Tam Coc is the base for Ninh Binh province

It is important to know that Ninh Binh is both a big city and a province. In this article I will talk about Ninh Binh the province. The city of Ninh Binh is not necessarily a nice place. In the province of Ninh Binh lies the small rural village of Tam Coc and this is the ideal base to explore the countryside of Ninh Binh. In Tam Coc you will find many good restaurants, nice accommodations and nice sights. At the bottom of this article you can read about the most beautiful hotels in Tam Coc.

How to travel to Tam Coc, Ninh Binh?

Tam Coc is located in the province of Ninh Binh in the north of Vietnam. Most people travel from Hanoi , Halong Bay , Phong Nha or Hoi An to Tam Coc, Ninh Binh. Below you can read how to travel there from these destinations. Please note: When searching for bus tickets, make sure you enter ‘Tam Coc’ as your final destination and not the city of Ninh Binh. Do you want to travel to Ninh Binh from another destination? Then check all the different routes .

What to do in Ninh Binh?

Ninh Binh doesn’t have that many sights but there are definitely a few things you shouldn’t miss. Below you will find all my tips for Tam Coc and Ninh Binh.

Explore the countryside of Ninh Binh by bike or scooter

The countryside of Ninh Binh is great to explore by bike or scooter. Most hostels and hotels have bikes that you can use for free or for a small fee. If you prefer to rent a scooter, you can often arrange this through your accommodation. Tour the green rice fields, visit some caves and admire beautiful temples. You can read more about these sights later in this article.

Please note:  There are few or no taxis in Ninh Binh. By bike or scooter is the only way to explore the countryside of Ninh Binh.

Take a boat trip on the Tam Coc River or Trang An

One of the best things to do in Ninh Binh is to take a boat trip on the Tam Coc River or at Trang An. Step into a traditional rowing boat here and enjoy the spectacular surroundings in peace. The rowing boats are steered by locals of all ages who not only row with their hands, but also with their feet. You can take a boat trip on the Tam Coc River or through the Trang An landscape. Both locations are beautiful. I will list the differences between these places so that you can decide which of the two you want to visit. If you can’t choose, you can of course always visit both places. Take the boat trip early in the morning or late in the afternoon when you want to avoid the crowds.

Tam Coc boat trip

• This boat trip starts from the center of Tam Coc .
• You sail past beautiful rice fields and high rocks. The photos below were taken at Tam Coc. Especially beautiful when you are there just before the harvest and the rice fields are beautifully green.
• During the boat trip you will visit a viewpoint and then sail the same route back.
• The boat trip takes about 1.5 hours in total.

Trang An boat trip

• From Tam Coc it is a 15-minute drive to the boat trip starting point .
• During this boat trip you will visit caves and temples.
• Here you will find the most impressive karst mountains of Ninh Binh.
• You can choose from different sailing routes of 2 hours, 3 hours and 4 hours.
• You won’t see any rice fields during this boat trip so this is a good choice when the rice fields are brown.

Bich Dong Pagoda: Visit one of the most beautiful temples in Ninh Binh

In a beautiful location just outside Tam Coc you will find one of the most beautiful temples of Ninh Binh. The Bich Dong Pagoda is about six hundred years old and consists of three pagodas on different levels. The most famous and photogenic place is the bridge that takes you to the gate of the first pagoda: Ha Pagoda. Trung Pagoda is the middle pagoda and is located in a cave. One level higher you will find the third pagoda: Thuong Pagoda. From Thuong Pagoda you have a beautiful view of the landscape of Ninh Binh. You only pay entrance for parking your bike or scooter because a visit to the Bich Dong Pagoda is free. 

Climb the steps to the Hang Mua Viewpoint

It’s time to admire Ninh Binh from above. Now you really see how big this region is!  To get to the Hang Mua Viewpoint, you have to make a steep climb. Put on your good shoes and prepare to sweat because in total you have to climb 500 steps. Once you reach the top, you will be rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, rice fields and the beautiful river that flows through Ninh Binh.  It is good to know that there are two viewpoints. From the left viewpoint you look out over the Tam Coc Valley and from the right viewpoint you have a beautiful view over the green rice fields. On top of the viewpoint you will find a huge dragon that snakes over the rocks. This is an important symbol in Vietnamese culture and according to locals it symbolizes a good harvest.  The best time to climb the Hang Mua Viewpoint is during sunset.

Tip:  Drive all the way to the entrance of Hang Mua Viewpoint and don’t let locals stop you on the way to tell you where to park your scooter. The only place where you pay for your visit to Hang Mua Viewpoint is at the entrance itself and this is also where you park your scooter.

Visit the Bear Sanctuary in Ninh Binh

In 2017, the FOUR PAWS Foundation opened a bear sanctuary in Ninh Binh, where bears rescued from bear bile farms are taken in. The bears are well cared for here, receive medical care and have space to play. The goal of FOUR PAWS is to close all bear bile farms and transfer all bears to sanctuaries and shelters. Support this charity to visit the Bear Sanctuary in Ninh Binh. You can get a guided tour where you can learn a lot about the bears and see them from a suitable distance.

In Vietnam, hundreds of bears still live in terrible conditions on so-called bear bile farms today. They are put in small cages that they are never allowed to leave. They do this to extract bile from the bears. Bile is a fluid that is found in the bear’s gall bladder. It helps digest fat, which is why the fluid has been used in Asian medicine for thousands of years. Extracting bile is extremely painful and causes a lot of fear in the bears. They are not or hardly anesthetized when their gall bladder is punctured. It is also completely unnecessary that the bears are abused, because synthetic and plant-based alternatives to bear bile have existed since 1950. Fortunately, there have been many efforts by the government and animal protection organizations in the past 20 years, and the number of bears on farms has decreased by 95%. This means that there are currently about 200 bears living in captivity.

Visit the largest temple complex in Vietnam

About 30 minutes drive from Ninh Binh you will find the largest temple complex of Vietnam called Bai Dinh Pagoda. Here you will find dozens of Buddhist temples and it consists of an old and a new part. The temples in the old part are mainly located in small mysterious caves on the hill. The new part is characterized by a huge tower where you can go up with the elevator. At the very top you have a beautiful view over the entire temple complex.

Tip: You can choose to walk from temple to temple, but this takes quite some time because it is so big. There are yellow golf carts that drive around that take you from temple to temple for a small fee. This is ideal, especially when it is very hot. You can always get on and off whenever you want.

Tips for good restaurants in Tam Coc

Chookie’s Beer Garden – Go to this stylish restaurant when you don’t feel like Asian cuisine. The menu includes fish & chips, burgers, falafel and bangers & mash.
Ngon Vegan Restaurant – This restaurant is not to be missed in Tam Coc. It proves that Vietnamese cuisine also tastes delicious when only plant-based products are used.
Tam Coc Lantern Restaurant – Here you can also enjoy delicious Vietnamese food and this restaurant is suitable for meat and fish eaters as well as vegetarians. The staff is very friendly.
Family Restaurant – This is a typical Vietnamese restaurant run by a lovely family who will welcome you warmly.
T-Pub Restaurant – Nice restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere. You come here for pizzas, burgers, a healthy smoothie or a nice cold beer.

Our favorite places in Tam Coc

Ninh Binh has a number of fantastically beautiful accommodations where you can count on a wonderful stay for little money. We wrote earlier in this article that Tam Coc is a nice base for Ninh Binh, so the following special hostels and hotels are all located in Tam Coc.

At  Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow  you sleep in an idyllic bungalow in a great location. The bungalows are located under a gigantic limestone rock and on the other side you look out over the rice fields. There is a swimming pool with a view that never gets boring. You can borrow bicycles for free and the owners do their utmost to ensure that you do not miss anything during your stay. Tam Coc Sunshine Homestay is also located between the rice fields but is a bit cheaper. You stay in a beautiful double room with air conditioning and there is a nice swimming pool. Do you like to stay in a cozy hostel where you can easily meet other travelers? Then The Banana Tree Hostel is the perfect choice in Tam Coc. The location is super central, the beds are wonderful and there is a large swimming pool with sunbeds around it. You also do not have to leave the door for delicious food.