2 Days in Ninh Binh: The Honest Guide (2026)
We spent 2 days in Ninh Binh and honestly, we weren’t sure it deserved two. We almost skipped the overnight stay. That would have been a mistake.
By the time we left, Ninh Binh had become the best scenery of our entire Vietnam trip. This post covers exactly what we did, what we paid, what blew us away, and what you can skip.
Quick facts
| Days needed | 2 minimum. Do not do one day. |
| Tour cost (pp) | $88 CAD (~$64 USD) booked in Hanoi |
| Bai Dinh ticket | $15.80 CAD pp, get the buggy version |
| Best experience | Tam Coc bamboo boat through 30,000-year-old caves |
| Skip? | Hoa Lu if you’re not a history person |
| Worth it? | Best scenery we saw in all of Vietnam. |
This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend experiences we personally did. Read our full Affiliate Disclosures.
How We Booked 2 Days in Ninh Binh
We booked through a local travel agency in Hanoi. Most 1-day Ninh Binh tours start and end in Hanoi. We customized ours to end in Ninh Binh so we could add an overnight and explore on our own the next day.
Logistics were simple. Our guide was on WhatsApp, picked us up from our hotel in Hanoi, and the bus was a proper luxury coach with about 20 people on board.
What We Paid
| Experience | What We Paid | Klook Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Day Ninh Binh Tour (per person) | $88 CAD (~$64 USD) | From $71.95 on Klook |
| Bai Dinh Pagoda entry + buggy | $15.80 CAD (~$11.50 USD) pp | Paid at gate |
| Ha Linh Quan BBQ dinner for two | $22 CAD (~$16 USD) | Walking street |
Check current availability and pricing for the Tam Coc and Hoa Lu day tour on Klook.
Hang Mua Peak: The Climb That Nearly Broke Me
The tour guide said 20 minutes. He lied. Technically yes, it’s about 20 minutes up. But the steps are uneven, made of real rock, extremely steep, and there are zero railings. Each step is a lunge. Add a crowd, my asthma, and a serious fear of heights with cliff edges right beside you.
I saw girls hiking up in skirts and Birkenstocks like it was nothing. I heard them say they wished they had proper shoes because they were slipping. Wear actual grip footwear. Trust me.
The climb starts here. Your guide says 20 minutes. He is lying.
Halfway up. The view starts to reveal itself. Worth every step.
The view from the top. Trang An river winding through the karsts below.
Looking out over Ninh Binh from the summit. This is why you came.
The descent. Your knees will remind you of this for days.
The dragon statue at the summit. Every photo from every angle.
One last look before heading back down.
We went first thing in the morning, which the tour guide planned deliberately. Doing this hike at noon in the heat would be a different level of suffering. The cool morning air made it survivable. At the top, we grabbed coconuts and just stared. Every brutal step was worth it.
Tip: Go early. Wear grip shoes. If you have asthma or fear of heights, take it slow but do not skip this.
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital: Worth a Stop, Not Worth Going Out of Your Way
Included in most Ninh Binh tours, and it’s fine. The Temple of Le Hoan honours Le Dai Hanh, the emperor who unified Vietnam and pushed back the Chinese in the 10th century. Red lacquer pillars, curved tiled rooftops, stone courtyard. You feel the weight of a thousand years of history here.
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. Vietnam’s first capital city, now a temple complex.
The temple courtyard. Peaceful, well-maintained, worth 30 minutes.
Inside the temple. The carvings and architecture are the highlight.
The grounds. If history isn’t your thing, skip it and add time to Tam Coc.
The entrance gate. Fine for a photo, not worth going out of your way for.
History buffs will appreciate it. If you’re here for the scenery, this is not your highlight. Save the excitement for what comes next.
Trang An Bike Ride: The Best 30 Minutes of the Entire Tour
We came out of a grungy alleyway and then everything opened up. We didn’t expect much. We ended up barely saying a word the entire ride.
You pedal through a narrow path with the river on one side and limestone cliffs rising straight up on the other. This is the filming location for Skull Island in the Kong movie. If you’ve seen it, you’ll immediately understand why they picked it.
The Trang An bike ride. We came out of a grungy alleyway and everything opened up.
Pedalling through narrow paths with the river on one side and limestone cliffs on the other.
The best 30 minutes of the entire tour. Short, but unforgettable.
Hands down the best part of Day 1. You go in expecting a nice bike ride. You come out not quite believing what you just saw.
Tam Coc Bamboo Boat Tour: Through 30,000-Year-Old Caves
We thought the bike ride was the peak of the day. We were wrong.
Four people to a bamboo boat, with a small woman steering from the back. It starts as a calm river ride through already stunning scenery. Then you enter the caves. Dark, narrow, ancient. The caves are 30,000 years old. You push through the darkness and come out the other side into something that doesn’t feel like it belongs on earth.
Boarding the bamboo boat. Four people per boat, rowers use their feet.
Inside the first cave. 30,000 years of geology above your head.
The river opens up between caves. Limestone karsts towering on both sides.
We thought the bike ride was the peak. We were wrong.
Floating through the valley. One of the best things we did in all of Vietnam.
The view heading back. Same route, different light, just as beautiful.
We went through multiple caves. Some completely pitch black, bumping into walls, navigating blind through a narrow stream. Coming out the other side each time felt like arriving somewhere entirely new. There is nothing else like it in Vietnam.
This is the one experience in Ninh Binh you cannot skip. The Tam Coc and Hoa Lu day tour on Klook includes both the boat and temple visit from Hanoi.
Where We Stayed: Green Bay Hotel Ninh Binh
The photos lie. The location doesn’t.
Green Bay Hotel looked incredible online. In person, the rooms were clean but the heavily edited listing photos set expectations we couldn’t shake. Bit of a letdown on arrival.
Green Bay Hotel Ninh Binh. Clean, comfortable, and a solid base for the extra day.
The views from the hotel. Ninh Binh does not disappoint.
We booked this ourselves for the extra night between the Ninh Binh tour and the cruise pickup.
The location saved it. Right in the middle of everything, walking distance to the walking street, restaurants, and the festival area. We’d still stay there. Go in with realistic expectations.
Address: 23 Trang An 2, Tan Thanh, Ninh Binh City, Vietnam
Day 2: On Our Own
Breakfast: Bo Ne at Banh Mi Gion
Our first time trying bo ne. Not our last.
Bo ne translates to “dodging beef,” a nod to the splashing oil when the dish arrives on a sizzling cast iron plate. Marinated beef, sunny-side-up egg, pate, onions, and a Vietnamese baguette to dip into everything.
Arrives sizzling on a cast iron plate. Marinated beef, egg, pate, onions, baguette.
The gooey egg runs over the pate and beef on the first dip. Instant favourite.
Local spot, nothing fancy, exactly the kind of place you want to find.
The first bite, gooey egg running over the pate and saucy beef, was a full flavour explosion. It became one of our favourite dishes in all of Vietnam. We ordered it multiple times after this.
Bai Dinh Pagoda: Buddhist Disneyland (We Mean That Respectfully)
Get the ticket with the buggy. Non-negotiable.
We knew Bai Dinh was the largest pagoda in Ninh Binh. We didn’t know it’s one of the largest Buddhist complexes in all of Southeast Asia. The place is 6 kilometers end to end. Walking the whole thing takes 2 to 3 hours and you’ll miss things. The buggy is a hop-on, hop-off electric vehicle included in the combined ticket at $15.80 CAD (~$11.50 USD) per person.
One of the largest Buddhist complexes in Southeast Asia. 6km end to end. Get the buggy ticket.
Largest collection of bronze Buddha statues in Southeast Asia. Each stop is more impressive than the last.
Hundreds of arhat statues lining the corridors. Each one is different.
Largest collection of bodhi trees in Southeast Asia. The grounds are massive.
What’s here: largest bronze Buddha statues in Southeast Asia, largest collection of bodhi trees, largest collection of arhat statues. Each stop makes you pause. Several areas require climbing, so plan your route at the entrance or you’ll backtrack.
The dark caves inside offered real relief from the heat. One had a pond inside.
Each cave is dedicated to a different form of Buddhist worship. Cool, dark, and genuinely peaceful.
The Bao Thap tower. Climb it during the day, not at night. We learned this the hard way.
Foot soak is included with your entrance ticket at the end. After four hours of walking, it earned it.
Giant gold Buddha at every turn. We kept thinking we had seen the most impressive one. We had not.
The buggy drops you at each point and picks you up. Without it, you will not see half the complex.
At night it lights up beautifully. Admire it from below at night, climb it during the day.
We planned to spend two hours here. We stayed four and a half.
One thing we’d do differently: climb the Bao Thap tower during the day, not at night. We went up after dark and couldn’t see the panoramic view. Climb at sunset, then admire the pagoda from below at night when it’s lit up.
Ninh Binh Walking Street at Night
Ninh Binh at night hits different. Buildings lit up, lanterns everywhere. We were so busy stopping to look around we almost forgot we hadn’t eaten.
The walking street comes alive at night. Lanterns, lights, and a full festival atmosphere.
We were so busy stopping to look around we almost forgot we had not eaten.
Ha Linh Quan, packed outdoor BBQ restaurant right in the middle of the walking street.
Lantern boats on the water during the festival. The perfect last night in Ninh Binh.
The whole area glows at night. You need two days in Ninh Binh to catch this.
Seafood and meat BBQ platter for two. Big meaty shrimp, clams, octopus, the works.
We found Ha Linh Quan, a packed outdoor restaurant right in the middle of the action. Meat and seafood BBQ platter: tofu, chicken, beef, sausage, clams, octopus, and the biggest meatiest shrimp we’d seen anywhere. Small combo was $22 CAD (~$16 USD). More than enough for two.
Is 2 Days in Ninh Binh Worth It?
Yes. When planning 2 days in Ninh Binh, do not cut it to one day. You will regret it.
The standard Hanoi day tour gets you Hang Mua, Hoa Lu, and Tam Coc, then drops you back in Hanoi by evening. Solid, but you’ll miss the Trang An bike ride, Bai Dinh Pagoda (which alone ate half our day), the walking street at night, and the food.
Adding one night costs very little and changes everything. If you are deciding between 1 day or 2 days in Ninh Binh, choose two. We said it while we were there and we still say it now: 2 days in Ninh Binh is the best scenery decision we made in all of Vietnam. Go. Stay two days.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Getting there from Hanoi | Book a 1-day tour, ask to end in Ninh Binh instead of returning to Hanoi. |
| Tour cost (per person) | $88 CAD (~$64 USD). From $71.95 on Klook. |
| Best time for Hang Mua | Early morning. Wear grip shoes. Zero railings on the way up. |
| Tam Coc | Included in most day tours. Cannot be skipped. |
| Bai Dinh ticket | $15.80 CAD pp. Includes buggy. Do not walk the whole complex. |
| Bo ne breakfast | Banh Mi Gion. Order the bo ne. Local spot, no frills, excellent. |
| Walking street dinner | Ha Linh Quan BBQ. Small combo ~$22 CAD for two. |
| Hotel | Green Bay Hotel Ninh Binh. Great location, photos oversell the rooms. |
Watch the Full Episode
FAQs About Spending 2 Days in Ninh Binh
Is 2 days in Ninh Binh enough?
2 days in Ninh Binh is enough to hit every major highlight comfortably. Day 1 covers the tour: Hang Mua, Hoa Lu, Trang An bike ride, and Tam Coc. Day 2 you explore on your own: Bai Dinh Pagoda and the walking street at night. You could do it in one day but you will miss half of what makes Ninh Binh special.
How do you get to Ninh Binh from Hanoi?
Most people doing 2 days in Ninh Binh book a day tour from Hanoi that includes transport both ways. We booked through a local Hanoi agency and customized the tour to drop us in Ninh Binh instead of returning to Hanoi, so we could stay the night. You can also take the train or a direct bus, but the tour is the easiest option and covers all the main sites.
What is the best time to visit Ninh Binh?
The best time for 2 days in Ninh Binh is October to April, during the dry season. We visited during the cooler months and the temperature was perfect for the Hang Mua hike. Summer heat (May to August) makes the climb brutal and the humidity heavy. Spring is peak season so expect more crowds but lush green scenery.
Do you need a guide for 2 days in Ninh Binh?
For 2 days in Ninh Binh, a guided day tour handles Day 1 well. Day 2 you can explore Bai Dinh Pagoda and the walking street entirely on your own. The pagoda has clear signage and a map at the entrance. The walking street is easy to navigate at night. A guide is not required for Day 2.
Our full Ninh Binh episode goes live April 27th. Everything you just read, on camera. Subscribe so you don’t miss it.
Klook.comFollow our daily adventures on Instagram: @chasing.jenny
