Hanoi Tours - Vietnam Travel Services

Ninh Binh is deep in the Red River Delta and characterized by lotus flower lakes, towering limestone mountains, vast rice paddies and evergreen untouched forests. Hoa Lu a district of Ninh Binh was the capital city of Vietnam in the 10th century A.D. Cuc Phuong National Park of Ninh Binh is among the best preserved national parks in Vietnam and was the starting point of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trails in the War.

Traveling in Ninh Binh we can combine the trip to the authentic countryside of the Red River Delta with an eco tour of the Cuc Phuong park, a history tour of Hoa Lu and sightseeing tour of Kenh Ga, Tam Coc, Bich Dong and Thung Nang. We can also travel further into the Catholic area of Phat Diem to adore the stone Cathedral of Phat Diem built mainly of stones.

Hoa Lu - Tam Coc
Tam Coc means three caves, which takes about two hours driving from Hanoi (110 km) to the South, and visitors may say that distance is not a matter after seating in a boat rowed by one or two local persons in Hoang Long river and see the first limestone mountains, which will run along their river way for several kilometers.
The boat will be rowed, through three caves on the river, all created by wind and water from a legend time, while the sea had occupied this area. The tide-mark is still on the rock about 2m above the water, and in higher mountain wall the erosion have carved some strange shapes that now filled of green grass, delicious foods of the goats that local people breed everywhere. If you are lucky, sometimes you can see mischievous monkeys. The river trip is wonderful for photo hunters, especially when local people come to harvest the water rice planted along the river, or when they transplant some seedling for the next crops. The tourists often compare the place with Guilin – China, or more closely, to the limestone islets of Halong Bay in the Tonkin Gulf for their similar geological structures and shapes. Thus Tam Coc is also called Halong-Bay-On-Land.
Hoa Lu is very near to Tam Coc, is the relics of the ancient capital Hoa Lu – the remains are the temples dedicated to King Dinh and King Le, the two heroes who lived in 10th century and chose Hoa Lu to build the citadel of the capital city. From time to time, archaeologists have excavated buried parts of this citadel with rusty weapons and ceramics. The temples are said to be built on the old foundation of their original palaces in 11-12th centuries and restored in 17th century. Though the temples are not maintained entirely some precious antiques are still preserved well like the whole-stone dragon thrones, wooden bas-relieves and lacquered statues of King Dinh, Kinh Le, Queen Duong Van Nga who in turn got married both of the kings, and the princes of the two dynasties.

Cuc Phuong National Park
With 25,000 hectares and 140 km South of Hanoi, Cuc Phuong is the first National Park of Vietnam which was established in 1962. The botanical richness of the forest is impressive as it supports a wide variety of flora species and patches of primeval forest, including ancient trees with thick clusters of roots, and parasitic plants and ligneous creepers.

Some tree species have been introduced from Burma, India, and Borneo . Clusters of orchards grow near cave entrances, where the moisture conditions and light are ideal. Varieties include thousand-year dracontomelum and parashorea trees which can be visited in a one or two hour hiking, and coral, vanilla, snow-white, and butterfly orchids everywhere. Large mammals inhabit the park including panthers and bears, but rarely appear, so the most popular animals you can see are monkeys, gibbons, flying squirrels and pheasants. There are also over 120 species of birds and many varieties of beetles living here, and April and May arrive swarms of butterflies. At night, million of cicadas create a deafening din, and million of fireflies flicker about.

Lying in a limestone area, Cuc Phuong includes numerous caves. At "Nguoi Xua" ( Cave of Early Man ), two ancient tombs have been discovered, along with Neolithic remains and evidence of stone implements; there have been similar finds at Trang Khuyet (Crescent Moon), Thanh Minh, and Con Mong Caves . Hang Dan Cave is known for its bat population. Hiking in Cuc Phuong is following some kilometers of trails and passing through old-growth forest with long vines wrapped around strangled trees, visiting the caves, waterfalls and streams in the forest or stopping over at a Muong ethnic's village. Since the location in between three provinces, it's easy to combine a trip to Cuc Phuong with a trip to Hoa Binh or Ninh Binh province, or you can depart from Hanoi , spend the whole day exploring the forest and overnight at the Park's guest house.

Phat Diem Cathedral
You may say a church is not your interest in a Far East country and thus you will be missing one of the most remarkable religious architectures in Vietnam. Phat Diem Church, a group of different churches of stone and wood, is the centre of Catholicism in Northern Vietnam and designed in Vietnamese style mixed harmoniously with the European Catholic traditions. There's a grave on the ground of the church of Mr. Tran Luc, a local Catholic lived in late 19th century who designed the whole church without taking any official course of architecture and paintings.

Phat Diem Church is divided into two quarters: the churches and the clergy's house, which gradually completed in 1875 (the first Cavern built to test the subsidence of the area foundation), 1889 (the church of Saint Mary's Heart), 1891 (the Big Cathedral and the Belfry), and the Saints' shrines of Giuse, Phero and Rocco, all finished about 1898.

The traditional architecture of Vietnam is recognized obviously in each ornament: the Belfry has curly tiled roof-tops with decoration of Vietnamese temples, the shrine of Jesus' Heart is made of jack wood, the Big Cathedral is designed as a grandiose Communal House with sophisticated multi-level rafters, and all the churches are decorated with lotus, lemon flowers, birds, tropical trees like apricot and bamboo, and matched inscriptions in Chinese which are popular in Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The entire structure is admirable not only for the beauty of each fabric but for their amazingly unique co-ordination and is considered a pride of the contemporary folk works.