Ninh Binh - Vietnam combined in one province

Our next stop was Ninh Binh. The area is known for its vast paddy fields, expanding karst mountains and poetic rivers that seem to flow to the horizon. It looks a like Halong Bay – in land with countless primitive caves, valleys, and submerged mountains which all offer stunning sceneries.

The weather kept on being hazy with occasional rain spills. Unlike on our boat trip we bumped into some tourists on the main road, but once we took off for a walk along the rice paddies, we enjoyed the scenery by ourselves.  

 We enjoyed a boat ride on one of the rivers to explore the submerged mountain area and their caves. Our 'captain' had her very own technique - not just with her hands but also with her feet :) 

We watched fishermen wading through the river fishing, observed women picking herbs and flowers for medicine, steered through fields of water lilies while being surrounded by huge karst mountains – the scenery was just breathtakingly beautiful!

After a hearty lunch with a local family, we took off on a bike ride along the rivers and rice fields. Since I am not a regular bike rider, I thought it to be fun to ride through the water – without fenders on the bike…

You could spend much more time in the national park area of Ninh Binh. It’s a wonderful spot with stunning sceneries.
However, we decided to explore the North of Vietnam along the Chinese boarder for the coming 9 days.