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the
Hat Van
singers and the music of
dan nguyet (moon-shaped lute) drift
over our heads, into the valley and out
across the waters.
At sunset we cast off from Trang An
to stay at Emeralda Ninh Binh Resort.
Dipping in the cool and fresh water of
swimming-pool after a full day’s sight-
seeing, my energy returned quickly.
After a relaxing evening, we rose
early to start the second day. We rented
bicycles and peddled into Van Long Na-
ture Reserve around the corner from
the resort. Known as Halong Bay on
land, this area is full of rock formations
that protrude from the rice fields along
the Ngo Dong River.
We cycled 10km to a rocky ravine
named Kem Cham on the other side
of Van Long Nature Reserve and pre-
pared for our next challenge – conquer-
ing the rocky cliffs and abseiling down
their incredible rock formations. After
a strenuous session on the rocks we
tried our hands, or to be more accurate,
feet, at rowing the traditional boats.
Here, instead of using the arms to row,
the women use their legs. They might
make it look like a walk in the park, but
I wasn’t able to get my boat to propel
forward in a straight line at all – I
was
quite good at getting it to rotate on the
spot however.
After a delicious lunch at the re-
sort, we checked out; however, our trip
was not yet over. On the way back, we
stopped at a site which is home to two
of Vietnam’s oldest temples, which wor-
ship King Dinh Tien Hoang, who took
the throne of Dai Co Viet in 968AD, and
King Le Dai Hanh, who took the throne
in 980AD.
The Dinh Temple is built in the
shape of a Chinese character. Through
the first entrance, called Ngo Mon,
there is a royal bed made from stone
with various carved animals standing
on both sides. Dinh temple consists of
three parts: Bai Duong for the commu-
nity; Thien Huong, in honour of man-
darins; and Chinh Cung, which is in
honour of Dinh Tien Hoang. His statue
still stands today, alongside the statue
of his eldest son, Dinh Lien, and other
illustrious members from the Dinh fam-
ily line.
Le Temple is almost the same as
Dinh Temple in terms of architectural
design and also consists of three parts
in honour of the community, royal
mandarins and the royal family. The
statue of King Le Hoan is at the cen-
tre, on the left is the statue of Queen
Duong Van Nga and on his right is that
of Le Ngoa Trieu, his fifth son and the
third King of the First Le dynasty. The
ancient citadel is not as monumental
as Hue’s royal citadel, but the natural
landscape that surrounds it is very
imposing.
With its historical and religious rel-
ics, natural attractions and the addition
international hospitality brands such as
Emeralda, Ninh Binh is gaining a reputa-
tion as a top destination for both travel-
lers and MICE business.
RED RIVER DELTA TOURISM
Tourists start a four-hour journey along
the river and through caves in Trang An
Phat Diem cathedral