Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh has the pace of a large country town – a welcome respite if you’ve just escaped the bustle of Hanoi. Apart from the scrum of guesthouse owners greeting the trains, and the charming chorus of ‘Hello, how are you’ from the local children, you’ll largely be left alone as you wander the quiet streets.
The surrounding countryside is gorgeous, confirming all the postcard fantasies of what Vietnam has to offer – water buffalos, golden-green rice paddies, majestic limestone formations and more. There are plenty of sights in the vicinity to justify a stay of several days. The only place of interest in the town itself is a large modern east-meets-west Cathedral (Ð Hoang Hoa Tham) near the train station.
The best of backpacker culture can be experienced here. While not a difficult place to visit, Ninh Binh seems to attract interesting travellers with a zest for new experiences. It’s a great place to make travel buddies.
Getting there & away
The bus station in Ninh Binh is located near the Lim Bridge, just below the overpass to Phat Diem. Regular public buses leave almost hourly for the Giap Bat bus station in Hanoi (2½ hours, 93km). Ninh Binh is also a stop for open-tour buses between Hanoi and Hue ( 10 hours), which drop off and pick up passengers at some of the hotels.
Ninh Binh’s train station (673 619; 1 Ð Hoang Hoa Tham) is a scheduled stop for Reunification Express trains, with destinations including Hanoi (, two to 2½ hours, four daily), Thanh Hoa (one to 1½ hours, three daily) and Hue (12½ to 13½ hours, three daily).
Travelling distances to the nearest major towns are 93km to Hanoi, 60km to Thanh Hoa and 49km to Thai Binh.