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I
t is no overstatement to describe
Ninh Binh as the most attractive tour-
ism hub in the Red River Delta. It
offers everything from culture and
history to adventure tourism and MICE.
With the new highway from Ha-
noi, it took just two hours to reach the
Bich Dong cave and pagoda with its
views over the mountains, rivers and
paddy fields. The cave itself is coated
in a blue colour, hence the meaning
of its name – the Saphire Cave. Climb-
ing up Ngu Nhac Son Mountain, we
visited beautiful cave pagodas, with
stalactites hanging from the roof like
iridescent gems.
From Bich Dong, we took a boat
trip to visit Tam Coc (Three Grottos).
After climbing up the mountain, we
enjoyed the cool wind while drifting on
the gentle Ngo Dong River among the
paddy fields. We passed through the
three caves each perfumed with the
scent of the fresh river water, the cool
air from the karst mountains and the
young rice growing all around.
We spent a couple of hours explor-
ing the area, including Ca grotto - the
biggest of the three, which cuts under a
large karst for 127 meters before emerg-
ing on the far side. This area is ideal
for holding adventurous tours, with
climbing up karst mountains or trekking
around the villages and green valleys.
Leaving Tam Coc - Bich Dong, we
drove back to Ninh Binh City and turned
52
timeout
RED RIVER DELTA TOURISM
Halong Bay on
The northern province
of Ninh Binh is well-
known as the home of
Vietnam’s Halong Bay
on land and with steady
hotel development and
its new eco-park and
mega-temple, the area is
becoming a top leisure
and MICE destination.
Duc Hanh
explores the
region.