Trang An 寧平 / 陸龍灣

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When I was preparing for our Vietnam trip, the beauty of Trang An pop up upfront. A small boat is surrounded by emerald green water and trees. What a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere! With more research we decided for a visit.  It turned out as a very good decision. An amazing day!


Trang An is located at the Linh Binh province. It is a landscape complex of spectacular limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys. Many of the peaks are partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs.  The landscape can be navigable with small boats. It is an awesome experience to flow through the various spots of the great nature along with caves, temples and the other colourful boats.



Trang An is also called the Halong Bay of the land. It is about 150 kilometres from the famous bay. Hundreds of islands form a natural wonder is another  impressive landscape but much less known. Traces of human activity over a continuous period of more than 30,000 years were found at the area. Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.


The trip from Hanoi to Trang An takes about 2 hours, including a break. We opt to take a tour to save efforts of looking for transportation and the visit arrangement.  The offers normally include a visit to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital.  Some cover a boat tour at Tam Coc, others go for Trang An. Visit to a giant temple complex of Bai Dinh Pagoda is inclusive in many tours. Only a handful take tourist to the Hang Mua Peak which offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Linh Binh province.


We picked a tour organised by Hanoi Explore Travel.  It offered a visit to Hao Lu, boat tour at Trang An and climb up the Hang Mua Peak for USD51/pax. Online booking and payment were very efficient. A luxurious travel vehicle drove us on the day. You may refer here for the comments.


We sat at the front of the boat. A Korean woman and British guy sat behind us. They did not know each other prior to the trip. The woman said that the British was like his father.  We could hear their conversation during the leisure and enjoyable mini cruise. Click here and here to visualise the boat tour.

We passed through a few caves. This one is called Hang Lam, click here. If you prefer a darker and longer cave, click here to experience the excitement.





Location: Số 6 Tràng An, Ninh Xuân, Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình, Vietnam

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