The water caves
Rowed right under the mountains.
Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Jakub Hałun — CC BY 4.0 · Benjamin Smith — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jakub Hałun — CC BY 4.0
The heart of the Trang An Landscape Complex, listed by UNESCO in 2014 for both its natural and its cultural value: a maze of rivers and flooded valleys between sheer limestone peaks, crossed by boat through water caves. Archaeologists have found traces of people living in these caves some 30,000 years ago, and in the tenth century the hills sheltered Hoa Lu, Vietnam's first imperial capital, a few kilometres to the north. The visit is a rowing-boat trip from the wharf: each boat takes a few passengers, rowed by local villagers through a chain of low, dark water caves, some of them hundreds of metres long, and past small temples on the banks. You pick one of three routes at the ticket desk, and each takes about two and a half to three hours. The scenery was used in the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island, and a rebuilt set stands on one of the routes. Bring a hat and sunscreen, since the boats have no shade, and expect to duck in the lowest caves. Come early on a weekday to avoid the queues, especially in the spring festival season.
Rowed right under the mountains.
Chosen at the ticket desk.
From Skull Island, 2017.
Trang An boat wharf, about 7 km west of Ninh Binh city
About 100 km, roughly two hours by road; most people visit on a day trip from Hanoi or stay a night in Ninh Binh.
Both are boat trips among limestone peaks. Trang An is longer, with more caves and riverside temples; Tam Coc is shorter, runs between rice fields and is known for foot-rowing.