Ninh Binh is famous with the combination between river and moutain, between historical stories and many festivals in the spring. So the best time to travel Ninh Binh is between March and October.
It’s so amazing when you float along the poetic stream of Tam Coc Bich Dong – Hoa Lu and Trang An Tourism Area, you are surrounded by yellow rice fields. You can see yellow rice fields in April and May (the harvest time of summer rice) or September and Octorber (the harvest time of wet rice).
June is best time for flower lovers, especially lotus. Lotus and waterlily are available everywhere but in Ninh Binh, they are more wonderful than Hanoi thanks to their picturesque natural background.
In Spring, there are some famous festivals include Dinh Long Pagoda festival, Bai Dinh Pagoda and Thai Vi temple festival. The most awaited festival of the year is the Hoa Lu ancient capital festival. These festivities depict the culture of the place and entertaining the people. People gather around from various parts of the country to celebrate this festival. Ninh Binh is a great place to visit especially when one of these festivals is approaching.
Before and after the traditional Vietnam’s Lunar New Year Festival. Specifically, you should not travel in Ninh Binh in around December to February (of the following year) when it has a lot drizzle, weather is really bad for any excursion here.
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How to get to Ninh Binh ?
Ninh Binh can be considered as a bridge linking Northern provinces with Southern ones and it is located on the trafic life-line including National Highway 1A and trans-Vietnam railway. It is very easy to travel to Ninh Binh by train, bus, motorbike or cycling.
- By bus
Travelling Ninh Binh by bus is highly recommended due to the ease of catching buses at any time at Giap Bat bus station and the most economic price at only 80,000VND per ticket. Ninh Binh station would be the final destination of buses routine Hanoi- Ninh Binh, which is located right in the heart of the city.
- By train
Departing from Hanoi, train Hanoi- Ninh Binh stops in Nam Dinh city and then goes straight to Ninh Binh Train Station in the centre of Ninh Binh city. Travelling by train will take around two and a half hours with the price varying between US$2.5- $5 depending on types of ticket.
- By motorbike
Travelling by motorbike might be a good choice for passengers enjoying sightseeing the beauty of Vietnam villages with lush green rice paddies; grandiose mountains or poetic rivers on the sides of the road. The routine is easy enough to go without any map since you only have to follow National Highway 1A to the North and pay attention to milestones along the road.
Motorbikes for rent are available in Hanoi Old Quarter with the price of around US$ 10/ per day. However, you must deposit an amount of money up to US$500 as well as your identification paper at the motorbike agents in order to rent one.