Hello Everyone!
I am back for the second stop on our Day 2 in Ninh Binh province.
Previously, I have virtually strolled you around in Hoa Lu temples where we started our Day 2 in Vietnam of our Indochina trip. And now, I’ll virtually cruise you around the beautiful river of Ninh Binh on our Tam Coc - Bich Dong river cruise tour which is included in our Ninh Binh day tour that we booked in Klook. If you happen to be visiting Ninh Binh in the future and book this tour in Klook, just use my promo code THESTROLLINGMIND to avail a discount.
It was already lunchtime when we proceeded to Tam Coc where we will experience the Tam Coc - Bich Dong river cruise using the sampan boat, and pass along the three caves: Hang Ca, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba where these caves serve as the portals of the hidden paradise of Ninh Binh's river.
The restaurant where we had our lunch and which is included in our chartered tour, is just across the embarking site for the boat tour. We were not expecting too much about the food since the tour guide was so honest in communicating to us a night before the tour that food is not their specialty in Ninh Binh. True enough, the foods are not that tasty compared to Hanoi city, but the choices are so overwhelming that even vegetarians have plenty of options to choose from.
We were so excited to try the Tam Coc boat tour, and the experience never let us down!
I sat on the front part of the sampan boat while 
Even on the first few minutes of the boat tour, both Kim and I are always in awe of the beauty of the scenery, we haven't reached yet the long strait of river but we are already bubbling with our appreciation of the place. Amidst the fiery heat of the sun that day, we enjoyed cruising around and seeing other tourists cruising as we passed along.
These locals parked with their sampan boat below are tourist photographers where at the end of the tour they have your photos printed and let you pay 20,000 VND, for a souvenir if you opt.
When we first passed by this part (below), there was a pack of people doing a ritual, and when we asked our Vietnamese boat rower, he said it was a burial ceremony, and we realized that the many short-towered pagodas were memorials.
It was very cool and convenient to travel with Kim, as not only our names are the same, as well as our thoughts, lol. We strategized our positions in the boat so we could take turns taking good photos of this paradise-like scenery.
We were mesmerized by the natural beauty of Tam Coc River surrounded by the mountains of Ninh Binh, which opened us to the more paradise-like portion of the river through the caves. As we continued with the cruise, we entered the three caves, and each opening offered stunning scenery, it was like entering into a portal to three different dimensions of paradise.
The Three Caves: Hang Ca, Hang Hai & Hang Ba
Below are the three caves: Hang Ca is the first cave, Hang Hai is the second one, and the most adventure-seeking one- the Hang Ba cave which we needed to lie down a bit in the boat because of the tall stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave, and worse, boats may hit each other because of the small space in the cave tunnel. It wasn't a big cave though so it is not that scary at all, just the dark water that made it so horror-like, lol.
If it rains, and the water gets high, the river cruise may cancel the cave routes for safety purposes, so it is advisable not to travel to Ninh Binh during the rainy season.
We had our travel in early October just before the rainy season started.
As we cruised, I realized that the mountains of Tam Coc are closely similar to those in our country in the Philippines which stood on the pristine waters of Palawan, edgy and grey. Kim confirmed that possibly, during the Paleozoic Era these mountains range with some of those mountains in Palawan and even with the mountains of other Asian countries.
On the end part of the river cruise trail, some aunties sell food in their boats, and the scene suddenly shifts into a floating market. Kim bought some food and coconut for a drink and also shared some with our boat rower.
The food is way too pricey, so I just shared Madi Kim's coconut.
This part is my favorite- indeed, saving the best for last!
The scenery after passing the third cave, is just so fantastic, it's so surreal!
I felt like I was in a drawing or in a photo in travel magazines or in internet, which I am always fond of scanning and scrolling around before. I was in a dreamland for a while cruising for 15 minutes around this part of the river
The Tam Coc - Bich Dong river cruise was the highlight of our Vietnam tour, the experience was incredible!
Aside from being a UNESCO Heritage Site, Tam Coc is also a site where the famous movie "Kong: Skull Island" was shot where the battle of King Kong with the giants in the fields and forest took place.
The movie "Indochine" in the 1980s was also shot in Tam Coc.
As we head back, our hearts and our memories are full...
What to Expect
If you are a future visitor and traveler who wants to experience the Tam Coc river cruise, the following are the must-to-prepare and must-to-watch out for:
Wear your sunblock, hats, and any other sun protection equipment because you will be lingering under the sun for around 2 hours on a river cruise.
Beware of the women/men in sampan boats offering to take a photo of you, because they will let you pay for it with a printed copy after your cruise. However, it is a souvenir option, too, if you take it - you'll be helping them earn a living.
- Your boat rower will expect a tip at the end of the cruise.
- Prepare your cameras or phones, because the views and the scenes are stunning!
- There are accommodations within Tam Coc that you can spend a night with such as Tam Coc Village Bungalow, Tam Coc Friendly Homestay, and Tam Coc Westlake Homestay which we saw along the riverside.
At the end of our boat tour, a not-so-fortunate event happened. Our boat paddle fell down the water, but gladly a local boat rower lend us a paddle so we could keep going.
We caught up with Jovy and Shiela who finished the boat tour earlier than us in the restaurant where we had our lunch and got some cold drinks to quench our thirst from the sunny tour. We rested for a while while waiting for the other tourists who went biking, and talked about our experience.
The overall experience is incredibly amazing!
And being able to help the locals earn a living through tourism, is also a big thing. As we learned that our boat rower can speak English, we learned that he is still studying and funding for himself.
Thank you for strolling with me today, and on my next blog, I will be sharing another paradise in Ninh Binh on our third stop- the Mua Caves.
XoXo,
Kim, thestollingmind
About the Author
Hi! I am Kim- The Strolling Mind.
I love to travel, I have been traveling in my beautiful country- the Philippines, and some Asian countries, as well. My pleasure to share them here in Hive.
I believe that our mind is so powerful that anything we think is anything we can reach and achieve.
It is our mind that'll lead us to where we are heading to, so....