It's me! Enjoying my moment on the top of Karst
What's up, Hivers!
How's it going? Where have your recent adventures taken you? If you checked out my latest blog post on Exploring the Beauty of Vietnam, you already know where I've been lately!
In this blog, let me take you on my short adventure in Hang Múah Viewpoint located in the province of Ninh Binh in Vietnam.
Hang Múa Cave
Hang Mua is known for its stunning limestone karst formations and the panoramic viewpoint at the top. It is located approximately 5 kilometers away from the center of the town of Trang An in Ninh Binh. You can reach this picturesque spot either by motorcycle or bicycle, which you can borrow from your hotel.
The road straight to Hang Mua Cave
Hang Múa Cave itself is a natural cave nestled in the limestone mountains. However, the main attraction is the viewpoint at the top of the mountain, which provides spectacular views of the Tam Coc landscape, rice fields, and the Ngo Dong River winding through the region.
In this blog, I am going to show you my experience of climbing the two viewpoints in Hang Mua. First is the viewpoint where you can see the Tam Coc landscape and the second shows the stunning panoramic view of the limestone karsts formations along the Ngo Dong river.
On that day, my buddies and I wanted to check out some places in Ninh Binh, so we decided to rent a motorcycle. It's easy and quick, but we thought riding bicycles through the rice fields and enjoying the fresh air could be cool too. In the end, we went for the motorcycles, adding an extra thrill to our adventure! 🏍️
Getting Inside the Spot
Ticketing Booth
Surprisingly, Hang Múa operates as a designated tourist destination. Upon entry, visitors are obligated to purchase a ticket, priced at 100,000 VND (around 4 USD).
Additionally, there is a charge of 10,000 VND for motorcycle parking. I want to caution you about potential scammers outside the park. If they realize you are a foreigner on a motorcycle, they may attempt to block your path to the park, falsely claiming that parking inside is prohibited.
Please be aware and don't fall for their schemes. They are exploiting the popularity of the tourist spot and deceiving foreigners about parking to make money. One woman blocked my way, insisting that only Vietnamese could park inside, and tried to force me to park in front of her house and pay her.
Another man, depicted in the picture below, stands in front of the park entrance to scam foreigners. When I declined his offer, he struck my motorcycle and yelled at me loudly. Seriously, what's wrong with these people? It was so obvious that I could take my motorcycle inside, as other foreigners were doing the same. I even saw him swing a punch to another tourist! Crazy!
The Parking Lot Scammer in front of the Ecolodge
Off to the trail
Path goint to the trail
Trail Head
Heading to the trailhead, I followed a beautifully decorated path that offered a perfect atmosphere for relaxation. Along the way, I noticed a few charming coffee shops. The park also has a lake which offers a relaxing spot and a spectacular view of the Hang Mua Peak. The trail itself, however, turned out to be not a traditional path but rather a series of stairs leading to the peak. It took just a two-minute walk to reach the starting point of these stairs.
My First Experience Exploring Limestone Karst
Stairs going to the Dragon Statue
Limestones
Thanks to the people who built stairs around the karst, I didn't have to resort to climbing with a rope to reach the top. Just kidding! Going to the top is around 500 steps of stairs. It looks easy in the picture but some parts of the stairs are quite steep and slippery.
Limestone karsts form when rainwater, slightly acidic from absorbing carbon dioxide, dissolves the limestone rocks over time. This process creates unique landscapes with features like caves, sinkholes, and tall limestone peaks. The dissolution of limestone by water is an ongoing and natural transformation, shaping these distinct formations.
First Peak: Pagoda
Reaching the first peak only took me 10 minutes and the reward did not disappoint me. In the first peak, you will see this small pagoda, the lotus garden and the panoramic view of the town.
First Peak and the Lotus Pond of Hang Mua
Second Peak: Dragon Statue
The panoramic view of Karsts and the Dragon Statue
Climbing to the dragon statue is quite dangerous, not only because I will be walking through the limestone but also due to the number of tourists lining up to reach the statue. Once you reach the top, you can walk alongside the dragon to reach its tail.
The Dragon Statue and Tourists
The Dragon Statue and Tourists
And because the head part is packed with tourists taking turns for a photo, I decided to head straight to the tail which is also a good spot! From there, I was able to be beside another small pagoda and enjoy my moment while seeing both sides of the viewpoint.
On the right is the panoramic view of the karst formations along the river of Ngo Dong. The photo above is the view of Hang Mua, where I can see the town of Trang An from afar.
I stopped for a while in this spot to enjoy the moment and the mesmerizing view of nature in front of me.
The area around the dragon head was still crowded when I was about to leave, so I patiently waited for my turn. When it finally arrived, I took a quick selfie—not necessarily fancy, just a simple reminder of being in this precious spot on Earth.
Final Thoughts
This marks the beginning of my Vietnam blog series, capturing the exhilarating experience of climbing beside the dragon statue atop the limestone karst. On this initial day of my journey, my mind, still echoing the stresses of daily work, found solace in the mesmerizing nature before me—allowing me to calm down and truly appreciate the world around me.
At this point, my friends and I are also cautious about encountering locals who might deceive foreigners for financial gain. With our upcoming travel to Ha Giang in the next few days, another fellow traveler warned me that we may encounter more rude individuals throughout our motorcycle journey in Ha Giang. I was hoping not, but we are still all for the adventures waiting ahead of us!
Other blogs
My gears:
- Canon D200 II
- Insta360 One x2
- DJI Mini 4 Pro
- Xiaomi 11 Lite
All photos are mine unless otherwise stated and/or referenced