Ninh Binh

We climbed 500 steps to Mua Cave to reach the dragon statue at the top, but even though we made it to the observation deck, the area around the dragon was so crowded we couldn't take photos with it. It was incredibly crowded. Sneakers are a must. Lunch was a buffet with about 30 different dishes, so even picky eaters will probably be fine. The food was just okay, but the fried dishes kept coming, so they were delicious. After lunch, we took a Trang An boat tour with four guests. We enjoyed the scenery and rowing for just under two hours. Tips are required, so it's a good idea to have small bills ready. Finally, we visited the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, where our guide explained its historical background and the complex, making for an interesting tour. The bus ride is a little over two hours each way, so be prepared. We took one bathroom break along the way. On the way back, everyone seemed to be fast asleep, exhausted. Our guide, Luca, was friendly and provided thorough explanations, making it easy to understand even for us non-native English speakers. I think this tour is worth considering as an escursion from Hanoi. For two people, sightseeing in Ninh Binh is not dramatically cheaper, even if you go by bus or Grab on your own, so I think joining a tour will save you time and money.

I joined the tour because I wanted to ride a sampan boat in Tam Coc. We were three people, but they only had two people per boat, so I was a little worried, but they were happy to accommodate us. All the boatmen were skilled at pedaling, and it was a truly fascinating sight. I had heard that there were a lot of vendors, but I was happy to take photos if I declined. When the boatman tried to persuade me to buy some embroidery, I accepted it, looked at it, thanked him, and he stopped pushing me further. They weren't pushy at all. I gave him a 100,000 VND (600 JPY) tip at the end, and he was incredibly grateful. Our guide, Two, spoke English well enough that even an average Japanese person could understand it. He was a great photographer, and at the end of the tour, he shared photos and videos he took during the ride via WhatsApp. Thank you very much. WhatsApp is an app similar to LINE, and I used it to coordinate with Two before the trip. I have one complaint: the fact that the tour was shared with the Mua Cave tour. We could have gone to Mua Cave together by paying an entrance fee of about 800 yen, but we didn't want to climb the 500 steps, so we chose the tour without Mua Cave. However, because it was a shared tour, we ended up waiting at the foot of the mountain for about an hour, which delayed our return time. I wish they had informed us in advance that this was a possibility.

The main itinerary, a two-hour boat trip through Chang'an, included passing four caves of varying sizes. The boatman even helped take photos. Our guide, Kenny, was young, enthusiastic, spoke fluent English, and was very humorous. He arranged the itinerary smoothly, making it a very worthwhile day!