Ninh Binh...

Our plan was actually to head north to Sapa after visiting the bays northeast of Hanoi. However, we were advised against it at this time. The weather is said to be very grey and foggy, and the rice fields are not yet lush and green. Since Sapa is primarily known for its stunning views and beautiful green rice terraces, it doesn't make sense to go there right now. Especially considering that we would have had to endure another 10-hour bus ride. During our travels, we have learned that plans are meant to be changed.

In Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, someone told us about Ninh Binh, a town south of Hanoi. We liked what we heard, so we decided to skip Sapa and go to Ninh Binh instead. We took a 3-hour bus ride from Hanoi to Ninh Binh.

Our homestay, recommended by Mathilde and Gavin, whom we met in Ha Long Bay, was located in a remote and incredibly beautiful postcard setting. The journey was a bumpy ride along a country road, and all we could see around our cute bamboo bungalow were rice fields, mountains, lychee trees, jackfruit trees, quacking frogs, and pure nature. The family was also incredibly sweet and affectionate. I immediately fell in love with their little daughter, Ling. We could easily stay here for three days.

On the first day, we set out on bicycles to visit the Mua Caves, climbing endless stairs on a mountain under scorching heat with the promise of a beautiful view. The sight of the white stairs snaking up the mountain was already stunning. After several breaks, we reached the top and enjoyed a breathtaking view. The climb was definitely worth it!

Afterwards, we spent the evening hours relaxing in hammocks at the homestay and had the best spring rolls of our entire stay in Vietnam. Proud that we praised the food so much, we were immediately given the recipe and a short lesson on how to prepare it.

On the second day, we rented a scooter again and headed to Trang An for a boat trip. We shared a boat with two older Canadian ladies and had wonderful conversations with them. We meet so many amazing people with such incredible and diverse life stories during our travels. Perhaps we should write them all down? That thought has crossed my mind several times already.

Anyway :)

The ride was great, passing by temples and through several caves where we had to duck our heads as tall Westerners. It was remarkable how the lady rowing the boat navigated the small vessel through the narrow caves with incredible skill despite the scorching heat.

When the fantastic tour unfortunately came to an end, we were bid farewell with two big kisses by the Canadian ladies. They told us that our children will surely be beautiful and that we should have plenty of them ;).

After the relaxing boat trip, we continued to the largest temple complex in Asia - Chua Bai Dinh. Okay, we knew it was going to be big, but we didn't expect it to be like a small city rather than a temple. Surprisingly, we were only two of the very few Western tourists and explored the temple complex with a herd of Asians.

Everything was very pretty to look at, but simply unbelievably vast.

Tired from this excursion, we went to the small town of Tam Coc near our homestay to watch the local children splashing around in the river. The kids were adorable, and one of them immediately handed me a baby to take a picture with.

Back at the accommodation - at this point, I would like to mention that I expertly navigated the scooter on the country roads thanks to my extensive experience with Hartmannsdorf field paths and Simson mopeds :) Thanks Dad! - we were joyfully greeted by our hostess, who asked if a television crew could interview and film us. It was apparently for a promotional film/documentary about tourism in Ninh Binh and specifically about our wonderful homestay. We couldn't resist her smile and kind request, so we agreed. We were then filmed for an hour in various situations. Relaxing in the hammock, chatting with the hostess, gossiping on our bungalow terrace, and being interviewed. It was so funny because the reporter didn't speak English. Our hostess translated her seemingly endless questions into English for us, and then we answered in English without knowing if our responses had anything to do with the question she just asked ;). Anyway, we had fun and did the family a huge favor. Unfortunately, we will probably never see the final product. We would have loved to see how they dubbed our English responses into Vietnamese.

Ninh Binh, you are beautiful and diverse, but unfortunately you are rarely mentioned in travel guides and the like. So people, go to Ninh Binh - it's really great there.