If you visit Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam, taking a dramatic boat ride to admire the scenery is an unmissable experience. There are two great options for you to choose from which are Trang An and Tam Coc – based on how much time you have, if you love to see mysterious caves and perhaps even view the filming locations for the 2017 Hollywood movie Kong: Skull Island.
I found the movie rather insipid, but hey why not, if viewing the filming location brings some glamour to the boat ride and you can imagine Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson running through the jungle at Trang An.
I had the opportunity to experience both Tam Coc and Trang An, which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. These were on two separate visits – the first one to Ninh Binh, which is two hours away from Hanoi, was just a day trip to enjoy Tam Coc’s river ride and the ancient capital.
I had enjoyed the day trip so much that I returned for a second visit, this time staying for two nights and visiting Ninh Binh’s other attractions such as the stone cathedral and pagoda complex. There are other unique attractions which I will feature separately.
Size doesn’t matter
The Trang An Scenic Complex covers a larger area of over 2,000 hectares which actually includes Tam Coc. The latter packs some 350 hectares in size, but it can certainly hold its own. Both sites comprise separate networks of peaceful waterways, limestone mountains and mysterious caves.
Legs vs hands
The rowers at Tam Coc use their legs to paddle whilst those at Trang An use their hands. Visitors may find the leg paddling style more unique but you can’t do it yourself as it certainly takes some training. So if you want to paddle the boat, you can do it at Tam Coc.
King Kong was here
At Trang An, the boat rowers point out the landmarks along the journey especially the spots where parts of the movie Kong: Skull Island were filmed. My paddler shouted ‘King Kong, King Kong’ and pointed to the filming locations which comprised several triangular rattan huts and a look-out on a tree top based on what I could see from the riverside.
I later learnt that the original film set was demolished in 2019 following recommendations from UNESCO, which had expressed concerns that the imaginary set might distort the values of the natural heritage site.
Tam Coc was also included in the filming of the movie and Ha Long Bay too but the filming locations were not highlighted in the tours that I went on.
Duration of rides
Tam Coc, which is also known as ‘Ha Long Bay on land’, only offers one route, which takes one and a half hours to complete but nonetheless, you can view majestic limestone hills, go through three small caves full of stalactites that hang from the ceiling and other smaller landmarks along the waterway.
The Trang An boat tour offers visitors three different routes covering a larger area of the river. I chose the shortest route that took one hour and 45 minutes without any stops on a solo ride. If the boat has more people, it can take up to two hours or more. The other boat rides offer tours that take up to 3.5 or four hours, covering visits to several caves and temples.
Caves brimming with stalactites
The main difference in the cave rides is that the three caves at Tam Coc take a shorter time to cover though the ceiling gets lower as you pass through each cave. I found the cave rides at Trang An a bit claustrophobic as the caves are longer and darker, with water dripping from the ceiling.
No hard sell
At Tam Coc, there are official photographers who try to take your photos along the route so as to encourage you to purchase the photos at the end of the journey – you can politely just wave to say ‘No’. At Trang An, no one tries to sell you anything.
Which to choose?
It is not easy to give recommendations on which boat trip you should go on but I hope that I have provided sufficient tips on what to expect on both journeys. If you prefer adventure on a longer route, opt for Trang An. But if you prefer a neat little package of a boat ride, go for Tam Coc. Or better still, go for both but I would suggest on separate trips or a few days apart.
