Trang An: Day 42 to 45

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March 13th 2024

Published: March 16th 2024

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WonderYears

View from the hostel at Trang An

From Cat Ba Island, I headed to Trang An, which is close to Ninh Binh.

Only 90KM from Hanoi and due to Hoa Lu ancient capital (first capital of Vietnam), Ninh Binh can feel touristy, as does it's real tourist cousin, Tam Coc.

Avoiding those, I headed to Trang An, a small village with beautiful nature and small homestays. It's also known as as the "Ha Long Bay on land" for the karsts rising out of the river.

My hostel was the most scenic place I have stayed at in this trip and I could immediately understand the charm of the place.

During my walk through the village, I saw freshly planted rice fields, people going about their lives (very friendly and children always try their English with you) and just the slow pace and clean air was enchanting.

I made a friend and headed on her bike to explore the next day.

After exploring Ninh Binh a bit (small town vibe) and trying some local food, our first stop was the Thung Nham Bird Park. However, it almost felt like an Instagram park rather than a bird park. Later I realised the park has

Trang An rice fields

two parts, one meant for Instagram kind of photography and the other for waterbirds. I enjoyed the waterbird side, getting a chance to observe storks, regrets, herons and kingfishers.

After witnessing a spectacular sunset against the rice fields, we headed to the Bai Dinh Pagoda. The well lit pagodas are definitely a tourist attraction and great to test your night photography skills against.

When I thought the day was over, we stopped over at a random temple that my friend had seen in her earlier trip, we later discovered it's name to be Chua Gac Chuong. You would not read about this as a destination, but it's definitely special.

When we were there, evening prayers were on, the wind chimes high up in the tree was doing their trick and the whole place had transformed into a blissful, magical experience. In travel, the best experiences are like this, unplanned, if it's meant to be, it will happen for you.

Next, we headed to the Hoa Lu ancient capital, just to see it late at night. With no crowds and silence, the area seemed beautiful.

The next day, we again drove around and then headed to

Thung Nham Bird Park

Thung Nham Bird Park - the insta side

the Am Tien Lake. Am Tien is actually much more than a lake, it has a beautiful pagoda and a stunning cave (locals refer to it as Dragon Cave).

The cave serves as a Buddha temple and the sounds of the prayers reverberating against the stalagmites is an experience to remember. There is a small pool (jade colored) inside the cave which was special to see.

Later on, we did face the usual bike problems that one does when taking a rental (defective batteries, won't start) and after having sorted that with the owner, we headed back to the hostel.

I spent the next day just relaxing in Trang An and exploring the nearby areas.

To me, Trang An will remain one of my favourite memories of Vietnam. The place is magical and I got to experience it with the insight of someone who has been here before and hence got to see it through the eyes of a local.

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