 10th century. Now this is a historical site where there are two temples of King Ding and King Le - the two dynasties that settle their capital in this land.
The most exciting experience in Ninh Binh is joining a sampan boat ride on Tam Coc river. We did a 1.5 hour on boat to discover this site. It looked as if we were getting lost in a wonderland with natural biodiversity surrounding us.
We returned to Hanoi after that and got ready for a night train to Dong Hoi, where we continued our journey in Phong Nha National Park.
Day 4: Phong Nha Cave - Dark Cave
After Phong Nha Cave, we enjoyed a local meal to refil energy before the next adventure at Dark Cave. The special thing in this site was a collection of activities including: swimming, mud bathing. zipline...etc. We really had a good time there with those adventurous activities and took a lot of pics.
Day 5: Enjoy Free Time At Phong Nha Village
It was time for us to relax on that day after the first half of the journey. We rented a bike from the homestay and cycled around Phong Nha village to enjoy the peace, rural atmosphere and natural landscape in the surrounding. What a gift of nature that land has!
Day 6: Phong Nha - Hue
Day 7: Hue City Discovery & Beach Escape
We spent the rest of the day on Lang Co beach - a hidden gem of Hue. The beach is beautiful with long sandy beach, and very few people. The place is ideal for escape.
Day 8: Hue - Hoi An
The day eight started with a road trip from Hue to Hoi An. We were really impressed by the landscape on the road, especially when we went past Hai Van pass - one of the most beautiful passes in Vietnam.
The last day of the adventure was spent for a fun cycling trip to visit Tra Que vegetable village. There we had chance to learn about the local farming life and how they can produce fresh vegetables.
We arrived Hoi An at noon. After lunch at a local restaurant in Hoi An acient town, we had the rest of the day at our own leisure. We wandered through thousands of colorful shops of locals. The town looked so nice on the bank of river. Coming to the town gave us the feeling like visiting the capital of a developed kingdom in the past.
Day 9: Cycling To Tra Que Organic Village
We are well taught by the locals about the technique to plant the vegetables and even had chance to try their daily work. It was such a hard work but we felt that they find their love and passion in every herb they produce.
After a delicious local lunch, we went back to Hoi An and had a fun basket boat ride on the way. It was so unique and funny because making this kind of boat balanced is so difficult. It is so one of the activities that we recommend you should try when visiting Hoi An.
Finally, we ended our life-time adventure to the first half of S-shaped Vietnam. It was hard to bid farewell to the beauty of the country that enchanted us but the tons of pictures we clicked would serve our eyes till the next time we return to Vietnam.