Halong Bay in the Rice Fields!

Trip Start Nov 25, 2004
1
26
169
Trip End Jan 26, 2005


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Vietnam  ,
Thursday, January 6, 2005

After a long and sleepless night on the ON train from Sapa, we arrived in Hanoi once again at 04:00 bright and early and took the local train at 6 to Ninh Binh to see Tam Coc - known as the Halong Bay in the rice fields.

This train was great and we've got footage showing a moped travelling faster than us - it took us four hours to travel 90km but we love the train and have met more locals travelling this way than bus!

We hired bikes to cycle to Tam Coc which was absolutely stunning apart from we missed the turn off and ended up riding about 9km further than we had to! I got laughed at once again for my red face with the Vietnamese asking me if I'd been drinking wine for breakfast! Tried to reply sarcastically but don't think they got it funnily enough Market by the river
Market by the river
 ! Oh to have normal skin! :0) Anyway onto beautiful Tam Coc, it literally is what it says and you get rowed there in a little boat and its the most peaceful and serene setting ever...watching the workers tending to their rice and ducking to sail under natural caves formed over thousands of years to come out to huge limestones jutting out of the water!! Truly amazing! Until half way round wehen they start trying to sell you embroidery secretly hidden in the boat! Grrrrrr! But guess they've got to earn their livings someway!

From Tam Coc, we take the overnight tourist bus (god forbid!) to Dong Ha in the DMZ with our new found Canadian friends Sarah and Andrew!!
Slideshow Print this entry Ninh Binh hotels