Summary

• Located north of Hanoi, known for Ngoa Dong River views and karst limestone mountains.
• March fog adds atmosphere, reminiscent of southern China.
• Panoramic views, temple fixtures, and foggy ascent.
• Witnessing boat riders and battling fog.
• Choosing solo Vespa ride, temple visits, and nerve-wracking muddy paths.
• History and exploration amidst scenic surroundings.
• ATM frustrations, culinary adventures, and fond farewells.

Ninh Binh: A Popular Tourist Spot

The final location of my trip was in Ninh Binh, an almost two-hour ride north of Hanoi. This area has become a popular tourist spot for the views (and boat rides) along the Ngoa Dong River. The area is also filled with karst limestone mountains and paddy fields. The views here remind me of southern China, so much so that you might not know if you are in southern China or Vietnam just by looking at the karst limestone mountains. 

Weather and Landscape

Since it was March I was surrounded by a lot of fog. Even though Vietnam might not seem that big, it still has three distinct regional weather patterns. The north can often follow that of southern China (well, more of Guanxi Province than that of Yunnan Province). While it wasn’t rainy, the dense fog surrounding the mountains made it difficult to get clear photos. I tried my best to edit them to remove some of this, but I could only do so much.

Mua Caves

Ngoa Long Mountain Hike

The first stop of the day was to hike up Ngoa Long Mountain to see panorama views of the surrounding mountainside, fields, and temple fixtures at the top. Our guide had tried to get us here earlier to try to beat some of the crowds. It was somewhat successful, although I think we would have done better if we hadn’t spend that time at the rest stop/souvenir shop that specializes in items made by handicapped staff.

The temperature wasn’t bad, but the air was humid. This would prove to be more of a problem was we climbed higher and higher up the many steps.

The goal was to reach the two main viewpoints after reaching the fork in the path.

The locals call this place “dragon mountain” due to the stone dragon statue sitting atop one of the peaks. Everyone was eager to go see it, but after a while, I got tired of waiting in line (balancing on jagged rocks), so I just decided to photograph it from afar.

The other main site to see is the Ngoa Long River. This is where you can see the boat riders rowing up and down the Tam Coc part of the river.

It was at this point that the sun was starting to peak through the fog more strongly, which meant the sweat was also building up. Even through the fog, I could feel the rising heat.

Once we were back down at the base of the mountain, we were told to walk around a bit along the wooden pier track.

Tam Coc

Boat Ride on Ngoa Long River

Once we had waited for a few members of our group to use the toilet (which lasted longer than I wanted it to, as now there were more tourists heading out of the exit), we piled into the van and headed toward the next activity—rowing down the river.

The special thing about these boat rowers is that they don’t row with their hands; they row with their feet! It’s quite a sight to see, especially seeing elderly rowers doing this. Some of them row with socks, and some choose to go barefoot.

Although there were plenty of tourists being rowed along, most of the time it didn’t feel too crowded or loud, and I was able to have a long chat with my boatmate. The boat ride included going through several caves where the jagged ceiling isn’t much higher than your head.

Once we arrived back to the main docking area, we headed out for lunch along the same river.

Motorbiking

Vespa Exploration

For this trip, I remember there were two options for exploring the last part of the area: one was by Jeep, and the other was by Vespa. I had chosen Vespa, but I was asked if I wanted to ride by myself or behind a driver. I assumed I would ride behind a driver since I have never ridden a motorcycle in my life. I had an e-bike for two years when I lived in the suburbs of Shanghai, but those don’t move the same. Both my boatmate and I were asked this, and both of us hemmed and hawed over what to do. Then, our guide asked if we wanted to do a test ride to see if we felt comfortable enough to ride ourselves. We both finally decided to take a test ride, and eventually, we both decided we would dare to ride by ourselves (OK, I eventually decided; the other woman wasted no time in deciding once she finished her test ride). 

I usually take out travel insurance on trips where I might be doing some kind of risky physical movement, but this time I didn’t for financial reasons. This was probably not a smart choice, but luckily it worked out.

I was momentarily worrying about having not taken out any travel insurance when I saw the group of guys returning from their road exploration. Not only were the bikes all caked with mud, but one of them also had a bloody gash mark on his lower leg! He seemed OK, but the site of it disturbed me.

But then it was finally time for us all to get on our bikes (several of the older women chose to be the passengers; the rest of us rode solo). I nervously started my bike and vigilantly kept track of one of the driver guides ahead of me. We would be riding in local traffic, although luckily, much of the riding would be on paths and dirt roads rather than regular streets.

The first place we went to was a temple inside a cave. There, two women were collecting and organizing items that were to be used for offerings. We also stopped at another temple while on the way to a pagoda. I thought about whether to take any photos, but when we arrived, I realized that it looked much like all the other temples that I had seen. I may have said this before, but after spending 10 years now in Asia, I have seen my share of temples.

The next part of riding was the part that made me the most nervous. We would have to ride through a muddy patch of field before arriving at the next temple. I think this is the area where that man lost control of his bike and roughed up his leg. Luckily, by the time we rode through, the sun had been out and helped to dry up some of the mud. It was still nerve-wracking to ride through it, but I did so carefully (slowly, constantly revving and decelerating) and made it through alright. 

To celebrate us riders, our guide took photos and video of us riding.

Bich Dong Pagoda

Bich Dong Pagoda was constructed by two monks named Tri Kien and Tri The in the 18th century. The site has in total three pagodas that are named after their positions, these being the Ha (lower), the Trung (middle), and the Thuong (upper). 

While trying to navigate my way across the stone bridge to join my group, I ended up having to stop and wait for people to pass. As I tried to start walking again, the tour guide of another big group asked me if I could take their photo as they posed. At this point, I was already in my photo-taking mode, but I didn’t want to have to stop and take photos of other people posing. While I agreed to do it, I also made a face that clearly stated I was not to be asked to do this again once I finished. 

Finally, onward I went.

The Fields of Thai Vi Temple

While we didn’t actually see the temple at this location, we did get to walk through some of the nearby rice paddy fields. By this point, the sun was shining more, and it lit up the grass and sky (but there was still some fog).

This was a lovely day trip (made all the more lovely by me not falling off my motorbike and sustaining injuries).

When I arrived back at my hotel in Hanoi in the Old Quarter, I decided I needed to go out to eat one last time. However, this became a frustrating endeavor as I once again encountered ATM issues. This time I had to go to four ATMs, the last one requiring me to withdraw a larger sum of money than I wanted to. The street-side sit-down eatery next to it was also basically full (I had eaten here the night before with my Vietnamese friend who I met in Tokyo), so I had to continue looking elsewhere for food.

I finally settled on a corner eatery that catered more to foreigners (not the one pictured above). The food I ordered definitely looked and tasted like it, too. I was not happy and decided I needed to rectify this by seeking out the café I was at the night before for some more chocolate and Vietnamese coffee. After looking all over to find it, I finally went in and ordered my coffee and a different dessert. The dessert was just so-so, but as always, the coffee didn’t disappoint.

The next morning I got up very early (5:15 am) so I could catch my 8:30 am flight back to Tokyo. I had to be at work the next day, but my choice of flights back was limited, but at least I flew back to the nearby airport instead of having to fly into Narita airport.

Final Reflections

Needless to say (perhaps), but ever since I found out about the Ha Giang Pass in the far north of Vietnam (close to the Chinese border), I feel stoked about returning to Vietnam. Whether I have had any other adventures before then is unsure, but if I do, you’ll definitely see them here.

Until next time!