Many people know that Trang An has appeared in Kong: Skull Island (2017) thanks to the majestic natural beauty. But actually, before that, this place appeared in many famous Vietnamese movies such as Tam Cam: The Untold (2016) and Blood Letter (Thien Menh Anh Hung – 2012)… Many directors chose Trang An to be a film studio just because of one reason: its beauty. Let’s find out its beauty with Lily’s Travel.
Location and information
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is located in Ninh Binh Province, is one of the most popular destinations in the north of Vietnam. This place has been considered a particularly important national monument by the Vietnamese Government and recognized as a world heritage since 2014 by UNESCO.
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex includes valleys, caves, lakes and lagoons created by a system of limestone mountains with a geological age of about 250 million years over a long period of time by the changes of the earth.
This scenic complex is a place to preserve and contains many ecosystems of wetlands, forests on limestone mountains, archaeological sites and historical and cultural relics. The system of rocky mountains, rivers, forests and caves here is very protectable so it was chosen to protect the capital Hoa Lu in the 10th century as the Southern citadel by Dinh Tien Hoang King and then used by the Tran Dynasty as the Vu Lam Palace in the past and the Mongol resistance. At present, there are many historical relics of the Dinh and Tran dynasties.
The best time to visit Trang An
From January to March of the lunar calendar is the best time for you to visit Trang An. At this time, the weather is not too cold, the sky is clear and there is little rain, so it is quite convenient for sitting on the boat and visiting the scenic spots. This season is also the season with a lot of festivals taking place here, which can be combined with visiting festivals or going to pagodas to pray for peace.
If you go in July-September, then in Trang An at this time, it is the ripe rice season. It is the best time for those who like to see the golden rice fields in the cuisine. In June, the weather is a bit hot, but the sky is clear and there is little rain. In addition, this is the time when the lotus blooms are also very suitable for sightseeing. In November and December, the weather is bad, it rains a lot, so you should avoid traveling to Trang An at this time.
How to move to Trang An Ninh Binh
Nearly 100km from the center of Hanoi to the south, you can reach Ninh Binh by many vehicles such as trains, interprovincial buses or cars and motorbikes. Nowadays, Trang An (Ninh Binh) is a tourist destination so the path to Trang An from Ninh Binh city is convenient. Moreover, when traveling to Trang An, you have the opportunity to experience one of the following 2 travel routes:
On land
This is a very interesting form of transportation in Trang An historical relic site. You can both leisurely admire the scenery on each road you go through and have the opportunity to explore ancient, unspoiled but magnificent and magnificent places. This route starts from Cay Bang wharf, visitors will have to go through three consecutive passes.
From the journey to admire the beauty of Cay (Cậy) pass, you will climb through Vai pass before stopping at Tran temple pass. Today, this route has been rebuilt into wide stone steps that are easy to walk, featuring 7 octagonal wooden floors as a resting place.
By waterway combined with mountain climbing
If you want to travel among river waters, Lily’s Travel advice, you take cuisine to enjoy the feeling of sitting on a boat bobbing on the waves, passing through 12 caves and 3 spiritual sites for 3 hours. Departing from the central wharf, you go through Dia Linh cave, Toi (Dark) cave, Sang (Bright) cave, Nau Ruou cave and are able to take extremely beautiful photos.
After that, you get off the boat and climb nearly 500 steps to go to Tran temple, then continue your journey on the boat to Sinh cave, Si cave, Ba Giot cave, Seo cave, Son Duong cave and visit Khong palace, pagoda Report filial piety and then continue to explore Khong cave, Tran cave, Quy Hau cave and return to the starting point.
Places to visit in Trang An
The ticket price to visit Trang An is 200,000 VND for adults and 100,000 VND for children under 1.4m. This ticket price includes a boat ticket to visit Trang An by waterway through the Sao Khe River. Each boat can accommodate about 4-5 people and the journey takes about 3-4 hours.
Trinh Temple
Trinh Temple is the place to worship two gods of the Dinh Dynasty, Ta Thanh Tru and Huu Thanh Tru. During their reign, they were the two generals overseeing the king’s gold store. Legend has it that when King Dinh Tien Hoang died, they hid the little king Dinh Toan here to avoid the pursuit of Le Hoan. When Empress Dowager Duong Van Nga handed over the hat and robe to cede the throne to General Le Hoan, the two men did not submit and died in this area. The people mourned and built a temple on the side of the mountain to worship the two men.
Phu Khong
Phu Khong is located on a narrow strip of land, with its back leaning on Khong cave, on the right is a steep rocky mountain range, in front of a vast valley of water. This is the place to worship 7 loyal officials of the Dinh dynasty, associated with legends when King Dinh Tien Hoang passed away. People built temples and planted a tree right in front to commemorate the loyalists.
Di Linh Cave
The first destination in the journey from the river boat station is Dia Linh cave. The cave is 260m long with many magical stalactites. You seem to be lost in the treasure of mysterious and unique fossil stalactites. You will be able to admire the charming and equally majestic watercolor painting when standing in front of the cave.
Nau Ruou (Cooking wine) Cave
Nau Ruou Cave has an underground water source more than 10m deep, legend has it that in the past, the ancestors came here to get water to cook wine for the king. You can see yourself in the fanciful reflection in the beautiful blue water.
Ba Giot Cave
Ba Giot Cave has many colorful stalactites. The stalactites in Ba Giot cave are not as dry as the previous ones but are wet and continue to transform with new and unique shades. Sinh cave, Si cave and Ba Giot cave are associated with the legend of a sad love story.
Once upon a time, there was a prince who loved a princess dearly. When the bridegroom went to Sinh cave to propose, she paid tribute to the neighboring country. He went to Ba Giot cave to bathe, then hugged his own love and immersed himself in Si cave. Legend has it that anyone who goes through Ba Giot cave and catches three drops of water from the small stalactites into the palm of his hand will be lucky in life and happy in love.
Famous foods in Trang An, Ninh Binh
Traveling to Trang An, you will not be able to miss the famous Ninh Binh delicacies. You can enjoy the crispy taste of each piece of greasy or the fleshy aroma of roasted glutinous rice, the sweet and sour taste of vinegar intermingled with the warm spicy taste of ginger with garlic, chili, pepper and lemongrass blend into a fish salad…
Some notifications you should remember
If you go in the summer, you should prepare more conical hats and sunscreen; If you go in the rainy season, bring a thin raincoat.
The water in Trang An is quite deep so you should remember to rent a life jacket. Also, do not forget to prepare enough drinking water during your journey.
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