06.11. Stunning views

After having a more or less awake breakfast, we took the free bikes from the hostel and went on a boat tour in Trang An. This tour took us through the impressive rock formations of the area, visiting many beautiful temples that once again showcased their wealth with gold and splendor.

We also passed through some narrow heights, sometimes so flat that we couldn't sit normally in our boat, but had to crouch on the floor and enjoy the welcome coolness from there.

We were all transported by a lively older lady, who spoke a lot with us in Vietnamese, even though we didn't understand much. The only thing I know is "Thank you" in Vietnamese, as a scooter rental guy taught me once, and many locals appreciate it and reply in Vietnamese, to which I can only smile...

After the beautiful boat tour, we went to a viewpoint. On the way, we stopped in Tam Coc, a place that is very popular among backpackers and was often recommended to us. However, we were glad we chose Trang An, because it was not really beautiful there.

The viewpoint, on the other hand, was even better. The path up the natural stone staircase was very difficult under the sun, and everyone who reached the top was panting and sweating like crazy. But the view compensated for everything. To the east, we could overlook the rice fields and the city, and to the west, a valley stretched out, framed by the incomparable mountains of Vietnam, which extended further to the horizon in fascinating silhouettes.

On the ridge of the viewpoint stood a stone dragon, its body rolling over the sharp ends of the mountains, overlooking the entire valley and the mountains behind it, providing impressive images.

We stayed until sunset, which unfortunately was obscured by many clouds on the horizon. But since we had already seen so many great views and it is supposed to rain tomorrow evening, this circumstance didn't really bring us down, because the view in daylight had already been beautiful.

In the evening at the hostel, we enjoyed a local dinner consisting of several dishes cooked and served by the owner's mother. As always in Vietnam, everything was incredibly delicious, and after the meal, we had plenty of conversations with other backpackers, exchanging tips on what our further travel routes should look like.

Once again, we had a beautiful day in nature, which is why tomorrow we will focus a little more on the cultural side of Ninh Binh and visit the largest pagoda in Southeast Asia and the remains of Vietnam's former capital city.