Handpicked experience · Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam
A capital sited for defence and abandoned once the country was safe, and boatmen who row with their feet because it makes sense.
Explore the rural side of Vietnam on this immersive tour of Ninh Binh province.
Enjoy a fun bicycle ride around Hoa Lu and see this historic location like a true local.
Learn about Vietnam's colorful past as you visit various temples during your tour.
Go on an exhilarating boat ride along a river in Tam Coc and see its beauty from a unique perspective.
Temples standing on the site of a tenth-century citadel
Three water caves passed through at river level
Paddy fields rising straight into limestone on both banks
An optional ridge climb for the long view over the valley
Regional cooking eaten between the two halves of the day
A ten-hour day from Hanoi to Ninh Binh: the temples of Vietnam's tenth-century capital at Hoa Lu, a sampan through the three water caves of Tam Coc, lunch locally, and an optional climb to a ridge viewpoint.
For a little over forty years, from 968, this valley was the capital of Vietnam. Hoa Lu was picked for one reason: it is ringed by limestone peaks that function as walls, with narrow passes that a small force can hold. A newly independent state that expected to be attacked put its court somewhere defensible rather than somewhere convenient.
Once the country was secure the logic reversed, and in 1010 the capital moved to the Red River delta — to the site of modern Hanoi — where trade and river transport were possible. Hoa Lu was left behind almost immediately, which is why what remains is temples and foundations rather than a city.
Watch the rowers on the sampans. Many of them row seated with their legs, working the oars with the soles of their feet while their hands rest or hold a hat. It looks like a trick performed for visitors and it is not — legs are stronger than arms and tire far more slowly, and on a route rowed several times a day it is simply the sensible technique. Some switch back and forth as they tire.
The boat charge you pay at the ticket office is largely for the concession, not the person rowing you. Rowers are paid a small sum per trip and rely on tips, which is why boats often pause mid-river beside a floating stall selling drinks or embroidery. Nobody enjoys this arrangement much, including the rowers, and it is easier to handle if you decide in advance: carry small notes, tip directly at the end, and decline the stall politely if you would rather not buy.
The paddies flanking the river run through the same cycle as the rest of the delta — flooded, green, then gold at harvest. The famous images of Tam Coc with ripe rice on both banks are taken in a narrow window around late May and early June. Come outside it and the water and the karst are unchanged, but the fields will not look like the photographs.
Mua Cave is a genuine climb on uneven, steep steps with little shade, and it is not included in most bookings. Temples ask for covered shoulders and knees. Sampans seat two or three and sit low, so bring sun cover, and carry small notes for the day.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Defence. Hoa Lu is ringed by limestone peaks that act as walls, with narrow passes a small force can hold — the right choice for a newly independent state expecting attack.
Because once the country was secure, defensibility mattered less than trade. In 1010 the capital shifted to the Red River delta, where modern Hanoi stands, and Hoa Lu was left behind almost at once.
Because it is the technique that lasts. Watch one switch to their hands for a while and back again — they are resting whichever half is tired, over a route they will row again this afternoon.
Yes, directly and at the end. The boat charge paid at the ticket office goes largely to the concession rather than the person rowing, and rowers depend on tips.
Because rowers earn very little per trip and the stalls are part of how the route works. Declining politely is entirely acceptable if you would rather not buy anything.
A narrow window around late May and early June. Outside it the river and the karst are unchanged, but the fields will not match the photographs you have seen.
Usually not — it is generally a separate charge, and it is a real climb of around five hundred steep, uneven steps with little shade.
Shoulders and knees covered. The sampan sits low and exposed, so sun cover matters for the boat section too.