Holidayz, pt. 2 - Ninh Binh, Vietnam

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Arriving from Haiphong into Ninh Binh after a two hour minibus ride I found a nice little hotel for the nicer price of $100,000VND and set out to wander this pleasant little city. It was the official "Liberation Day" here in Vietnam and many families were outside in the parks or on their patios eating and drinking and enjoying their time off. It was nice to see a little bit of daily life going by in front of me as I strolled. I made it to the market where all manner of produce, meats, and fish were on offer as well. Markets are always an interesting place to walk around. It seems that thier is always something someone is willing to buy and eat and I usually have no idea what it is.

My reason for coming to Ninh Binh was to take the incredibly scenic row boat journey up river in Tam Coc village. So I rented a moto and rode 10km outside of town and arranged to hire a row boat for $100,000VND for the impressive two hour ride through Tam Coc village. With green rice fields, mysterious caves and grottoes in the river, and towering limestone karsts all around me I knew it was worth my second effort to come here. Really a special afternoon.

After my quick stint in Ninh Binh and with less than a week remaining on my Vietnamese Visa before my eventual flight to The Philippines, I made plans to head to the far North of the country high in the mountains just South of the Chinese border. The journey would again lead me through Hanoi before I reached my destination. And what a destination it was.

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