Fodor's Expert Review Trang An Landscape Complex

Closer to Ninh Binh city than Tam Coc, UNESCO World Heritage-listed Trang An offers a very similar experience to its more famous near neighbor. Although it is very popular with Vietnamese tourists, most visitors find it less crowded and more hassle-free than Tam Coc. Boat trips leave from the garish main office and take around 2½ hours, although the ticket operators will ask if you would like the 2-hour "short" tour instead. Boats will depart when they have four passengers. The journey by rowboat takes you through nine caves, some of which are very low and twisting, and along beautiful waterways lined with limestone karst. The landscape is of high historic and archaeological importance. Several pagodas can be visited on the boat tours, while the highest altitude caves dotted around the area have archaeological traces of human activity dating back almost 30,000 years. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible for visitors to access these higher altitude caves. Your boat operator will ask if you would like to stop and view the pagodas, and you can opt-in or -out (but if you say yes, the rower's arms will get a break). There are bathrooms at these small stops, and using them costs 2,000d. There has been increasing pressure put on these rowers to deliver good customer service, so don't be surprised when they hand you a survey to indicate your opinion of the tour. Tips are not mandated but still appreciated.

If you're already in Ninh Binh, there is no need to book a reservation for any of the boat trips. Just show up and hop on!