North Vietnam Freedom Trip Day 7 | Ninh Binh One-Day Tour: Trang An Boat Ride × Mua Cave Hiking × Thung Nham Bird Sanctuary

We had a particularly abundant breakfast because that day we were embarking on the final leg of our Northern Vietnam itinerary—the Ninh Binh Day Tour.

At 7:45, the travel agency's private car arrived at the hotel right on time to pick us up and set off.

Custom itinerary: from the classic Trang An tour 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 done this type of tour before and felt that the temples and countryside cycling portion weren't very novel, this time I specifically paid an extra 450,000 VND per person to switch to a custom itinerary, taking a different route. 💡 Today's itinerary plan Trang An boat ride (Kong: Skull Island filming location) Lunch Buffet Mua Cave Hiking Thung Nham Bird Watching Area This itinerary covers the highlights of Ninh Binh, and after experiencing it firsthand, I highly recommend it. Trang An Boat Ride: The Beauty of the Halong Bay on Land as the Mist Clears and Clouds Part At around 10 o'clock, we arrived at the Trang An boarding area. The clear weather made the entire landscape look especially crisp, and from the bridge we could see one small boat after another slowly setting off — the scene was truly spectacular.

The tour guide introduced that there are three routes here in total, the small loop takes about 1 hour, and the big loop takes about 1.5 hours. We chose the small loop route.

10 people split into three boats and set off. Before we had paddled for long, the sky suddenly poured down with heavy rain—luckily, every boat had thoughtfully prepared umbrellas. The first stop was a limestone cave carved out by erosion; the cave was tranquil and mysterious, and it also became the place where we temporarily sheltered from the rain.

Before long, the rain stopped and the clouds parted, sunlight spilling onto the water's surface — the scenery of Halong Bay on Land finally revealed itself in full, with lush green mountains reflected on the emerald waters, so beautiful it took one's breath away.

Along the way, you will also pass by a small temple, which is a popular spot for tourists to take photos, with many boats circling around here.

Later on, we realized that the entire route was actually a loop starting and ending at this very temple.

At last we docked at a small pier, where we could disembark briefly to pay our respects at the temple.

We returned to the boarding point after about an hour. Last time we visited Trang An in April, it was shrouded in fog, but this time we finally got to see the scenery of Trang An we had been hoping for. Mua Cave Climb: The Most Beautiful Bird's-Eye View of Ninh Binh Lunch was a buffet at a nearby resort. Although there weren't many options, meat and vegetarian dishes were clearly separated, which was quite considerate for the vegetarian members of our family.

The second stop was Mua Cave, a spot that has become an internet-famous attraction in recent years thanks to social media check-ins. Starting from the entrance, it's all steps — the slope is steep but not too long, and you can reach the top in about 30 minutes. Partway up, the path splits into two — the right leads to a stone tower, and the left leads to the Dragon Stairs. We chose the left-hand route.

The higher you go, the wider the view becomes. After reaching the summit, you can see tiny sightseeing boats far away, weaving through the valley along the river. Just a moment ago, we were one of those boats down below, and now looking down at it from above is really quite interesting.

Also, look carefully at the nearby mountain walls, and you'll also see Ningping's distinctive feature - goats!

At the summit stands the Guanyin Temple and a dragon-carved staircase, facing the tower on the peak across the way—a truly magnificent sight.

Thung Nham Bird Park: A Tranquil Ecological Paradise Our last stop was Thung Nham Bird Park. There are relatively few foreign tourists here — it's mainly Vietnamese local families coming to vacation. First, we took a short boat ride of about 15 minutes, and then walked along the park's trail to the second boarding point.

It's about 4:40 in the afternoon now, the sky is gradually darkening, and the sunlight is shining obliquely on the lake, so poetic.

The boat ride that followed took us into the conservation area, where the trees were full of egrets and seabirds that had returned to roost — the guide said this was exactly the time they came back after feeding. Although we didn't get to see the sunset, the tranquil atmosphere was all the more enchanting.

The entire experience takes approximately 30 minutes. Once it's finished, we'll take a group photo together by the shore to beautifully mark the end of this natural ecology journey.

17:30 Departure back to Hanoi, arriving in the city around 7:30 pm. Summary: A perfect one-day trip This Ninh Binh itinerary was incredibly rich, from magnificent mountains and rivers to a bird's-eye view from the heights, and then to the tranquil lake where migratory birds gather — each stretch had its own scenery and rhythm. Even though the weather was unstable during this trip, with several heavy rain showers, the scenery whenever the sky cleared was especially moving. At 8:30 the next morning, the travel agency arrived punctually to take us to the airport, bringing this Northern Vietnam trip to a perfect close. If I visit again next time, I think I'd arrange to stay another night in Ninh Binh, slowly taking in the morning mist and sunset of this "Vietnam's Little Guilin." Previous ← North Vietnam Free Travel Day 6｜Crossing the Yao-Miao Protected Area, a Farewell in the Fog 🔗 Further Reading｜North Vietnam Free Travel Series 【Travel Journal】 North Vietnam Free Travel Day 1｜Hanoi Hoan Kiem Lake × Ngoc Son Temple × St. Joseph's Cathedral × First Experience of the Water Puppet Show North Vietnam Free Travel Day 2｜Departing from Hanoi to Sapa × Visiting Cat Cat Village × Overlooking the Beautiful Terraced Fields North Vietnam Free Travel Day 3｜Ascending Fansipan, the Roof of Vietnam × Challenging the Rong May Glass Bridge Above the Clouds North Vietnam Free Travel Day 4｜Sapa Hiking × Mountain Forest Terraces × Visiting Ethnic Minority Villages North Vietnam Free Travel Day 5｜Passing Through Yao Ethnic Villages × Bamboo Forest Trails × A Hidden Waterfall Wonderland North Vietnam Free Travel Day 6｜Crossing the Yao and Miao Minority Protected Area, Farewell in the Fog North Vietnam Free Travel Day 7｜Ninh Binh One-Day Tour: Trang An Boat Tour × Mua Cave Hiking × Thung Nham Bird Sanctuary 【North Vietnam Travel Guide Summary】 Hanoi Travel Complete Guide｜Must-Visit Attractions × Itinerary Planning × North Vietnam Surrounding Extended Experiences (2025 Updated Version) Vietnam Sapa Travel Guide｜North Vietnam Rice Terraces and Minority Ethnic Culture Secret Destination Ha Long Bay Travel Guide: One-Day Itinerary, Best Season and Classic Attractions Vietnam Ha Long Bay World Cultural Heritage: Best Travel Season and Three-Day Itinerary Recommendations