Tam Coc is a Must See Vietnam destination

One of the challenges when visiting Vietnam is deciding which locations to pick during your journey. Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay, Hoi An usually make the list. But one of my favorite spots in Vietnam was my visit to Tam Coc close to the city of Ninh Bing. In fact, if you are running short on time, I would say go to Tam Coc instead of Halong Bay.

Check out my articles on Sapa and Halong Bay.

“HALONG BAY OF RICE FIELDS”

Tam Coc is referred to among travelers as the “Halong Bay of the rice fields”, due to its similarities but land based. Since you are not held captive on a boat like you are on the overnight cruises in Halong Bay, you have the freedom to explore the Tam Coc area as you wish. And it’s stunning. Huge limestone cliffs jutting out of the rice fields with small canals/rivers meandering in between.

GETTING AROUND

My personal recommendation: rent a motorbike from your homestay or in the village of Tam Coc.  This will give you the most freedom and allow you to reach the furthest “must see” quicker than a bike.  Of course, if you want to explore on a bicycle, feel free.  You can’t go wrong with two wheels.  But a motorbike will save time and you can still get to the same areas as a bicycle.

TOP “MUST SEE” SITES OF TAM COC

Check out my video for a taste of what you will see when you visit Tam Coc.

Trang An Boat Tour

These boat tours are fascinating.  It is a maximum of two people and the driver is a villager that paddles the small boat with his/her feet since they are doing this all day long (and the legs are stronger and don’t tire as quickly as the upper body). Age doesn’t matter – the local people have been doing this for a long time – you will see people that look like they are 70+ rowing boats.

There are four different boat rides to take among the limestone cliffs.  The Trang An location is the best one due to its professionalism, scenery and location out of the main village, making it less touristy. All of the guides wear the same outfit at this location so while it feels more “commercial” you know its more regulated and you are not getting ripped off.

Bai Dinh Pagoda

This is the furthest “must see” to get to.  It is an impressive religious complex of Buddhist temples and a seven-story pagoda that has become a popular site for Buddhist pilgrimages from across Vietnam.  The grounds are laid out over a large area so bring your walking shoes.  You must park your bike at the main entrance which is off to the north of the complex and pay a small fee.  I would not recommend paying for the electric vehicle as there is a walking path that is not too far to walk to the complex.  Plan on spending 2-3 hours at this location to see everything.

Hang Mua

This is probably one of the best photo spots in Tam Coc.  Positioned on one of the limestone cliffs overlooking the small waterway below nestled among other limestone cliffs. Most of the photos you see from up above were taken at this spot.  It is worth the many stairs to climb to enjoy this peaceful and breathtaking view (it is also the main photo of this posting above).

Bich Dong Pagoda

While the name sounds funny to western speakers, it is an authentic temple built into a limestone cliff.  A very peaceful location with great photo opportunities.  There is a separate walkway to the back of the temple area (you have to walk around the pond out front to get to this walkway) that goes over to another valley area.  It is worth the photo but not worth going down into the valley since it is a local residence leading to a rice field.

BEWARE OF THE PARKING SCAMS

With the many tourist spots in Tam Coc, many local vendors have set up eateries and shops to make impulse buys near the entrances of each of the main attractions.  Always remember that each tourist attraction has a designated parking area at the front entrance that is free (most of them are). But you will find that as you approach the attraction, many local vendors flag you down to try to get you to park at their spot, charging a fee.  And some of the people flagging you down look and act very official. At Hang Mua, a man in a reflective vest and very proper uniform stood in the middle of the road blowing a whistle at me, waving his flag trying to get me to park.  I slowed down but knew this was a local trying to get me to pay to park at his location.  He even shifted to try to get in front of my bike to stop by as I tried to pass.  Just be aware that this happens quite often and there is a proper parking area at all the main entrances (just beware some proper parking areas still require you to pay – like at Bai Dinh Pagoda).

WHERE TO STAY: TAM COC SUNSHINE HOMESTAY

I would advise staying in the Tam Coc village and not in Ninh Binh.  Tam Coc is a cute little town with nice eateries and many homestays that are excellent.  I stayed at the Tam Coc Sunshine Homestay would highly recommend staying here (click on the link to book).  It was about a 5 minute bike ride outside the town located in the rice fields and next to a limestone cliff.  The family that runs the homestay built the rooms in early 2018 so everything is new.  The owners are some of the nicest people that I met in Vietnam.  I had such a great time that I extended my two night stay by another night however all the rooms were booked on the third night. The family offered me to stay in their home and I gladly accepted. The owner will offer you free rice wine which is nice. “Mot. Hai.  Ba. Yo.” (one, two, three, cheers!).  I had dinner with their extended family in their home and it was one of the most memorable evenings of my 30 day stay in Vietnam.

HOW TO GET THERE

Plenty of options to exist to get to Tam Coc.

• Train to Ninh Binh and then a taxi to Tam Coc (about 10 minutes away)
• Direct buses to downtown Tam Coc from Hanoi, Halong Bay and from the south (Hue, Hoi An)