Hospitality at the Mini Queen Hotel in Ninh Binh was excellent, the staff were friendly and helpful. The food, whilst not exciting, was good and reasonably priced. We even received a couple of free bananas and bottles of water, unheard of in the rest of Vietnam. As our bicycles failed to join us on the train we hired a motorcycle and it made a nice change. Our stay coincided with a three day national holiday, so the Vietnamese had flocked to Ninh Binh from Hanoi. First, we visited Hoa Lu where we witnessed some rituals at the temple and many food stalls selling mini pineapples, sugary treats and tacky souvenirs. Next we headed for a river boat trip around the limestone karsts. Our two hour trip was over in an hour and we had only visited
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