30 Best Stops Between Ninh Binh and Hanoi (2024)

Absolutely epic in scale and beauty. The temple are grounds are meticulously maintained and the individual temples are gorgeous and peaceful. Worth every dong to see it all including the pagoda which has breathtaking views of the valley around.Pants and sleeved shirts really are expected, and while no one will get after you for wearing shorts or a tank top - know that it is really rude to do so on these hooly grounds. Please don't be that tourist.

[🇺🇸 - 2023]A beautiful stop on my Vietnam tour, this was a high climb so wear good shoes but it was quite an experience as you can feel the feeling of peace and quiet.You can purchase a shuttle ticket to take you up to the temples if you don’t want to hike up.Please be aware the staff do ask you to be quiet while walking up the stairs.Fun fact black marks on the statues are made up of hundreds of people touching the hands, stomach, knees, and feet are a gesture of good luck. Please be respectful when in major temples and take off your shoes!

Beautiful to see but honestly it's not worth the stress and confusion buying the 220 ticket. The whole thing is not numbered or named as is the map so it's hard to follow and go back to cars. Your better off paying 60 ticket to entrance and walk everywhere as all the corridors are shaded between each spot. Honestly faster to walk it than car.

Very impressive place. You see more if you don’t take the electric shuttles but walk from sight to sight. Schedule the tower for the sunset!! You have a great view over the pagoda and the whole valley. This is one of the places which is not overrun by tourists. We spend almost 4 hours there but can be done in less time.

This was a fun experience! We went with a guide from Cozy (tour company) which we enjoyed. I think going without a guide would have been overwhelming, given the size of the place!I enjoyed the hundreds of Arhats statues (rows and rows of statues of followers of Buddha).Note that in some temples, women need to put on a wrap skirt (provided) if you're wearing shorts.

What a beautiful and organized experience! The temples are astonishing, if you're in the area you've got to go. Beware, prepare to wait for the electric cars to fill up before you can move to the next temple. And cover those shoulders/knees!

Must visit, beautiful and peaceful pagoda with mountains, cave temples and numerous Buddha statues. Probably takes 4-6 hours to visit every part!View from the top of the tower is worth it. Recommend buying the electric car ticket which will make it easier to travel inside the premises. Costed us about VND 150,000 per person.

Beautiful complex of temples! We had an amazing time there. You can easily spend a couple of hours walking around. The atmosphere is very calm and relaxing. The entry fee is 60,000 dong. Don't pay the 200,000 since it's a trap. The 60,000 ticket includes the entry and the electric car to and from the complex. They try to sell you the 200,000 ticket which includes going up the Stupa, but in reality you can get tickets inside the complex for 50,000 (so 110,000 in total 🤷‍♀️ ). Parking is 15,000 dong.

We went after sunset and had the most amazing and surreal experience. The whole complex was almost deserted and we had a blast visiting the lit up pagodas.The lady at the scooter parking initially turned us away at 6.30pm saying it closes at 7pm but we parked closer to the ticket office and stayed until 8pm.

Well worth the visit. This temple complex is huge, we didn’t even see everything. The temples were beautiful, we liked the 500+ statues of monks over the centuries, the pagoda was impressive (thank God it had an elevator), and the bell and drum in the bell tower were enormous, the biggest in the country.Although we are fairly fit, we purchased the combo ticket which includes electric car shuttle around the complex and pagoda entrance fees. We were glad we did, as it was summer and we were exhausted after several hours walking up/down all the stairs and through the various buildings.

Be aware that parking lot is guarded by locals ( not sure if legal), you pay 15000 for scooter.Then 60k for electric car to go to the complex , thought on the way back from big tower they said to take other route, while those who paid 220k were picked up directly back to parking lot. Not sure if we would be returned back at all, or if they wanted us to walk all the way back to where they initially brought us, which is at least 40mins walking.What we did, we used google maps and used old pedestrian road to walk down the hill to the parking lot!

What an incredible site, rich with culture and natural beauty. The pagodas were absolutely stunning and exquisitely ornate. We went in the evening and saw the pagodas beautifully lit under the moonlight. I cannot recommend this enough if you are in the area and wanting to experience a burst of culture! The site is very well organised with drivers in electric cars to take you between landmarks as they are slightly spread out around the grounds, but this form of transport for us, was incredibly efficient as there were always drivers around for pick up and drop off when we required it.

Came on a rainy day, soured the experience a bit. This isn't just the original pagoda, it is actually located in the caves near the temple. However, there is a lot to see inside, with a bell tower and large temple with many statues where people pray. There are a lot of stairs, so be prepared to walk. The pagoda is an additional cost to enter. Would probably look best at night when lit up. For those interested in Buddhist temples this would be a good stop in Ninh Binh.

Definitely underestimated how long we needed here it’s huge. There are 3 ticket options. One is just an entrance fee of around 60,000 but you’ll be walking for days, second and most common option is the combo shuttle which is 220,000 per person where you get an electric shuttle between places with some walking as well. It’s not confusing at all like some other reviews have said and they explain the tickets to you when you arrive. 15,000 for motorbike parking for the day. Would definitely recommend visiting it is very impressive.

Try the night session, we arrived at 5 and cant finished all spots because it was too dark and wet. Seem like the electric car driver skipped few stops so we can said that we did not enjoy the full experience. It was raining on and off. The weather there was hard to predict, even the weather forecast was far from accurate. So in general I will recommend visit around 4 to 6... so u still can see the "night' scenery when all the lights were on.

The most mass tourism temple we visited so far. It's a large area with different buildings and lots to explore. But it seems over the top that the parking lot is several kilometers away and you must take the transport with electric cars. With motorbike parking, it's 75k and takes about 30 minutes extra, although there were no lines.I prefer the smaller, less spectacular but easy-going temples.

A very interesting and huge place to visit.Make sure you get the electric car ticket that allows you rides to all the different sites within the area.The views from the top of the Pagoda are the best in the region and allow for great photo opportunities.

Since they're open until 2200, I'd recommend coming around dusk and seeing all the temples when they're lit up. We weren't able to stay past 1800, but I wish we had more time because it's the perfect place to meditate and be surrounded by beauty. We only gave ourselves an hour and we felt rushed. If you can, allocate a couple hours, that way you can take everything in and enjoy the temples. Be aware: there are lots and lots of stairs!Motorcycle parking was 15K and admission cost was 60K (pricing was posted at the desk and was transparent).

If you're looking for a truly enchanting experience, I highly recommend visiting this temple at night - and trust me, you won't be alone in that recommendation! As soon as I arrived, I could see why so many people rave about it.To make the most of my visit, I opted for the 200k VND option that includes electric car transfer. However, if you're visiting in the morning or afternoon, I'd personally recommend saving your money and going for the 60k option instead.The night view of the temple is simply mesmerizing. The stupa is definitely a sight to behold, but what really took my breath away was the water Pavilion - it was truly breathtakingly beautiful. I couldn't get enough of the stunning views and spent hours just taking it all in.One thing to keep in mind if you're visiting at night is that getting a taxi can be a challenge, so I recommend arranging for transportation in advance. But trust me, the magical experience of visiting this temple at night is definitely worth the extra effort.

Little bit hard to find the entrance when coming without a tour or vehicle. The areal is huge and you can spot it from far but we were close to change our plans as we couldn’t find a sign for the entrance and all gates, which look like main gates were closed. The only way is from the car park, where you get the tickets and then take a small electric shuttle to the main area. The pagodas and whole area are stunning beautiful and nice to walk through. Bring time and long clothes, when willing to see the inner temples.

A big buddhistic temple with some great structures, like a big pagoda, some massive statues und a great garden around it. Takes quite some time, like easily 2-3 hours, to explore it all.Sadly we went on a really hot and sunny day, so we had to skip some parts because of the lag of shadows. But overall a nice place to visit.The price is 60k (2.5 Euros/Dollar) to visit and if you want to go up the pagoda, which we did not but surely the view from there is amazing, you pay an additional 140k (~6 Euros/Dollar, a bit less)

Very nice place to visit with an affordable price. If you want to see everything you’ll probably need 3 to 4 hours. The price is cheap for what you can see in my opinion. I took the 60k electric cart ride which is mandatory, and the 50k entry to the pagoda. What I liked the most was the peaceful atmosphere and the temples. They’re huge and it’s impressive to see how big the status are. Not much to see inside the pagoda, you want to go to the top to have a nice view of all the complex. I highly recommend visiting there if you get the chance.

Worth to see, but designed to take your money. Of you are in good shape and like walking, it's okay without the electric car option. You will actually see more, as the car routes are quite strange and leave out interesting things.If you want to see everything, plan for ~4 hours. Snacks and drinks are available everywhere, but the only restaurant has horrible reviews

Went here during the summer, it was 35 degree..The site is quite large. You need a shuttle to drive you to the temple..It was divided into two sites, if I am not mistaken. One for tourist, another one for prayers. Worth to visit!

Amazing place, it is very big so be sure to have enough time to do it. 2-3hours are a minimum in my opinion.Many beautiful and huge temples and the view from the Stupa is stunning!

To be upfront on this: most of this is a theme-parkesque experience, with all but one of the pagodas built in early 2000s. So if you expect some historic significance this isn’t it, as it’s more Disney than anything else. Even the scale of the parking lot and shuttle speaks to that. There’s also virtually no one around that seems to be a practicing Buddhist if that’s your cup of tea.Having said all that, the park looks great for what it is and it makes for a nice landscape and view from the top of the stupa.

A modern monument to Buddhism covering a whole valley. Electric shuttle takes 10 mins to get to first building.from the massive car park area and 20 queue entrance building.This is a major Buddhist pilgrimage site, one of the biggest. The tallest pagoda in Asia, the largest this, the highest that. I’m an atheist and it all seems as far from original Buddhism as I think you can get. No humility here.Graduated larger and more massive temples with bigger Buddhas with info on how many kg of gold leaf required. A hotel in the middle of the site and piped music throughout. Spirituality, the claim, seems entirely lacking in this marble palace of bling. I don’t get it.You will need to purchase hop on and of ticket and stick to the standard route to get around in 2 hours and lift access to the 100m high pagoda.The small original old temple is an extra 1 km of the route on a 3km walking circuit with a many many stepped climb.There is major construction work to excavate a semi circular lake covering several acres with island arcs, and to extend the car park.

The 2nd time you go and experience this huge place, you will be glad you went the first time.We had our 9 year son with us and we couldn't finish the entire area, there are many, many steps! The corridors house hundreds of Buddha statues (all very beautiful), there are multiple things to see. The main Pagoda is absolutely stunning (not free entry) and the temples, the temples are large, wonderfully decorated and plentiful.There is a strong feeling of tourism box ticking (here and in the local area in general and as many have reviewed, it is very confusing to be told its free entry, yet you require a ticket for the electric (sustainable) carts to take you from the parking lot to the start line.You can easily spend the day here, it is still under development and therefore food/eatery options are limited. The Bai Dinh Pagoda is an impressive place, a lot to take in and doesn't feel busy due to its size.This attraction does need investigation and preparation because confusion can ruin the experience.

Don’t miss it. This place is huge and beautiful. You can easily spend 2 hours here. We walked between all the temples for a better experience. Loved it

We joined a tour from Hanoi to Ninh Binh, and one of the destinations was this temple. The temple consists of several buildings with a very large garden. Nestled in nature, this place is quiet and a great spot to enjoy the scenery and calm your mind.

Well worth a visit! Some of the reviews don’t do the place justice at all.Parking is 15k for a motorbike with just a short walk to transportation to the actual park. Ticket 2 costs 100k which includes entry to the main pagoda and transport to the main entry point.A very peaceful place to stroll around with some amazing temples and Buddhas.

Best to visit with a guide to understand importance of the place to Vietnamese people. Really interesting pagoda with 500 Vietnamese Buddha’s - people who were important for history of Vietnam and become Buddha after. Also try to find Lady Buddha temple.

This site is much more worth visiting than Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, although it's quite huge; we, two thirty-somethings, were tired after exploring everything on foot. You can also visit the site with an electric bus that stops at almost every building. It's a shame that there are hardly any guides available, and the information at the buildings is limited. I would recommend leaving early for the visit to avoid the heat.

Die Anlage ist sehr weitläufig und gut gepflegt und man sollte schon mindestens drei Stunden einplanen (am besten 4-5 Stunden). Die einzelnen Stops sind auch sehr beeindruckend. Das Ticket mit dem Aufzug zur Pagode ist sehr empfehlenswert, besonders die Aussicht ist fantastisch. Man sollte es nur unbedingt vermeiden am Wochenende (insbesondere Sonntag) zu gehen, da viele Einheimische diesen Ort besuchen. Der einzige Minuspunkt ist generell die Organisation bei großen Menschenmassen. Beim Aufzug zum Beispiel haben die Leute sich hineingedrängt, bevor die anderen aussteigen konnte. Es wurde erst besser, als eine Person bei der Aufzugstür stand, die das Ein- und Aussteigen geregelt hat.(Translated by Google)The complex is very spacious and well maintained and you should plan at least three hours (preferably 4-5 hours). The individual stops are also very impressive. The elevator ticket to the pagoda is highly recommended, especially the view is fantastic. Just make sure to avoid going on weekends (especially Sundays) as many locals visit this place. The only negative point is generally the organization with large crowds. In the elevator, for example, people rushed in before others could get out. Things only got better when there was a person standing at the elevator door who was in charge of getting in and out.

You have to take the electric car to access the complex of pagodas. The returned electric car gives you one way to the site and one way back, but you have to walk inside the site (which is a nice thing to do). The shuttle allows you to hop on and off the electric cars that drive inside the site (I would have not taken them even if I had the ticket to do so).The Herbal Foot Soak and the Dam Thi Boat are traps (the boat is ok if you’ve never done anything similar before). The best ticket in my opinion is the 100k one (#2) because the Stupa is 100% worth a visit (there’s an elevator inside) and I didn’t mind walking inside the site. (If you visit everything it’s supposed to be about a 5km walk, it felt less honestly).I took my time and I explored every place, I entered at 10:30am and I was back at the office at 14:30 after 4 hours. This place is massive and the view from the tower is the only way to really embrace the immensity of this complex.

really beautiful temples and complex to walk around. you will need to purchase a ticket to get an electric car there, and make sure to keep the ticket as you need it for the return ride home. I would suggest having at least an hour to hour and a half here. remember that it is respectful to cover shoulders and not wear short skirts and shorts.

Fantastic place to visit while in Ninh Binh. It takes at least 4 hours to take a stroll around the area (with little help of electric carts). Its worth every penny. This place also brought memories from Thailand. Would recommend, would come back

Couple of caveats to my review.1. I visited in VERY low season.2. I am not religious.All I read online was that the entry is free. Whilst this is “true” in the sense there is no entry fee. You are REQUIRED to pay for an electric shuttle bus to take you from the parking lot where all transport goes, to the complex. The shuttle is 60K (3$, 2£, 2,5€).The complex is huge. So it will take you 2 hours to visit the most important areas, or even more if you want to visit everything.That being said, we had the complex all to ourselves. So it was well worth it.I recommend getting there 3 hours before sunset. This way you will see everything with natural light, and you will have time to see also at nighttime.For nighttime, if you like photography, go to the water temple last. You’ll thank me later.This is 100% a tourist place. It does not feel a religious complex. Rather a gathering of religious looking buildings built for tourists.I’ve seen more Buddhist monks walking around in any streets of Sri Lanka than in the 500ha of this complex. Just saying.

Out of all our temple/pagoda visits, I really enjoyed this one. The large statues were quite impressive.We read it was *free entry* but they have it set up where you pay to park, and the parking is far from the area you explore so they charge you for the electric car ride to the areas with the pagodas. It was 60k/person round trip when we went.We went later in the day, and could’ve used a little more time to see everything - but also recommend going later in the day to see it light up at night!

Beautiful place where you can easily spend 4-5 hours or even more.You can get there by car or motorbike but if you are using your own you have to pay 15.000 for parking, the woman at the motorbike parking was very rude, same as some women at the ticket office where they try to sell themselves as guides, I wouldn't take them, I saw one of the rude woman guiding a group and she was making them rush.I recommend you take the first combo as with this you can take the electric car as a hop on and hop off so you can enjoy each temple at your own leisure.Bear in mind that if you combine this tour and Trang An boat you will be saving some money.Understanding the ticket's price was a bit difficult, I read that you don't even have to pay if you want to walk, but we never saw that option (however, I wouldn't recommend walking it, it's a massive complex!)Go late afternoon to see the buildings lighted up, it's magical

You have to park a long way from the ticket place for some unexplained reason, and it's a massive car park. Price list next to ticket booths. To enter you have to pay 60k for the electric car, which takes you to the south end of the park next to the lake. You then have to walk north through some temples and up lots of steps. If you want to visit the pagoda pay an extra 40k at the entrance. There is an elevator up most of it. But to get there you need to navigate the temples, steps and grounds. The buildings are spectacular and there are lots of Buddhas and gold. Great views from the top of the pagoda. To pick up the electric car back to the car park you have to walk further north through more temples and pagados, and up more steps. Alternatively, you can pay more for shuttle bus which takes you to each temple along the route. The site is vast and worth a visit. It will take at least 2 hours to see everything. Much more if you take lots of photos and stops. Plenty of places to buy food and drink along the way. It's all very new and still being built.

What a stunning place when the sun goes down.We got a prepaid entrance through the Trang An boat tour combo 5. We decided not to take the electric car tour. It allowed us to walk alone in some empty parts, enjoy quietly the sunset and the potential of this religious site.

Great temple to visit for a half day, would recommend the 250k VND electric car ticket if visiting during warm months otherwise you'll be there all day.Reviews complaining about it not being "authentic" are ridiculous, as if something needs to be 1000 years old to be awe inspiring and interesting. (Fyi there are ancient parts of the temple that are 1000 years old)Take plenty of water.

Jedenfalls lohnt sich der Besuch. Die Anlage ist sehr groß. Man benötigt schon einige Stunden um alles zu sehen, wenn man zu Fuß geht. Von einem unfassbar riesigen Parkplatz wo man das Ticket kauft, bringt einen das E-Kart zum Haupteingang der Anlage und wenn man genug gesehen hat, auch wieder zurück zum Parkplatz. Sehr schöne Anlage mit 100 Meter hoher Pagode. Auch der Glockenturm mit seiner 70 Tonnen schweren Glocke ist beeindruckend. Am schönsten ist der große Tempel mit den 3 Buddhas. Ticket kostet inkl. Pagode mit Aufzug 100000 Dong.(Translated by Google)In any case, the visit is worth it. The facility is very large. It takes a few hours to see everything if you walk. From an incredibly huge parking lot where you buy the ticket, the e-kart takes you to the main entrance of the complex and, when you've seen enough, back to the parking lot. Very beautiful complex with a 100 meter high pagoda. The bell tower with its 70-ton bell is also impressive. The most beautiful is the large temple with the 3 Buddhas. Ticket including pagoda with elevator costs 100,000 dong.

One of the most impressive religious sites I have ever seen. Definitely worth a visit. Ticket 2 is the best to get. Be prepared to walk a lot tho. The parking lot and electric car system is pretty stupid but doesnt matter as soon as you are in the site itself.

Really enjoyed the experience. After reading reviews we were apprehensive of going at all, but we found the complex well organised with a nice amount of walking! If you’re used to walking a lot while backpacking, it’ll be no hassle to you, especially if you avoid hotter parts of the day. So many amazing temples and statues with information points (QR codes) everywhere. The main event, the Stupa, has an elevator to the top and amazing views from the 13th floor! It cost us 15K VND for parking and 100K VND for the electric car (electric tuk tuk) and entry to the Stupa. Definitely worth a visit.

Auch wenn die Anlage keine Geschichte hat, ist sie dennoch sehr interessant zu Besuchen. Alle Negativschreiber hier will gesagt sein, erkundet euch doch vorab und fhrt nicht planlos in der Gegend umher. Vom Parkplatz bis zum Startpunkt fährt man 15 Minuten mit einem Elektrischen Fahrzeug. Danach kann man ohne Zeitlichen Druck die Pagode und ihre schönen Sehenswürdigkeiten besuchen.(Translated by Google)Even if the complex has no history, it is still very interesting to visit. All the negative writers here want to say, explore in advance and don't drive around the area haphazardly. It takes 15 minutes to drive from the parking lot to the starting point in an electric vehicle. Afterwards you can visit the pagoda and its beautiful sights without any time pressure.