Ninh Binh, Vietnam – Where to Stay ? Visit, Transport – Page 1

Ninh Binh – Orientation – Maps

Map 1 – Distance from Hanoi

Map 2 – Main Attractions

Map 3 – Interactive Map : Tourist attractions + Transport

  1. Points in Red : Train Station + Bus Station
  2. Points in Blue : Main Tourist Attractions
  3. Points in Green : + Tourist Attractions
  4. Points in Gray : + Tourist Attractions
  5. Points in Yellow : City Center Attractions (Nightlife)

How is Ninh Binh ?

One of the most amazing places in Vietnam. Great views. Take a look at the pictures on this page and the following page to get an idea.

Ninh Binh is a large area with wonderful lakes, rivers and mountains. The mountains look like huge rocks and not like typical mountains. Some call Ninh Binh the “Halong Bay on the land” because the rock-mountains scenery is similar to the one in Halong Bay.

Ninh Binh is the name of the city but the attractions are located outside of it and each place has its own name (see the attractions on the next page). The city itself is not interesting except the northern part. In fact most tourists don’t stay to sleep in the city itself but on the Tam Coc lake (see Where to Stay).

It is very easy to arrive to Ninh Binh from Hanoi, you can be there in less than 2 hours, see How.

5 days is a comfortable number of days in order to visit Ninh Binh. If you have only 2 days, it is better than nothing.

How to arrive to Ninh Binh ?

Ninh Binh is situated around 100 Km south from Hanoi. It is easy to reach Ninh Binh from Hanoi by shared taxi, train, bus or private taxi.

Reach Ninh Binh By Flight

There is no airport in Ninh Binh. You need to land in Hanoi and then continue to Ninh Binh by shared taxi, train, bus or private taxi. The airport of Hanoi is located 25 Km to the north of Hanoi and Ninh Binh is located 100 Km to the south of Hanoi, so you would probably prefer to stay 1 night in Hanoi before continuing to Ninh Binh. If you want to arrive directly from the airport to Ninh Binh (without passing via Hanoi center), you can take a private taxi, the trip will last around 2 hours. You can try to ask at the airport if there is a public transport available at the time you land. The train doesn’t reach the airport of Hanoi.

  • You can book Flights, Trains and Buses inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia.  Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.
The location of Hanoi airport and how to arrive to the city of Hanoi :

See this in the Hanoi page – Transport.

From Hanoi to Ninh Binh :

Option 1 : By shared Taxi  – Limousine

The easiest way to reach Ninh Binh from Hanoi. It takes just 1.30 hours (compared to almost 3 hours of train). The seats are spacious and comfortable. They pick you from your hotel and deposit you at your new hotel. They can also deposit you in Tam Coc lake, where you probably stay.
Ask your hotel and they will arrange you a place. Or book online.

  • You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia.  Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

Option 2 : By Train

Yes, there is a train station in Ninh Binh. The journey from Hanoi takes 2 and a half hours (so it takes more time than the shared Taxis). The train is comfortable, you can choose a soft seat or even a bed. There is only 1 or 2 trains a day for each direction. It is the same train that goes on the path Saigon-Hanoi, so you can also arrive from other points in Vietnam (from Hue, for example).

On the train, they sell a lot of food and even hot corn !

  • You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia.  Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.
The location of Ninh Binh Train station and how to arrive to the city (or  Tam Coc lake):

The train station is located about 2 Km from the center of the city of Ninh Binh and 8 Km from Tam Coc lake.

The location of Hanoi Train station and how to arrive from the city of Hanoi :

See this in the Hanoi page – Transport.

Option 3 : By Public Bus

You can take a bus from the southern central station of Hanoi called “Giat Bat” (or from another Vietnamese city). Unlike a private bus company, a public bus will not deposit you at your Hotel.

  • You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia.  Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.
The location of Ninh Binh Bus station and how to arrive to the city (or  Tam Coc lake):

The Bus station is located about 1 Km from the center of the city and 8 Km from Tam Coc lake.

The location of Hanoi Bus station “Giat Bat” and how to arrive from the city of Hanoi :

See this in the Hanoi page – Transport.

Option 4 : By Private company Bus

It is the same as the shared Taxi (Limousine) mentioned before, but it is a big bus. The company may pick you up from your hotel and deposit you at your new hotel.

  • You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia.  Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

Option 5 : By regular Taxi

From Hanoi center : About 100 Km distance. 1.30 hours drive.
From Hanoi Airport : About 120 Km distance. 2 hours drive.

  • You can book Flights, Trains, Buses and Taxis inside Vietnam with the site Baolau or 12Go Asia.  Choose the Origin city and Destination city and it will show you All the available Transports to destination.

Option 6 : Rented motorbike

Why not ? It is just 100 Km and you can stop in places on your way, like the Perfume Pagoda.

Where to Stay in Ninh Binh ? – Hotels

Look at this Map :

There are 2 main options. The first one is to stay in the city of Ninh Binh and the other is to stay around the lake of Tam Coc. Most tourists prefer to stay around the lake because it is special and beautiful and the city of Ninh Binh not.

Option 1 :  Hotel around the lake of Tam Coc

Look at the following Map, with the area of the lake of Tam Coc :
(You can also look at the interactive Map above)

The lake and the surroundings are very beautiful and there are hundreds of hotels and home stay which are situated here.

If you stay here (like most of the tourists), you will be at a walking distance to the boarding point for the trip of the boats of Tam Coc and you can make beautiful walks till the Thai Vi Temple.

On the main street there are a lot of restaurants and some nightlife.

The lake is situated about 8 Km from the city of Ninh Binh. If you arrive from Hanoi by Limousine then they will deposit you directly on the lake. If you arrive from Hanoi by train, then you will need a Taxi from the train station (which is situated in the city, see on Maps).

See Hotels around the lake of Tam Coc. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for hotels around the lake. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

Option 2 :  Hotel in City Center of Ninh Binh

As I already said, most tourists don’t stay to sleep in the city because the lake of Tam Coc is a much more beautiful option. The city of Ninh Binh is busy and not interesting and there is no nightlife.

Still, there are a lot of Hotels in the city and you may prefer to stay here in order to be in a authentic Vietnamese environment and not in a very touristic one, like the lake of Tam Coc.
For example there is the Momali hotel, which is new and not far from the railway station, just 1 Km (I walked it).

See Hotels inside the city of Ninh Binh. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for hotels in the city Center. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

Option 3 :  Near one of the attractions to visit

The landscape in Ninh Binh area is wonderful. You may prefer to stay near one of the attractions. In that case, you will not be beside a lot of tourists (like in Tam Coc lake). For example there is an hotel in the complex of the Bai Dinh Pagoda. The hotel is called Bai Dinh Hotel.

See Hotels around Ninh Binh. After you click and fill the dates, you will see a Map icon. Click on the Map icon and look for hotels in the area of Ninh Binh. The Map is a great way to search for the right hotel (you immediately see the price and the score received by visitors).

How is the Climate in Ninh Binh ?

More or less like in Hanoi, they are just 100 Km apart.
Like in all Vietnam, also in Ninh Binh there is a rainy season from May to October.
I visited Ninh Ninh in a November, there was a wave of cold weather and my hands were freezing on the motorbike. It was probably 10 degree Celsius, but on a motorbike you feel it colder, of course.

Here are average temperatures and rain, in Ninh Binh :

Month
Max (C)
Min (C)
Rain (mm)
January 21 14 20
February 21 15 37
March 23 17 43
April 28 21 69
May 32 24 182
June 33 26 198
July 33 25 257
August 33 26 324
September 31 25 405
October 30 22 150
November 26 19 58
December 23 16 28

How to Move in Ninh Binh ? – The Transport

By Motorbike

Ninh Binh is one of the places where a rented motorbike is the best option in order to explore the area. The attractions are not far away (10 to 20 Km), the roads are in good conditions and the scenery is beautiful. The rental tariff per day is about 150,000 Dong (try to negotiate if you rent for many days). Your hotel can provide you a motorbike and in this case you don’t need to leave your passport.
Gasoline is very cheap : A full tank around 50,000 Dong.

Security with the motorbike

Unfortunately, the standards of security on the roads of Vietnam is not good. There are 5 times more fatalities from road accidents in Vietnam compared to Europe.
In one occasion, in Ninh Binh, I entered a dark tunnel and at the last second I saw in front of me several cows.
Be very careful while driving. Be prepared to a different behaviour of the drivers. Put an helmet. Try to receive a good motorbike (the brakes are important…). I received from my hotel a motorbike with no rear lights and I asked to switch it. This time I received another motorbike with no “brake lights” and without the gasoline that I have filled before.
Regarding the issue of the motorbike license in Vietnam, you can read on the main page of the website.

By Taxi or “Grab” Taxi

There are, of course, regular Taxis in Ninh Binh. Grab application works for cars and not for motorbikes but a regular taxi will be sent to you and not a private car like in Saigon.
See what I wrote about Grab, in the Saigon Transport page.

By Moto-Taxi

Private persons may address you on the streets of Ninh Binh, proposing you a ride. “Grab Moto Taxi” doesn’t function in Ninh Binh (by the time of writing).

By Foot

If you live around the lake of Tam Coc, you may visit some nearby attractions by foot.

By organised Excursion

If you take an organised excursion to the attractions of Ninh Binh, they will handle the transport. Ask your hotel or book online.

What to Eat in Ninh Binh ?

If you like Vietnamese food, there are endless possibilities everywhere, but if you want western food it is much more difficult. There are of course the restaurants around the lake of Tam Coc (where your hotel is probably situated) that are oriented to tourists, but the owners are Vietnamese and the pizza is not always the best.
There is one restaurant in Tam Coc lake with an authentic foreign owner. It is an Indian restaurant with excellent food, it is called Aroma. I have eaten there several times, vegetarian meals and it was always very good and clean. In the picture, you see the typical Indian (very) sweet dessert.

The vegetarian Tali (set meal) was also very good :

Another western option is Chookie’s. They are situated at a walking distance from the train station, in the Ninh Binh city, so if you arrive hungry from Hanoi by train, you may go there directly to eat.
They have pizzas and pasta and salads

The restaurant is in a big garden, a very pleasant place.

If you are vegetarian like me, there is the Loving Hut restaurant in the center of the city of Ninh Binh. It is a national chain of Vegan restaurants with Vietnamese food. In the picture you see a Veg “beef soup”.

If you are not vegetarian this poor animal is sold everywhere.

And there are buyers.

What to Buy in Ninh Binh ?

Nothing.

Where to go out at Night in Ninh Binh ?

Look at the following Map :

The main nightlife is where the tourists are staying, around the lake of Tam Coc. You can drink a cocktail or a beer in one of the “Home stay” or on the main street. Ninh Binh is not a place for discos.

As for the city of Ninh Binh : Unfortunately, the city goes to sleep at 22:00, there is no nightlife. You may find some isolated bars to drink a beer but not a concentration of nightlife.

Still, in the north part of the city, there is a beautiful water canal and illuminated monuments and during the evenings some vendors are organising small plastic chairs and you can order from them a drink. It doesn’t go too late. You can see the location on the Maps above, the place is marked with a yellow symbol on the Maps.

Continue to Page 2 – What to Visit in Ninh Binh

More on Vietnam :

  On Thailand :

Other Stuff :

If you find incorrect data on this page, like a restaurant that has closed or a big river that has moved or you want to tell me something, please write me to contact.

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