Two hours south of Hanoi, the Vietnamese province of Ninh Binh has quietly become one of Southeast Asia's most surprising destinations — a place where jungle-clad karst peaks rise out of rice paddies, Buddhist temples perch on mountaintops, and, increasingly, European-style castles line the country roads.
That last detail is the first thing many visitors notice. Driving in from Hanoi, travellers are stopped short by gilded gates, stucco facades and turquoise domes — private residences and villas built by wealthy families, most famously around Thang Thang Palace. Some of these belong to the six sons of Xuan Thanh Cement, whose billion-dollar plant looms over the town of Pullman-like proportions nearby. Whether you find them kitsch or magnificent, they are an unexpected sideshow to the scenery.
And the scenery is the real draw. Ninh Binh is part of the Trang An Landscape Complex, Vietnam's only mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site, with archaeological evidence of human habitation stretching back some 30,000 years. The province — often nicknamed "Ha Long Bay on land" — was even a filming location for Kong: Skull Island in 2017. Since government-backed green and sustainable tourism initiatives launched last September, visitor numbers have swelled, with roughly 19 million tourists arriving in 2025, more than 2.2 million of them international.
The classic way to take it all in is by bike and boat. Outfits like Vietnam Bike E-Travel run top-of-the-line e-bike tours starting at 8am, no driving licence needed, hopping between less-touristy spots (family graveyards included, charmingly). Along the way you'll pass white ducks and buffalo grazing the rice fields, wind past the 13th-century Thai Vi Temple built by the Tran Dynasty, and climb the stone stairways of Bich Dong Pagoda, where pagodas sit across three levels of the mountain — and resident monkeys will happily relieve you of a snack or two.
The watery half of the experience comes via rowboat, piloted by local women who row with their feet through convoluted channels of greenery. Narrow streams hemmed by reeds and tangled mangroves eventually slide you into a still, olive-green lagoon ringed by limestone peaks. Stop at a tea ceremony here and you may swear you've floated through the actual set of a fantasy film.
Food is a genuine highlight rather than an afterthought. Book a table at Vu Bao Restaurant, one of the city's most popular, for the full spread of Ninh Binh flavours: crispy goat meat appetisers, field crab salads, passion fruit salad and a feast of mussel soup. Or branch out to Dam Khe Trong village, where a local host serves home-cooked meals over shamrock-leaf wrapping rolls — though you might find the frilled-tentacle dishes and mountain goat specialities an adventure in themselves. One caveat: steer clear of the region's famed bile supplements unless you truly know what you're ordering.
After a day of winding paths, the Pallaman Ninh Binh — the province's first international five-star hotel, opened in April — offers a soft landing, with 382 rooms, sweeping panoramas, three pools, a gym, spa and a rooftop champagne bar. Given the competition, from castles to caves, it may be the least strange thing you see all day.
