Vietnam
Ninh Binh
A chill, green town near Hanoi where you cycle, explore, and drink wine.
Ninh Binh is a small town near Hanoi. It's underrated (for now) and, in my opinion, one of the best places to stay in Vietnam.
The crowd here is much more chill than, let's say, Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. This is also a bicycling paradise. Almost everyone you see, especially tourists, is on a bicycle. And they're very cheap to rent.
Where I stayed
I stayed at Tam Coc Mountain Bungalow, which is a little outside the main town.
Honestly, most of the things worth doing are on this side of Ninh Binh anyway, so I'd recommend staying around Tam Coc rather than in the city itself.
Where I ate
My go-to food place was Cozy Healthy Eatery.
They make the best burrito I've had in a long time. The food is fresh, and the people who run the place are genuinely kind.
You can also stay here, but I mostly stay in dorms, so I didn't.
Under the Tree was another nice place to eat.
What to do
1. Cycle around and explore
Rent a bicycle and just explore.
There isn't really a fixed route you need to follow. Ride around, find random roads, stop somewhere, sit down, paint something — even if you're terrible at painting. It's surprisingly relaxing.
This quiet temple was one of my favourite places to stop:
2. Hike Hang Mua Peak
Hang Mua is a small hike of roughly 500 steps.
Most people go for sunset, but I'd recommend going for sunrise instead.
You can enter at around 5:15 AM. The big advantage is that there are almost no people, and you get an amazing view over the surrounding landscape.
There are two peaks. The one on the left has the famous dragon statue. Go to both — they're both worth it.
On your way back down, make sure you visit the lotus field. It's beautiful, and a lot of people seem to miss it.
3. Take a boat ride
There are several boat routes around Ninh Binh. I went with Route 1, which is one of the most popular.
I was travelling alone, and the boats generally need multiple people, so Route 1 worked well because I could quickly join an existing group.
It's a fairly long ride where you pass through several different places. It's great for taking pictures, but honestly, it's also just a nice way to sit back and chill for a couple of hours.
4. Go wine tasting
There are quite a few wine-tasting places around Ninh Binh.
Go try some. 🍷