North Vietnam Free Travel Day 7｜Ninh Binh One-Day Tour: Trang An Boat Ride × Mua Cave Hike × Thung Nham Bird Garden

Breakfast was especially lavish, because today we're setting off on the last leg of our Northern Vietnam trip — the Ninh Binh Day Tour.

At 7:45, the travel agency's dedicated car arrived at the hotel right on time to pick us up for our departure.

Custom Route: From the Classic Tam Coc Itinerary to an Exclusive Small-Group Exploration A typical Ninh Binh day tour usually costs around 60–65 USD, including the Trang An boat ride, temple visits, and cycling. However, since I had already joined this type of tour before and found the temple visits and countryside cycling part a bit unoriginal, this time I specifically paid an extra 450,000 VND per person to switch to a custom itinerary and take a different route. 💡 Today's Itinerary Plan Trang An Boat Ride (King Kong filming location) Lunch Buffet Mua Cave Trekking Thung Nham Bird Watching Area This itinerary captures the highlights of Ninh Binh — after experiencing it firsthand, I highly recommend it. Trang An Boat Ride: The Beauty of Ha Long Bay on Land as the Mist Clears We arrived at the Trang An boat dock around 10 o'clock. The clear weather made the entire mountain and water scenery look especially crisp, and from the bridge we could see one small boat after another slowly setting off — an absolutely spectacular sight.

The tour guide explained that there are three routes available here. The small loop takes about 1 hour, and the large loop takes about 1.5 hours. We chose the small loop route.

Ten people split into three boats and set off. Unexpectedly, not long after we started paddling, the sky suddenly poured down heavy rain. Fortunately, each boat had thoughtfully prepared umbrellas beforehand. The first stop was an eroded limestone cave. The interior was quiet and mysterious, and it became our temporary shelter from the rain.

Soon after, the rain stopped and clouds parted, with sunlight spilling onto the water's surface. The picturesque scenery of Halong Bay on Land finally revealed itself completely—jade-green mountains reflected in turquoise waters, so breathtakingly beautiful it took one's breath away.

Along the way, you will also pass by a small temple, a popular spot where visitors often take photos, with many boats circling around here.

Later we discovered that the entire route was actually a loop starting and ending at this temple.

Finally, we docked at a small pier, where we could briefly disembark to pay our respects.

We returned to the boat pier after about an hour. Last time we came to Tam Coc in April it was hazy and foggy, but this time we finally got to see Tam Coc's scenery just as we'd hoped.

The second stop is Mua Cave, a scenic spot that has become hugely popular in recent years thanks to internet influencers checking in there. Right from the entrance you're met with stairs — the slope is steep but not too long, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach the top. Partway up, the path splits into left and right routes: the right leads to the stone tower, and the left leads to the dragon staircase. We chose the left-side route.

The higher up you go, the more open the view becomes. After reaching the summit, you can see tiny excursion boats crisscrossing the valley on the distant river below — and just a moment ago, we ourselves were on one of those boats down there. Looking down at it now feels really fun.

Also, take a close look at the nearby mountain cliffs — you can also spot Ninh Binh's special feature: goats!

The summit features a Guanyin Temple and dragon-carved staircase, facing the tall tower on the opposite mountain peak with magnificent, commanding presence.

Thung Nham Bird Reserve: A Tranquil Ecological Paradise Our final stop is Thung Nham Bird Park (Thung Nham Bird Reserve). There are relatively few foreign tourists here, as it's mainly visited by local Vietnamese families on vacation. First, you take a short boat ride of about 15 minutes, then walk along the park's trail to the second boarding point.

It was around 4:40 PM at this moment, the sky was gradually darkening, and the sunlight was shining obliquely on the lake surface, which was very poetic.

The boat ride that followed took us into the conservation area, where trees were filled with roosting egrets and seabirds returning home — the guide said it was exactly the time when they had just come back from foraging. Although we didn't get to see the sunset, the quiet, tranquil atmosphere was all the more enchanting.

The whole tour takes about 30 minutes, and afterward we take a group photo by the shore, bringing this nature ecology trip to a perfect close.

Depart at 17:30 to return to Hanoi, arriving in the city around 7:30 PM. Summary: A Perfect Day Trip This Ninh Binh itinerary was incredibly rich—from breathtaking mountains and waters to climbing for distant views, and then to the serene migratory bird lake, each segment offered different scenery and rhythms. Despite the unstable weather during this trip and several downpours, whenever the weather cleared up, the scenery was particularly enchanting. The next morning at 8:30, the travel agency punctually picked us up for our flight, marking a perfect ending to this North Vietnam journey. If I have the chance to visit again, I think I'd arrange to stay another night in Ninh Binh, and slowly take in the morning mist and sunset of this 'Vietnam's Little Guilin. North Vietnam Free & Easy Day 2｜From Hanoi to Sapa × Visiting Cat Cat Village × Overlooking Stunning Terraced Fields North Vietnam Free & Easy Day 3｜Climbing Fansipan, the Roof of Vietnam × Challenging the Rong May Glass Bridge Above the Clouds North Vietnam Free & Easy Day 4｜Sapa Trekking × Mountain Terraced Fields × Visiting Ethnic Minority Villages North Vietnam Free & Easy Day 5｜Passing Through Yao Villages × Bamboo Forest Trails × Hidden Waterfall Secret Spot North Vietnam Free Travel Day 6 | Crossing the Yao and Miao Ethnic Protected Area, a Farewell in the Fog Ha Long Bay Travel Guide: One-Day Itinerary, Best Season, and Classic Attractions Vietnam's Ha Long Bay World Cultural Heritage Site: Best Travel Season and Recommended Three-Day Itinerary