My husband and I (66 yr,olds) considering visiting Ninh Binh for two nights this Nov. This is our second trip to Vietnam and we didn't visit here yet Any suggestions for a good hotel? We are very active and enjoy adventure travel. Any suggestions for activities?
Thanks in advance

The scenery around Ninh Binh is spectacular and the best way to see it is by boat. Very easy to arrive at the boat dock and hire one for the day or half a day. We also spent a morning cycling around the area. We stayed there about 10 years ago at the end of a trek through the mountains. When it came to accommodation, our trekking guide did not choose well. We stayed In a nondescript hotel in the town. If we went agin I would pick one of the many homestay out in the countryside.

Some photos from our time there on our blog. https://accidentalnomads.com/2014/12...d-kingfishers/ Avoid weekends when it gets very crowded with domestic tourists

The hotel Chez Loan is considered as the best in Tam Coc, with regular rooms, superior ones and bungalows on a small river and around a swimming pools. Madame Loan is famous for her beauty, extraordinary sense of hospitality and cooking talents. Advance reservation a must on
[email protected]

https://chezloanhotel.vn-hotels.com/en/

The most famous hotel in Tam Coc, and rightly so, is Chez Loan. Beautiful Madame Loan has a fantasttic sense of hospitality, her hotel has accommodations , from budget ones to superior rooms to bungalows on a small river and a pool. Excellent restaurant interior and on a beautiful terrace. Because of all those qualities, an advanced reservation is a must on
[email protected]
https://chezloanhotel.vn-hotels.com/en/

Here are my travel notes on what do and see in and around Tam Coc : - The boat ride on the river in Tam Coc: Incredible scenery, the ride being mostly in a deep canyon. If it’s sunny, don’t forget a hat and suntan lotion. It is true that the rowers try hard to sell you embroideries in the boat; you have to understand that each family has the right to 10-12 rides a month only, and get only half of the ticket price ; consequently, their real income is the hand-made embroideries that they make at home when they are not rowing. If you do not buy anything, please give them a tip, they deserve it ! VERY IMPORTANT : do the boat ride before 12:àà noon or after 16:00 to avoid the groups coming from Hanoi

- The pagoda of Bich Dong, built on 4 levels on a cliff (continue the road passing in front of the boat landing), and the temple of Thai Vi, built to worship 4 kings of the Tran Dynasty (1225-1407) and Queen Thuan Tien (take the small road just on the right of the boat landing).

- Hang Mua Pagoda. A MUST just 5 km from Tam Coc (one can see it on the left before the first tunnel, on top of a lime peak, during the boat ride: a small pavilion and a dragon snaking alongside the crest; very odd!). Take the road to Ninh Binh and watch for the sign “Hang Mua" on your left; beautiful small road through the rice fields; the pagoda is on your left. Entrance fee: 50 000 dong per person. From the top of the cliff, you enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the entire region…at a price: climbing 450 steps, totally worthwhile. On the left of the steps, a short tunnel leads to the bank of the Tam Coc river.

- The ancient capital of Hoa Lu and its 2 temples. If you feel in shape after Hang Mua (or another day tour), return on the mall road and continue on 13 km until Hoa Lu. That road goes through a stunningscenery of lime peaks and rice fields. You are going to arrive on an ugly superhighway (economic development is a plague respecting nothing !), just cross it and continue on the small road, its ends on the same superhighway, turn right and then right at the bridge. The temples are 800 m away. In Hoa Lu, visit of the 2 temples: Dinn Thien Hoang, built to honor the first king of the Dinh Dynasty (968-980) and his 3 sons, and Le Dai Han, dedicated to the kings of the First Le Dynasty (980-1009).


The tour of Hang Mua + Hoa Lu can easily be done on a bicycle (around 30 km roundtrip of completely flat terrain).

- Phat Diem: A “Must” 34 km from Ninh Binh (public bus in Ninh Binh or taxi -$40- from Tam Coc, taxi or motorbike. You cross the center of North Vietnam Catholicism. The stupendous Phat Diem Cathedral is a Sino-European architecture masterpiece of enormous proportions (80m x 24m x 16m) designed and built by a Vietnamese priest, Father Six, completed in 1891. Excellent small restaurant at the end of the street on the right of the cathedral.

Continuation on what to do ans see in and around Tam Coc :- The pagoda of Bich Dong, built on 4 levels on a cliff (continue the road passing in front of the boat landing), and the temple of Thai Vi, built to worship 4 kings of the Tran Dynasty (1225-1407) and Queen Thuan Tien (take the small road just on the right of the boat landing).

- Hang Mua Pagoda. A MUST just 5 km from Tam Coc (one can see it on the left before the first tunnel, on top of a lime peak, during the boat ride: a small pavilion and a dragon snaking alongside the crest; very odd!). Take the road to Ninh Binh and watch for the sign “Hang Mua" on your left; beautiful small road through the rice fields; the pagoda is on your left. Entrance fee: 50 000 dong per person. From the top of the cliff, you enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the entire region…at a price: climbing 450 steps, totally worthwhile. On the left of the steps, a short tunnel leads to the bank of the Tam Coc river.

- The ancient capital of Hoa Lu and its 2 temples. If you feel in shape after Hang Mua (or another day tour), return on the mall road and continue on 13 km until Hoa Lu. That road goes through a somptuous scenery of lime peaks and rice fields. You are going to arrive on an ugly superhighway (economic development is a plague respecting nothing !), just cross it and continue on the small road, its ends on the same superhighway, turn right and then right at the bridge. The temples are 800 m away. In Hoa Lu, visit of the 2 temples: Dinn Thien Hoang, built to honor the first king of the Dinh Dynasty (968-980) and his 3 sons, and Le Dai Han, dedicated to the kings of the First Le Dynasty (980-1009).

The tour of Hang Mua + Hoa Lu can easily be done on a bicycle (around 30 km roundtrip of completely flat terrain).

- Phat Diem: A “Must” 34 km from Ninh Binh (public bus in Ninh Binh or taxi -$40- from Tam Coc, taxi or mororbike. You cross the center of North Vietnam Catholicism. The stupendous Phat Diem Cathedral is a Sino-European architecture masterpiece of enormous proportions (80m x 24m x 16m) designed and built by a Vietnamese priest, Father Six, completed in 1891. Excellent small restaurant at the end of the street on the right of the cathedral.

Thank you Crellston . You have helped us in the past and here we are travelling here again. Thank you Larsay as well.

The last trip we ended up staying at Topas Ecolodge outside Sapa and enjoyed it but would like to try Ninh Binh and Mai Chau this time.

We are considering Mai Chau Ecolodge but unsure of a place to stay in Ninh Binh. We would like to bike and hike in Mai Chau and just do a boat ride in Ninh Binh due to the area being so touristic. Thinking 1night Ninh Binh and 2 nights Mai Chau. Do you think we could find a boat driver who would take us to a less busy area in Ninh Binh and if so, how? My husband is a little leery of homestays (we stayed in some less desirable ones in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco on a trek).

Should we add more time in this area?

Any other advice is welcome.
Thank you

You are very welcome hurrygirl.

Homestays are not for everyone and it is an overused world (along with boutique hotels) and can cover a very wide range of accommodation types. We did a guided trek from Mai Chau to Ninh Binh through the Black River Valley, Pu Long to Ninh Binh . we stayed in 'homestays" along the way in tiny villages. All we private houses where we slept mostly on mats on the floor in communal rooms with sleeping spaces separated from the family just with curtains. We ate with the families and had a terrific time. The hospitality was amazing but comfortable is not a word I would use to describe the experience in those types of places. There used to be a place in NB called Ngyuen Shack which was more like a "boutique hotel" and was very nice but I believe that closed during the pandemic.

As regards time in NB, some do visit as a day trip but I believe it warrants a full day (i.e. two nights) that would really give you a day and a half on the ground which would be enough for a decent exploration by boat and bike. As I say, we were on a guided trek and our guide sorted it all out for us making sure we went to the right boat dock and we found ourselves virtually alone. He did show us the main dock and section of the river which was , by contrast, incredibly busy with boats jam packed with mostly domestic tourists many seem dto have loudspeakers balring out loud music. Sorry I can recall the specific name of that dock. We used a good tour operator (a rare occurrence for us) Ethnic Travel it may be worth checking with them to see if they have a short tour option that would combine Mai Chau and Ninh Binh. You dont have to do the trekking if you dont want to, they seemed very flexible and I am sure they , or another operator , could provide a car and driver/guide. You are going to have to organise transport anyway and it may prove an easy option.

We first visited Mai Chau some 30 years ago and stayed at "guesthouse number 2" There were only two! Last time we were there I think they were up to guesthouse number 50! Definitely stay out of the main villages, it gets VERY busy at the weekends as it is only a couple of hours from . The Mai Chau Ecolodge, by contrast, is delightful, quiet and in a wonderful locatio . We didn't stay there but did have lunch there and I would be very happy to stay there. For how long for depends what you want to see and do. The valley is beautiful and a great place for some gentle hikes around the valley. 3 nights would be a good amount of time but two nights would still provide a pretty good taster. It is only a couple of hours from Hanoi so again, two nights would likely give you a day and a half sightseeing. I suppose much depends on your other plans.

Other places we have enjoyed around northern Vietnam were the Dien Bien Phu loop from Sapa to DBP to Son La to Mai Chau to Hanoi. Dien Bien Phu is where the Viet Minh inflicted a massive defeat upon the French which marked the beginning of the end of French oppression in Vietnam- great for modern history buffs, but you have already been to papa so perhaps not. Ba Be lakes is another very pretty area but as I recall the accommodation is fairly basic so your husband may not be best pleased!

Yet another beautiful area is Ha Giang. Again, accommodation standards may be an issue.

PS Whilst typing this my wife just asked me if I knew someone called hurrygirl and read out your very kind comments on our blog- spooky it was all happening at the same time!

NOT Ninh Binh, a town with not much charm. go to TAM COC, 8 km south of NB, and stay either at famous Chez Laon hotel (regular and superior rooms + bungalows on river and pool) or, if you prefer a homestay accommodation, there are some on the small road in the village facing Chez Loan and on the small road going to Hang Mua and Hoa Lu as well as on the small road starting on your left just before Bich Dong Pagaoda, BUT you have to know tthat they are not homestay places, which are houses where you stay with the family, but regular small bungalow hotels ; their owners falsely call them "homestays" to attract clients.

Thanks so much for all the information Larsay. We really appreciate it.

Thank you so much Crellston for your detailed and interesting reply. Lucky you to have seen the area thirty years ago.
Thanks for telling me about Dien Bien Phu Loop - sounds very interesting. Thanks for the other tips as well.