Hoa Lu Tam Coc tourism is available all year, but the busiest season is during the spring festival season. For spring travel, many people choose the Hoa Lu – Tam Coc tour to be transferred to Ninh Binh. In Ninh Binh, many new pagodas are built based on the ancient pagoda – both unique and accommodating for many tourists- while retaining the traditional and sacred features from the past. Hoa Lu-Tam Coc can be mentioned among the scenic areas in Ninh Binh.
How do you get to Hoa Lu-Tam Coc, the ancient capital?
If you are coming from Hanoi, you can take one of the three quickest routes:
Option 1: From My Dinh bus station (or Giap Bat bus station), you can catch a bus to Ninh Binh at a general price ranging from 50 thousand to 60 thousand VND/ person.
Option 2: Choose to travel by train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh at prices between 90,000 and 120,000 (depending on whether it is a bed, soft seat, or hard seat).
Option 3: If you want to go backpacking, move by motorbike from Hanoi along the Phap Van – Cau Gie highway, then turn to Phu Ly – Ninh Binh. From the center of Ninh Binh, you continue to move about 7 km more to arrive.
Option 4: If you are afraid to make your schedule, rent a car, or find your way, you can choose Hoa Lu Tam Coc tour. You sit in the car and take in the breathtaking scenery.
Read more: Tourism Experience Hoa Lu – Tam Coc (Ninh Binh) 2024 (Part 2)
When is the best time to go to Hoa Lu-Tam Coc?
Visitors can come to this tourist destination at any time of the year. However, the festive season at the beginning of the year, the Tet holiday, and the golden ripe rice season along the two banks of the river in Tam Coc are the times when this place welcomes the most tourists.
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Things you should bring
Preparing your luggage before a journey of discovery is essential for a complete trip. There are not too many vital notes for Hoa Lu Tam Coc tourists because the itinerary is only for the day, but you should note the following:
- To avoid tanning, wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen when traveling in the summer. If you go in the winter or spring, bring warm clothes, scarves, or hats to avoid getting a cold because sailing in Tam Coc is quite windy.
- Prepare yourself with “splendid” costumes to live virtually right in Tam Coc and spacious and comfortable costumes to conveniently explore the ancient Hoa Lu capital. Besides, sneakers are a great choice because they are dynamic and help you move more quickly.
Hoa Lu, the ancient capital, general information
Before King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long (Hanoi), the ancient capital of Hoa Lu was the former capital of Vietnam. Trang An World Heritage Complex now includes Hoa Lu. However, you will see people traveling to Trang An – Bai Dinh on the same day because these two areas are close, and Hoa Lu is often chosen to travel with Tam Coc. The ancient capital of Hoa Lu has an area of about 13.87 km2 and is located close to Tam Coc-Bich Dong.
Visitors coming to Hoa Lu can sit on a boat to enjoy the green scenery and see the beautiful scenery on both sides of the romantic river. The Hoang Long River flows in the vicinity of Ma Yen Mountain and Pillar Flag Mountain. The Hoang Long River is associated with the legend of the dragon carrying the small day Dinh Bo Linh across the river to avoid the pursuing uncle. Later, a small tributary of the Hoang Long River, the Sao Khe River, was where Ly Cong Uan moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long.
The ancient capital of Hoa Lu has 2 old citadel rings to protect it along with the mountains behind, forming Hoa Lu’s protective armor – including Thanh Dong, Thanh Tay, and Thanh Nam. Thanh Dong has 5 sections of walls connecting mountain ranges to form a closed loop. This East Citadel, also known as the outer city, was the daily workplace of the Hoa Lu court. The West Citadel also has an area equivalent to 5 sections of wall connecting the mountain range, where this West Citadel is the residence of the emperor and the court. Finally, the southern citadel – Trang- was A citadel with a large area, and the court used it to mobilize the army to protect the citadel.
Visitors on the Hoa Lu Tam Coc tour will be able to see both the King Dinh Temple and the King Le Temple while in the ancient capital of Hoa Lu. There are Princess Phat Kim temples, Nhat Tru Pagoda, Truong Yen ancient villages such as Yen Thanh and Yen Thuong… If you visit during the third lunar month, you can attend the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival, which includes musical and opera performances honoring King Dinh Tien Hoang and King Le Dai Hanh. In addition, the Thai Vi temple festival in the middle of March of the lunar calendar will be a festival to remember the Tran kings. Come here during the festival season. Let’s explore the dance and music programs in March only.
General information about Tam Coc-Bich Dong
This is one of the tourist areas that built infrastructure quite early to welcome tourists. From Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, visitors will go to lunch, rest, and then go to Tam Coc-Bich Dong to take a boat to admire the scenery. The main tourist routes in Tam Coc can be mentioned: Tam Coc – Thai Vi temple – Thien Huong cave. It is called Tam Coc because there are 3 caves linked together by the Ngo Dong river: Ca Cave, Hai Cave, and Ba Cave. In these caves, stalactites are drooping with an exceptional shape, along with the scenery on the river that seems to open up new horizons after coming out of the cave – exciting visitors from all over the world.
Thai Vi Temple
As mentioned above – is a temple of Tran kings, usually held in the middle of March of the lunar calendar. It is often said that it takes until the end of the third lunar month to finish Tet because many major festivals occur during the first 3 months of the year. After 3 lunar months, tourists visiting temples and spring travel decreases. As a result, people frequently visit in the summer to avoid traveling in congested areas.. It would help if you traveled by tour to arrange a shuttle bus, lunch place, and guide to buy train and entrance tickets and introduce the cultural history here. Worship kings Tran Thai Tong, Tran Thanh Tong, General Tran Hung Dao, and Tran Quang Khai at the Thai Vi temple. This place also worships Linh Tu, the mother of Tran Thi Dung – who brought the throne from the Ly house to the Tran house.
To be continued
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Bich Dong – Xuyen Thuy Dong
A second tourist route that is also popular is Bich Dong – Xuyen Thuy Dong: this place used to be called Nam Thien II Cave – the most beautiful cave in Vietnam after Huong Tich Cave. Bich Dong – meaning green cave – consists of a dry and water cave. The dry cave located in the middle of the mountain – the place where Bich Dong pagoda is located, and the water cave with water piercing through the mountain – is called Xuyen Thuy Dong. Hoa Lu Tam Coc tour visitors often visit Xuyen Thuy Dong first. After going through the mountain bed, they will see Bich Dong pagoda in front of them. At this time, visitors can go to worship at the pagoda. Bich Dong Pagoda is a place to worship the reigns of King Le – with a large bell cast from the reign of King Le Thai To. By the time of King Le Hien Tong, the pagoda was also expanded to include upper pagodas, lower pagodas, and middle pagodas.
Another trip that is also of interest is Fairy Cave – Linh Coc Pagoda. Legend has it that the stone blocks in the cave, when knocking on the wall, have a very strange sound, with the stalactites inside the cave also having exciting shapes such as fairies, fairies, elephants, lions… Linh Coc Pagoda is in the mountain of Moc Pagoda, worshiping the Three Holy Mother Church, including Thuong Thousand Mother – Thoai Mother – Lieu Hanh Mother.
Read more: Tourism Experience Hoa Lu – Tam Coc (Ninh Binh) 2024 (Part 1)
What to eat in Ninh Binh?
After visiting the scenery and the worship ceremony, there must be a “repertoire” of eating and drinking. But if you come here and eat there, it will be a waste. Here are some Ninh Binh specialties that tour guests on the Hoa Lu Tam Coc can sample.
Mountain goat meat from Ninh Binh
Referring to Ninh Binh specialties, people often immediately remember dishes made from mountain goats – a type of goat raised on rocky mountains with firm, low fat and extremely delicious meat. Many people praise Ninh Binh mountain goat meat because they eat many herbs and vegetables, such as golden sausages, cypresses, limbs, gourds, oval umbrellas, etc., naturally growing on the flooded limestone mountains. The natural delicious taste is highly nutritious, making Ninh Binh mountain goats score even for the most fastidious guests.
The excellent dishes you must try as soon as you arrive in Hoa Lu – Tam Coc are Grilled goat, steamed goat, a grilled goat with five flavors, and goat with rice husk,… each dish has a different taste. The accompaniment dishes are also highly diverse, from herbs to Kim Son and Quan Nho wine, especially with Ninh Binh burnt rice, eating without getting bored.
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Ninh Binh scorched rice
Scorched rice has long been known as a dish that is both simple and rustic but also incredibly delicious. No one knows for themselves that the scorched rice has entered the life of Ninh Binh people as an indispensable part, preserved and developed to this day. To make the scorched rice, people must choose the fragrant, soft, flexible eight rice and cook with an iron pot with a thick bottom to create the best-burnt rice. The cooking stage is also critical because if the fire is too large, it will cause the rice to burn hard, while if the fire is too small, it will also lose its crunchiness. Therefore, not everyone can make steamed rice without burning rice anywhere. It can be as delicious as Ninh Binh boiled rice.
After the rice is at the bottom of the pot, it will be taken out to dry each piece of rice in a few suns. The finished burnt rice must be yellow, evenly burned on all sides, lightly cracked and crunched. Eating just one bite feels ecstatic because of this fragrant, rich, crunchy taste. So do not miss this delicious dish when you have the opportunity to visit Hoa Lu-Tam Coc!
Ninh Binh mountain snail
Ninh Binh mountain snails are a hazardous type of snail, living only in rock caves, and to catch them, they have to wait until the rainy season to crawl out to feed and breed. From June to August every year, visitors traveling to Hoa Lu – -Tam Coc will enjoy a delicious mountain snail dish with 1-0-2 sweet, chewy and rich meat. Ninh Binh people also process mountain snails into dishes such as making a salad, steaming lemongrass ginger, stir-frying tamarind, and grilling charcoal,… all extremely attractive to junk food addicts.
Traveling to Hoa Lu Tam Coc at the beginning of the year is a habit of many Vietnamese people, especially those who do business by word of mouth: mother worship, and worship of King Tran often have ‘fortune’. Those who came to ‘ask’ for the blessings then thrived in business, so they came to offer a thanksgiving ceremony every year. But at the end of the festival season, when the rice season is ripe, or at any time of the year, visitors can also come here to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. Hoa Lu Tam Coc tours can also be booked quickly; before going for 1-2 days, booking is also possible. Contact us immediately for the most suitable travel advice if you need it!
The best center Vietnam tour: Tour in Vietnam
