Trang An is an ecotourism area located in the World Heritage Complex of Trang An, a prominent tourist destination not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia and the world. This place has been ranked by the Vietnamese Government as a particularly important national monument and has been recognized by UNESCO as a dual world heritage site since 2014.
Different from the bustle of the city or the crowded coastal area, Trang An is nestled in a gentle beauty with green mountains. The calm and serene natural beauty at the same time has made many people come to Trang An, once coming, they will want to come once more.
Geographic location Trang An population
Located nearly 100 km south of Hanoi and 7km west of Ninh Binh city center along Trang An avenue. Trang An scenic complex stretches over 2,000 hectares, including Trang An ecotourism area in the center, Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area in the north, 8km away, Hoa Lu ancient capital at The South is 3km away .. The link between these tourist areas is special-use forest and valley, winding rivers and intermingling.
Only when you can see the panorama with your own eyes can visitors really feel the Trang An comparison as an terrestrial Halong Bay. In addition, this tourist area is also very close to other tourist attractions such as Bai Dinh Pagoda, Hang Dance, Van Long Lagoon...
Cultural relics and caves in the Trang An scenic complex
Cultural relics
Nam Trang Citadel was the southern defense system of Hoa Lu citadel, so there were still many temples and traces of the later Dinh and Tran dynasties. There are also many historical relics deep in the forest that visitors will meet on the typical pilgrimage journey such as:
Trinh Temple: Trinh Temple is the place to worship 4 Daughters of Nha Dinh, 2 Ta Thanh Tru and 2 Huu Thanh Tru. In their reign, they were the General Supervisor of the Army who governed the king's gold and silver treasury. Legend has it that when King Dinh Tien Hoang died, the court was in turmoil, they brought Dinh Toan here to avoid the arrest of Le Hoan. When Empress Dowager Duong Van Nga handed over the helmet to surrender the throne to the Ten Commanders General Le Hoan, the men did not submit to and martyred in this area, the people built the Palace on the side of the mountain to worship them.
Tu Tru Temple: Tu Tru Temple is located next to Trinh Temple, which is a relic of the four Dinh Dynasty's great priests, including Prime Minister Nguyen Bac, Foreign Borders Dinh Dien, Thai Su Luu Co and Senior Lieutenant Trinh Tu.
Tran Ninh Binh Temple: built by King Dinh Tien Hoang at the same time as Hung Temple. Later, King Tran Thai Tong came here to establish Vu Lam Palace to continue improving his superficial position, so it was called Tran Temple.
Tran Temple is the place to worship Quy Minh, the god of town in the south of Hoa Lu town. The temple is also known as Noi Lam temple (temple in the forest). Tran Noi Lam Temple together with Vu Lam and Van Lam formed Tam Lam under the Tran Dynasty. Tran Ninh Binh Temple Festival takes place on March 18 of the lunar calendar every year, along with the ancient capital Hoa Lu festival, the Bai Dinh pagoda festival is the major festival in Ninh Binh.
Phu Khong: Lying on a narrow strip of land, his back leaning against the Khong cave, on the right is a steep rocky mountain range, in front of it is a vast water valley. Phu Khong is a place of worship for 7 lieutenants of the Dinh dynasty, associated with legends when King Dinh Tien Hoang died, 7 officials in the court brought many coffins to bury in all directions and then committed suicide to keep the secrets. about the real tomb. A male guarding general was extremely grateful to the charisma of the 7 lieutenant gods immediately set up incense bowl worship here. After this general died, the people in the area set up temples and planted a tree right in front of the palace to commemorate the gods. The thousand year old tree has two types of fruit: 1 round and 1 flat.
Vu Lam Palace: Vu Lam Palace Tourist Area is located deep in the mountainous area of the World Heritage Site of Trang An, to go to Vu Lam Palace tourist area, visitors will be sitting on traditional boats. driven by local people, experiencing close cohesion with nature, feeling the pure beauty, splendor of the cave, strange rocks and returning to the golden features of the nation's history during the nation's construction and water retention Here, the Vietnam Archeology Institute has excavated and explored the valley and found thousands of artifacts on the surface and in dug holes. Vu Lam palace center worships the king of Tran Dynasty. During the Tran Dynasty, there was the name Truong Han Sieu, a native of Ninh Binh, a famous famous painter in the Tran dynasty, and an effective disciple of Tran Hung Dao. Truong Han Sieu is stubborn, educated, and proficient in the second and third resistance war against Yuan Mong. During the period when King Tran Nhan Tong returned to this land to practice, the god Truong Han Sieu also retreated to retreat and set up a practice house in Ninh Binh's hometown. That is why Truong Han Sieu is also worshiped at this relic.
Cao Son Temple: Worships Cao Son god, Tay Hoa Lu town, town. Than Cao Son, while patrolling the mountains of Vu Lam (Ninh Binh), found a kind of tree that is used instead of rice to save hunger and is worshiped by the people. The temple is located on a tourist route in Trang An ecotourism area, along with other attractions.
Suoi Tien Temple: located upstream of the Ngo Dong river, essentially an extension of the Tam Coc tourist route but connected in the second tourist route in Trang An eco-tourism area. To worship Quy Minh god in Nam Hoa Lu town. The temple is located in the deserted mountains, upstream of the Fairy stream and can only be accessed by boat.
The Trang An festival takes place in 3 days, from March 17 to 19 of the lunar calendar every year to honor the two gods Quy Minh and Cao Son who subdued the town of Hoa Lu and the first kings of the Tran Dynasty established Vu Lam Palace. Ceremony with many traditional rituals took place on the river such as procession of water, procession of palanquin and dragons to pay tribute to the predecessors who had the merit of keeping the realm of the land and protecting the mountain. The group processions go in groups on boats, starting from the Trang An boat station, the delegation goes along the Sao Khe river to process water through Vu Lam palace, Cao Son temple to Suoi Tien temple and perform rituals here.
Trang An festival
Trang An festival goes through a river journey through caves of thousands of years of geological tectonic such as: Hang May with more than 1 km long, Lang cave, Dai La cave, Van cave and other historical sites of Trinh temple. Fairy stream temple, film studio Kong: Skull Island, Vu Lam Palace. The festival is a performance of special performances and folk games on both sides of the river during the procession.
Typical caves
Dia Linh Cave: about 1500m long and is the first cave in the journey starting from Sao Khe river boat station to visit line 1. The cave is also called Chau Bau cave because when you come here you will feel lost. Into the treasure trove of fossil stalactites. Out of the mouth of the cave is a charming landscape of clouds, mountains and rivers. [28] The 260 m long cave with many magical drooping stalactites.
Wine Cave: In the Wine Cave, there is an underground water circuit more than 10m deep, it is said that in the past, seniors came here to get water to cook wine for the king.
Ba Giot Cave: There are many stalactites with different colors appearing. There is a type called hibiscus that grows from the ceiling upside down. The special point is that the stalactites in Ba Giot cave are not as dry as the previous ones, but are wet and continue to transform, forming new shapes and shades...
Sin Cave, Si Cave and Ba Giot Cave are associated with the legend of a sad love story. Once there was a guy who loved a princess dearly. When he came to Sinh cave to propose, she was paid tribute to the neighboring country. He went to the cave Three drops of bathing, then embraced his own love, deep in Si cave. Legend has it that those who pass through Ba Giot cave and receive three drops of water from stalactites in the palm of their hand will be lucky in life and be happy in love.
Hang Boi: is a valuable archaeological site in the world heritage complex of Trang An. The entrance to the cave is deep, dense with many species of trees growing thick, sunlight cannot reach the ground, so the road is full of moss and carpet of leaves. Boi cave was discovered in 2002. At that time, the cave had many mollusk shells, animal bones and a few pieces of stripe, evidence shows that the prehistoric mark of early Hoa Binh culture was about ten thousand years ago. Researchers agree to name the Boi cave because it is located in the Boi valley, associated with the legend of the Tran Dynasty king who used to sow fortune-telling here.
Since 2007, this area has been surveyed by paleontologists, geologists, archaeologists from Vietnam and Cambridge University-UK. The reconnaissance hole and the cave door are sealed with wire mesh. Boi cave archaeological site includes two parts: the upper cave is about 200m2 wide, the lower cave is 150m2 wide. From the door of the cave, have to hold a flashlight and follow the iron stairs down and down.
Many stone columns, stalagmites sparkle like glitter. Scientists believe that this place has a prehistoric mark of 5,000 to 30,000 years ago. The main food sources of prehistoric people were mountain snails, river and stream aquatic products, mountain turtles, rock crabs, small animals, bulbs, fruits, seeds... Their accommodation was rock caves, rocky roofs. Scientists said that the bottom of the cave could be an ancient river.
Film studio ‘Kong: Skull Island’
The scene of the filming set of an aboriginal village in the movie Kong: Skull Island, located in Trang An tourist area, opened to visitors from April 15, 2017.
Films of the Aboriginal village are served with an area of about 10 hectares, including 36 spiky huts with the participation of more than 50 people playing the Aboriginal role. This is the model implemented by Trang An Ecological Management Board and Xuan Truong Enterprise.
Kong: Skull Island is an American blockbuster film shot in 2016 with many scenes in Vietnam's landmarks such as Trang An World Heritage Complex, Van Long Nature Reserve, Tam Coc - Bich Dong (Ninh Binh); Halong Bay (Quang Ninh) and Phong Nha (Quang Binh). Kong: Skull Island has become the king of the box office record in Vietnam when it has crumbled all previous records to become the highest-grossing film of all time here.
Time to visit Trang An
The best time to go to Trang An is January to March of the lunar calendar. Because at this time, the weather is not too cold, the sky is clear and less rain, so it is convenient to sit on the boat and visit the scenic spots. This season is also the season with many festivals taking place here, can combine sightseeing with participation in festivals or going to the temple to pray for peace.
July-September is the season of ripe rice in Trang An, for those who love to take a boat and watch the golden rice fields, they cannot ignore this time. June is a bit hot, but the sky is clear and blue. Less rain, moreover this is the time when the lotus season is in full bloom, which is also very suitable for sightseeing.
Guide to Trang An
Road
Ninh Binh is an important intersection point, with 9 national highways (including 6 starting highways and 3 passing highways) spread out over all districts, cities and towns in the province, so convenient transportation The most advantageous way to come to Ninh Binh is through the road traffic system.
The bus routes to Ninh Binh from Hanoi all depart from Giap Bat bus station and end at Ninh Binh central bus station. Because Ninh Binh City is also located right on the NH1A axis, in addition to these routes, you can use any other bus route from Hanoi to the central or southern provinces (choose bus routes Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Ha Tinh ... because these routes are a lot, run quite continuously).
If you use car, from Hanoi you can follow the Phap Van - Cau Gie - Ninh Binh highway, with a distance of about 90km, it only takes about 1 hour, you will reach the center of Ninh Binh city. from here, going to tourist destinations in the province is almost no more than 30km.
If you use motorbike vehicle, from Hanoi you follow the old NH1A road to Ha Nam and then go in the direction of Ninh Binh - Thanh Hoa. Note that you should not go wrong to the direction of Nam Dinh - Thai Binh to help the roundabout.
Rail
Ninh Binh has the urban axis of Tam Diep - Ninh Binh located on the North-South railway line. In the province, there are Ninh Binh, Cau Yen, Ghenh and Dong Giao stations. Therefore, whether in the South or outside the North, you can easily come to Ninh Binh by Thong Nhat train.
From Hanoi, there are SE1 trains (19:30) to Ninh Binh at 9:46, SE3 train (22:00) to Ninh Binh at 00:10, train SE5 (9:00) to Ninh Binh at 11:21, train SE7 (6:00) to Ninh Binh at 8:22 to to Trang An scenic complex.
If departing from Saigon, all trains arrive at Ninh Binh at most late hours, the only suitable train that you should go is SE8 departing from Saigon station at 6:00 am and arriving in Ninh Binh at 13:15 today.
From Ninh Binh to Trang An
Trang An is only about 7km from Ninh Binh city center (about 7km from Ninh Binh bus station, 8km from Ninh Binh station), quite close so you can rent a motorbike in Ninh Binh if you want to go yourself, otherwise go motorbike taxi or taxi. For those of you traveling by private vehicle from Hanoi, when starting to the center of Ninh Binh city, you should notice that on the right hand side there is Trang An street, turn in and go straight for a few kilometers.
Tourist's itinerary
Currently, visitors to Trang An usually join 3 tours - a 3-hour long boat tour and a mountain tour.
Water tour
The only means of transport in Trang An is a boat, and of course you cannot bring a boat to paddle yourself. When you enter the gate, you buy a ticket to include the boat in it. A boat carries 6 people, and definitely has to have 6 people to go. If in any case you want to take a private boat, you just need to buy all 6 tickets. Previously there was only one route here, but after filming the movie Kong, a second route has been added for visitors to choose from.
Compared with neighboring tourist areas, there are similarities like Tam Coc - Bich Dong, mainly river tourism; Van Long nature reserve is a yacht on an ecological lagoon, Trang An cave has a distinctive feature of the yacht form in the water valleys created by many cliffs connected by water caves. must be reversed.
The marina is the starting point for a boat trip to discover the hidden beauty of Trang An. During the festival season at the beginning of the year, this place on the dock under the boat is extremely busy. Each small boat will take visitors to admire the mountains, charming mountains, visit historical sites in Trang An scenic complex.
Starting from the central reception area located on the side of Trang An Avenue, through the tourist attractions:
- Route 1: Visitor Center - Boat Station - Temple Process - Dark Cave - Morning Cave - Wine Cave - Tran Temple - Hang Ba Giot - Hang Seo - Hang Son Duong - Phu Khong - Bao Hieu Pagoda - Hang Khong - Hang Tran - Hang Quy Hau - Visitor Center (duration 3.5 hours)
- Route 2: Visitor Center - Hang Lam - Hang Vang - Hang Thanh Slide - Suoi Tien Temple - Hang Dai - Vu Lam Palace - Kong Films (Aboriginal village) - Visitor Center (time 2.5 language).
- Route 3: Visitor Center - Temple of Trinh - Hang May - Suoi Tien - Hang Dia Linh - Hang Dai - Hanh Cung Vu Lam - film studio Kong (Aboriginal village) - Visitor Center (3 hours).
Tour by road
Road tourism route has a length of 1.6 km, visitors will walk through 3 quats to Tran temple. This route starts from Cay Bang station, visitors will walk, climb through three adjacent passes. The first pass is Can Pass with an altitude of about 60m above the water surface. The second pass is Vai pass. And the third pass is Tran temple pass.
Currently, this mountain climbing path has been built with wide stone steps. On the way to Tran Temple, 7 octagonal iron wooden floors were built as a resting place for tourists to climb the mountain. The combination of trees, clouds and water clouds creates a harmony and multicolored Trang An. Before the scene "Blue water as a graphic picture", visitors will feel like time is stopping. Immerse yourself in the beauty of green nature and forget the troubles and worries of daily life.
Staying in Trang An
Stay in Ninh Binh city
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is only about 7km from the city center, you should choose to stay in Ninh Binh city to have more choices in finding the right hotel, motel. From here, it only takes about 15-20 minutes to go to Trang An boat station, so it is not too inconvenient.
Homestay in Trang An
If you do not like to move far and want to enjoy life among the four beautiful nature, you can consider choosing to stay in some homestay near Trang An.
What should Trang An tourism eat?
Ninh Binh burned rice
Scorched rice dish is not a traditional dish of Ninh Binh people, but created by a son of an ancient capital and has been preserved and developed up to now. A rustic dish, showing the ingenuity of human hands, has been handed down for hundreds of years, becoming a specialty of the ancient capital, one of the famous delicacies of Ninh Binh.
Ninh Binh mountain goat meat
Ninh Binh mountain goat meat is characterized by firmness, low fat and fragrant flavor. It is said that this is because there are many rocky mountains and goats in Ninh Binh, so the muscles are firm and less fat than goats grazing on the hill.
On the other hand, with the typical topography of submerged limestone mountains, there are many types of vegetables, grass, and herbs that are suitable for goat food such as sausages, yellow rolls, walkers, oxen, limbs, ox nails. , gourd, gourd, carpentry, muzzle, oval umbrella, and tomato thorn, create the quality and delicious taste of goat meat. Some other local ingredients and specialties also contribute to highlight Ninh Binh goat meat dishes, including vegetables served with typical rocky terrain, Kim Son wine, Nho Quan Can wine and Ninh Binh elderberry.
Ninh Binh mountain snail
This Ninh Binh mountain snail species is extremely rare because they only live in caves, it is not until the rainy season from April to August that the snails crawl to find food and breed. Mountain snails are found in most places in Ninh Binh province but are concentrated in limestone mountains such as Tam Diep, Yen Mo, Nho Quan, Hoa Lu. Mountain snails are difficult to detect, people often have to get up early in the morning when snails crawl out of the cave to find food to find them. Mountain snail meat is chewy, crunchy, sweet, and fragrant with traditional herbs. Mountain snails can be processed into many dishes such as grilled, fried tamarind, steamed ginger, boiled lemongrass, mixed onion salad ... are very attractive.
Souvenirs and specialties bought as gifts for Trang An tourism
Right in the Trang An scenic complex, there are many stalls selling souvenir items with a variety of types and prices for you to choose from. Often the most popular are handmade souvenirs made of sedge (bags, bowls, shoes,...)
Fried rice and Kim Son wine are also famous specialties that are often bought as gifts.
Some note
Trang An Ecotourism Area is very wide and the itinerary is long, if you go in the dry season, you should equip a leaf hat and sunscreen, and go to buy rain, a thin raincoat is extremely necessary so as not to interrupt your visit. Also, you should bring a drink. And when visiting in Trang An, if you want to stop shooting, you should talk to the boatman, they will stop for me to take pictures.
With hidden beauty, Trang An is known as the "muse" of Ninh Binh land and is a destination that captivates young people in recent times. If you are still wondering about a tourist destination and do not know where to go, do not miss this beautiful Trang An Scenic Complex. Hope you will have a memorable trip.
