I visited the city of Ninh Binh during a quick stopover. It's not a particularly exciting place. It's primarily a city of hotels.
Nevertheless, Ninh Binh's daily markets do lend it a certain charm. We'd decided to head off around the city in order to experience a bit more of it than just our hotel. And this is when we came across an unusual, busy and bustling place: the market.
The whole street was cluttered with aromatic stalls selling all kinds of foodstuffs. The street traders could be seen fanning the meat to keep the flies off. The pigs and chickens, etc., were set out on display on thick planks of wood. They also had dragon fruits, jackfruits, skilfully sliced pineapples and other kinds of fruits. We randomly chose some with unpronounceable names we'd never heard of and got ourselves a thirst-quenching tea to go with them. It turned out to be a brilliant idea. We got to experience new flavours we'd never encountered before, even though we'd already been to Vietnam on a number of occasions .
eNinh Binh has a choice of restaurants, bars, and places to stay of all types. It's a great asset If you are looking for some fun. Quite honestly, I didn't like the collection of tourists in this unappealling town. It was also really difficult to talk to the locals (unless you wanted to spend money).
During my trip to Vietnam I went to Ninh Binh because it's the main base for trips to the surrounding sites (the Tam Coc caves, the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, pagodas and churches). And the station is also a major plus. If you want to be independent and able to get to all the area's sites freely then you can rent a motorcycle.
The water of the Bay of Ha Long is well known, but during a trip to Vietnam you really should spend a few days on the land around it as well.
Ninh Binh is the ideal base for wandering the area, right in the middle of the glorious landscape of rice paddies and sugar loaf mountains, and not far from Tam Coc caves. The best way to see things and spend a few unforgettable days, is to hire a bike.
One of the surprising things about the town is the loudspeakers you see everywhere on the streets, which blare out government propaganda every morning. Indoctrination in all its glory! Once you've got over the surprise, a quick pedal brings you to the superb Tam Coc caves, or you can lose yourself in the wonderful rice paddy countryside.
You'll have an exceptional time and I recommend you stay at least 2 days.
Though the town itself is of no particular interest, it is a compulsory passageway to Terrestrial Halong Bay whilst visiting North Vietnam.
If like myself, you like walking, you can get to Hang Mua locality on the outskirts, by foot. In the middle of rice paddies is where I discovered rural Vietnam. Climb to the top of the karstic peak to perceive views of the Tam Coc grottoes, the town and splendid surrounding countryside.
Ninh Binh is where you will be able to plan your excursions from. I would advise you to visit the incredible Trang An grottoes of the ancient capital, Hoa Lu, and the amazing Bai Dinh pagoda.
I was delighted to end each day of my stay with a delicious bowl of Vietnamese soup, in a little Ninh Binh roadside stand.