Tam Coc is the common name for three caves: Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba. These three caves are located in a system of rolling limestone mountains, surrounded by green rice fields and the romantic Ngo Dong river. Tourists coming here can visit by boat, weave through towering limestone cliffs, and admire the diverse stalactites.
Bich Dong is an ancient pagoda located on a limestone mountain, built in the 18th century. The pagoda is divided into three floors: the Lower House, the Middle House and the Upper House. Each floor has its own unique landscape and architecture. Visitors here can climb mountains to explore the pagoda or take a boat to see the pagoda from afar.
Which season is best to travel to Tam Coc Bich Dong?
Each season in Ninh Binh brings visitors different unique and interesting experiences.
Spring (January to March): In spring, Ninh Binh has cool weather and not too cold, suitable for spring travel to Tam Coc Bich Dong. In particular, when traveling to Ninh Binh at this time, you can also enjoy the festive atmosphere, typically Thai Vi temple festival, Bai Dinh pagoda festival in Trang An scenic complex.
April - August: In the summer, the weather in Ninh Binh is warm and sunny, suitable for participating in outdoor activities such as boating on Ngo Dong river, exploring caves, or climbing mountains. In particular, May - June is the most ideal time to see Tam Coc Bich Dong, the ripe rice season blooming throughout the fields or fragrant lotus ponds.
How to get to Tam Coc Bich Dong Ninh Binh?
Tam Coc - Bich Dong address: Ngu Nhac Son, Dam Khe village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area is located 2 km from National Highway 1A, 7 km from Ninh Binh city center, 9 km from Tam Diep city, and 100 km south of Hanoi capital.
Go to Ninh Binh
Road
Ninh Binh is an important traffic junction, with 9 national highways (including 6 starting national highways and 3 passing national highways) spread evenly across all districts, cities, and towns in the province, so vehicles are convenient. The most convenient way to get to Ninh Binh is through the road transportation system.
Public transport: You can choose to travel by bus, departing from Giap Bat or My Dinh, with current ticket prices ranging from 3 USD - 4 USD. More convenient is traveling by limousine to pick up and drop off at your door with a ticket price of about 6 USD - 10 USD.
Private vehicles: If using a car, from Hanoi you can follow the Phap Van - Cau Gie - Ninh Binh highway, with a distance of about 90km, it only takes about 1 hour to reach the center of Ninh Binh city, From here, it is hardly more than 30km to tourist destinations in the province.
Private transfer from Hanoi to Ninh Binh or vice versa costs from 55 USD
If using a motorbike, from Hanoi you follow the old National Highway 1A through Ha Nam and then go in the direction of Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa. Be careful not to go wrong in the direction of Nam Dinh - Thai Binh to avoid detours.
Rail
Ninh Binh has an urban axis of Tam Diep - Ninh Binh located on the North-South railway line. In the province, there are Ninh Binh station, Cau Yen station, Ghenh station and Dong Giao station. Therefore, whether you live in the South or the North, you can easily come to Ninh Binh by Thong Nhat trains.
From Hanoi, there are trains SE1 (7:30 p.m.) arriving in Ninh Binh at 9:46 p.m., train SE3 (10:00 p.m.) arriving in Ninh Binh at 10:10 a.m., train SE5 (9:00 a.m.) arriving in Ninh Binh at 11:21 a.m., train SE7 (6:00 a.m.) arriving in Ninh Binh at 8:22 a.m. and Train SE19 (20:05) arrives in Ninh Binh at about 23:00.
If departing from Saigon, the trains arrive in Ninh Binh mostly at a late hour. The only suitable train you should take is SE8, which departs from Saigon station at 6:00 a.m. and arrives in Ninh Binh at 1:15 p.m today after.
From Ninh Binh to Tam Coc Bich Dong
From the center of Ninh Binh City to Tam Coc Bich Dong tourist area is quite close. If you simply want to come here and then return, you can rent a taxi or motorbike taxi. For a group of about 4 people, it will only cost about a few dozen kilometers. Just taxi fare.
Places to visit in Tam Coc Bich Dong
Tam Coc
Tam Coc consists of 3 natural caves, the caves are located on clear blue water, on both sides are spindly sycamore trees. Normally, to explore these 3 caves, visitors will take a sightseeing boat to enter each cave and admire the many shaped stalactites.
Basic information about Tam Coc is as follows:
Hang Ca: With a length of 127m, it is also the longest cave in Tam Coc. The width of the cave is 20m. Visitors can easily take a boat to move inside the cave to admire the scenery.
Hang Two: 60m long and located about 1km from the cave. When taking a boat into Hai cave, darkness covers it, giving you an extremely nervous feeling.
Hang Ba: Is the smallest cave, only about 50m long. After exploring Hang Ba, the trip of the cruise to explore Tam Coc will end.
Address: Ninh Hai Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam.
Fare:
Adult:
Sightseeing ticket: 5 USD/ticket
Boat ticket: 6 USD/ticket
Children
Sightseeing ticket: 2 USD/ticket (under 1m4)
Boat ticket: free for children under 3 years old
Bich Dong - Xuyen Thuy Dong
Xuyen Thuy Dong is a dark, flooded cave shaped like a semicircular pipe, a place that hides mysteries and unique natural masterpieces. Xuyen Thuy Dong has a length of about 350m and an average width of about 6m. The ceiling and walls of the cave are quite flat, and its shape creates a very unique arch. The entrance to Xuyen Thuy Dong is opposite Bich Dong Pagoda at the back of the mountain. After visiting Xuyen Thuy Dong, visitors can climb the mountain to reach the cave and Bich Dong Pagoda.
Tickets to visit Xuyen Thuy Dong: 1 USD/ person
Package ticket to visit Bich Dong and Xuyen Thuy Dong: 1,5 USD/person
Hang Mua
Hang Mua, part of the Trang An scenic complex, is a "hot" destination for mountain climbing experiences to admire natural scenery. Tourists often visit Mua Cave on the Tam Coc Bich Dong Ninh Binh tour. To reach the top of Mua Cave, visitors will have to climb about 500 stone steps. From the top of Hang Mua, visitors will be rewarded with an extremely "satisfying" panorama of Ninh Binh. Under the warm golden sunlight, the magnificent natural scenery of the ancient capital appears with winding rivers, majestic mountains, and golden rice fields spread throughout Tam Coc Ninh Binh.
Address: Khe Dau Ha, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh.
Ticket price to visit Mua Cave is 4 USD/person.
Co Vien Lau
Co Vien Lau is located right next to Tam Coc wharf, a tourist attraction in Tam Coc - Bich Dong Ninh Binh tourist area. This is an ancient house area that concentrates many ancient houses collected from Ninh Binh and other villages in the Northern Delta. Co Vien Lau has an area of about 20,000 m² and displays a total of 22 ancient houses. These ancient houses display traditional tools and equipment such as sofas, mahogany tables, tea cabinets, and many other objects. The ancient houses at Co Vien Lau often originate from the Nguyen Dynasty and later, preserving the traditional heritage and traditional architecture of Vietnam.
Address: Ninh Hai, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
Ticket price from: 2 USD/person
Thien Huong Cave
Thien Huong Cave is a dry cave halfway up Dong Vo mountain, along the road from Ngo Dong river leading to Thai Vi temple. Thien Huong Cave stands out with a height of about 15m above the ground, a height of nearly 60m, a length of 40m and a width of 20m. In particular, the cave's dome resembles a large bell, creating an impressive and magnificent image.
One of the unique features of Thien Huong Cave is its wide top, causing many locals to call it Heaven Cave. Inside the cave is a shrine to worship King Ly Hue Tong's wife - Mrs. Tran Thi Dung. She had the merit of teaching embroidery to the people of Ninh Hai commune. Because of this honorable contribution, people built a shrine to show gratitude and honor her.
Bich Dong Pagoda
3km from Tam Coc wharf, Bich Dong is an ancient pagoda built under the slopes of Truong Yen limestone mountain at the beginning of the Later Le Dynasty. After nearly 600 years of existence, Bich Dong Pagoda still preserves many national cultural and historical values and is considered one of the architectural wonders of Vietnam. As one of the "Bich Son eight scenes" (eight beautiful scenes of Bich Dong), Bich Dong pagoda gives pilgrims a sense of peace and tranquility amidst the rolling mountains to connect with nature and spirituality.
Thai Vi Temple
Thai Vi is a famous sacred temple in Tam Coc Ninh Binh, where kings and generals of the Tran Dynasty, and Queen Thuan Thien, are worshiped. The temple was built on the foundation of the Vu Lam palace, an important military base during the second resistance war against the Mongol invaders of the Tran Dynasty. Thai Vi Temple is nestled in the peaceful natural space of Tam Coc Bich Dong complex, on the right is Ngo Giang river, on the left is Coi Linh mountain.
At the temple gate there is a golden well containing clear Bach Ngoc and a banyan tree that provides shade for visitors to stop. When visiting Thai Vi temple, visitors can sometimes witness the worshiping ceremony in the main hall. This is a form of folk performance of Mother Goddess worship and is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Stay here when traveling to Tam Coc Ninh Binh
Tam Coc Garden Resort
There are many homestays and hotels around this tourist area. The closest to Tam Coc is Tam Coc Garden Resort. This place fully converges values related to green tourism and cultural tourism. With architectural features imbued with the Northern countryside, you will feel relaxed and close as if you were at home.
Address: Hai Nham Village, Ninh Hai, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh
Maison Kieu Tam Coc
Besides Tam Coc Garden Resort, in Ninh Binh there is also a place to stay with a very special design style in the style of an ancient house, Maison Kieu Tam Coc. Located right in the center of Trang An tourist area, so when choosing a room here, you will be very convenient to have fun and explore the beauty of this place.
Address: Van Lam, Tam Coc, Thanh Binh, Ninh Binh province
What to eat when traveling to Tam Coc Bich Dong?
Ninh Binh goat dishes
Goat is a famous Ninh Binh specialty that you definitely should not miss. Mountain goat dish attracts diners because of the delicious, rich flavor of mountain goat meat. Unlike other places, Ninh Binh goats often roam free in the mountains and eat leaves, so the meat is much sweeter. Goat is processed into many different delicious dishes such as stir-fried goat meat with lemongrass and chili, goat soup served with burnt rice, grilled goat with lemon...
Ninh Binh scorched rice
Besides mountain goat, scorched rice is also a delicious dish that you should not miss. After being cooked, the rice will be fried until crispy. Because you choose good rice, when you eat it you will feel the different flavor. In Ninh Binh restaurants and eateries, people often cook goat soup to eat with burnt rice. In addition, if you want to buy it as a gift, you can find pre-packaged ones that are sold in many tourist locations.
Mountain snail
Not every time you come to Ninh Binh you can enjoy mountain snail dishes. Because, this type of snail often lives in stone caves. Only during the rainy season from April to August do they come out so people can catch them. Because mountain snails often eat medicinal leaves, the snail meat is very sweet and fragrant with herbal medicine. Mountain snails can be processed into many different delicious dishes such as steamed mountain snails with lemongrass, steamed snails with ginger, stir-fried snails with tamarind...
Note when traveling to Tam Coc Bich Dong Ninh Binh
1. When visiting Tam Coc, you should start early in the morning. Because at this time the weather is usually quite favorable, especially in the summer, the sun will not be too harsh.
2. Sitting on the boat, you should prepare to bring a hat or hat to protect yourself from the sun. Because the boats in Tam Coc are roofless boats, visitors can easily enjoy the scenery.
3. Choose comfortable clothes. You can wear vintage colors such as beige, brown, red... to take photos that match the scenery in Tam Coc.
4. Finally, when going in the summer, you should definitely not forget to apply sunscreen.
