Ninh Binh

On the southern fringe of the Red River Delta, Ninh Binh spreads across a quiet landscape where sheer limestone karsts tower over waterlogged paddies and slow-moving waterways. Walking or pedalling along the rural lanes near Tam Coc, the air smells of wet earth and drying straw, with little sound beyond the rhythmic splash of flat-bottomed sampans and cattle grazing along the earthen dikes. In 968, warlord Dinh Bo Linh unified the territory and established Vietnam’s first imperial capital at Hoa Lu, sheltering his royal citadel within the natural defensive ring of these jagged hills. Travelers can explore the brick shrines of Hoa Lu dedicated to the Dinh and Le dynasties, climb the five hundred stone steps of Hang Mua to look out over the river valley, drift through the three low caverns carved by the Ngo Dong River in Tam Coc, and cross a lotus pond to reach Bich Dong, a tiered pagoda nestled inside a cliffside cave. At dusk, roadside eateries serve de nui, tender mountain goat stir-fried with herbs, accompanied by com chay, crisp cakes of toasted rice dipped in warm broth. Every spring during the third lunar month, nearby villages celebrate the Hoa Lu festival with river processions, folk games, and temple offerings honoring the early monarchs. Renting a bicycle allows easy travel along the flat valley roads, with early mornings between late April and May offering the most rewarding light, when the paddies turn golden just before the rice harvest.

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