4 Days Ninh Binh On Motorcycle

Been to Hanoi twice.

First was a solo impromptu 3 days 2 night decided based on the promotion ticket Airasia was launching. Did one day ride with We Ride Vietnam Motorbike Tour highly recommended by Tripadvisor.

Discovered the beauty of Vietnam and returned last year to ride 6 days into North West with We Ride Vietnam again, covered Mai Chau, Mu Cang Chai & Sapa, another real adventure by itself.

This trip was entirely unplanned, I only have 2 days to respond and prepare but the unexpected resulted in many surprises and revealed once again the hidden gems of beautiful Vietnam.

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Day 1

Hanoi - Phat Diem Cathedral - Bich Dong Pagoda

Stay : Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The mind blowing Vietnamese+European+Chinese architecture of a Cathedral- Phat Diem Cathedral

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Pich Dong Agoda is sitting by the edge of limestone, with path climbing all the way up and into cave within the mountain.

Hidden lake right behind of the agoda via a trekking route parallel with the agoda.

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Day 2

Hang Mua - Trang An Boat cruise

Stay : Tam Coc Horizon Bungalow⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hang Mua (Mua Cave)- There are two peaks after the hike, did both to see an entirely different landscape of Tam Coc.

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Trang An river cruise- 2 to 3 hours boat ride exploring caves and hidden temples.

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Day 3

Tam Coc Boat cruise - Huo Lu Ancient capital - Bai Dinh Bhuddist Complex

Stay: Hanoi Space Hotel Old Quarter⭐⭐⭐

Bai Dinh Bhuddist Complex- extremely huge Bhuddist sacred place.

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Day 4

Back to home sweet home Malaysia😍🇲🇾

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BIKE RENTAL

Almost all the hotels, resorts, homestays, hostels, guesthouses have motorbike or bicycle rental at an affordable rate.

The rental procedure is simple and straightforward from our homestay. Without any documentations, the host Anna let us rent the motorbike for straight 3 days.

The rental fee was quoted by days but not 24 hours, but it was quite affordable hence we were ok with that.

Fuel is on our own, we brought our own helmet but they do provide helmet without additional cost. No deposit required for the rent.

There were not much motorbike options available, all were scooters. But it was perfect for us to ride around the POI as the longest distance was only 20km one way, and we love the storage box underneath the seat to keep some of our heavy stuffs.

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ACCOMMODATION

Generally tourist can stay Ninh Binh town, Tam Coc or Trang An.

Ninh Binh town has more restaurants, accommodations, entertainment but it is quite a distance to the major attractions and of course the unique landscape of Ninh Binh.

Tam Coc has the nearest access to many major tourist spots, the rice field, limestone mountains and river. It also has restaurants, massage centers and night entertainment for tourists.

Trang An is closer to Trang An river with natural limestone mountain, it is only 15km from Tam Coc but very limited eateries and entertainment.

So, we chose Tam Coc Horizon Bangalow, rooms facing rice field and limestone mountains.

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MOTORCYCLE RIDING TIPS

Riding scooter is not challenging as it is considered the easiest machine among all motorcycle models. The only thing to be alert is the throttle on right handle bar as people tend to accelerate without they even realize especially during emergency. (When panic can't think too much ;P)

Vietnam riding direction is opposite of Malaysia. Riding in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chih Minh is quite challenging due to the massive vehicles on the road, especially the huge motorcyclist population.

Riding in Ninh Binh was stressless as the traffic was much lesser. The only thing to take note is sharing road with cars, buses, vans and trucks. There were not many of them, but they tend to take up both side of the road (imagine they drive at the middle line of 2 lanes), forcing motorcyclist to give way. So use side mirrors to check vehicles behind and keep to the right if you can.

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YOLO INVESTMENT

How much Vietnamese Dong did I invest for this adventure (in thousands '000)?

Bike 35

Fuel 75

Food 1195

Accommodation 1810

Ticket 760

Other 480

Total 4355

Applying an average rate of RM 1 : VND 5533, this is approximately RM 790.

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SUMMARY

Ninh Binh is an alternative short getaway from Hanoi if one is bored with Hanoi and Halong Bay. I will recommend this place if you only have limited days as short as one day. It is a nature gem by itself, a Halong Bay on land.