Ninh Binh Day Tour From Hanoi: Hoa Lu Trang An And Mua Caves

Too expensive, 2/3 of the tour is worthless (old capital), and buffet is terrible

We had a fantastic time with our guide Ryan, he was very knowledgeable and entertaining as he took us on our tour around ancient temples, beautiful rivers, a bike ride through the countryside and up an impressive hill (500 steps to reach the stone dragon and an unbeatable view). I'd honestly recommend this tour to anyone, we really enjoyed ourselves and have some great photos of the sights. (And don't forget to bring sunscreen!)

It was amazing! Our guide Hung was an incredible person. It has an quick bicicyle trip arround the place that is so besutyfull. Recommend 100%

This insightful and interesting day trip to Ninh Binh was a real highlight. Our friendly and helpful tour guide Mia, who was also incredibly funny, managed all 20 of us perfectly. Honestly, it was worth every penny!

Mia was a wonderful guide tourist and, as she said, She was like out mum during that day. Ninh Binh and Trang An are two places we strongly recommend to visit in Vietnam. During the trip, she also explained and helped us understand the history and customs of the Vietnamese people

It was a nice trip. Viet is a good guide. Enjoyed his company. I’d love to go another trip with his guidance. Hiking is my fav part.

Amazing experience. Our guide was fantastic, we all had such a wonderful time. Mike was incredible. He was so happy to show us around and tell us all about Vietnam.

Our tour guide Mike was very informative and helpful throughout the day! Was such a wonderful experience in a very beautiful part of the world!

We had a fantastic day on the tour yesterday, our highlight was the river boat ride in Trang an. Our tour guide Hero was engaging, positive and helped us learn about the history of the sites we visited. Would recommend this tour

We just returned to Hanoi at the end of a full day's guided trip to the Ninh Binh area of Vietnam. We had booked the Ninh Binh Day Tour from Hanoi: Hoa Lu Trang An and Mua Caves. My family and I had a an amazing and memorable day learning so much about Vietnamese history and experiencing so much Vietnamese culture and nature. Our guide was Hero, and he really was our hero!! He was full of useful information and kept our group occupied, well-informed.and well organized! We enjoyed his great humor, thanks Hero!! My personal highlight was being taken in a canoe and through the Mua caves. One more memorable experience... I haven't ridden a bicycle for about 40 years, so I wasn't going to do the cycling part of the trip... Hero offered me to ride on the back of his scooter!! wow, that was simply the best! Cheers and many thanks Hero!

Viet was a friendly, knowledgeable, and exceptionally helpful tour guide. I would definitely recommend him to anyone.

Well organised trip with amazing vacation spots. A non brainer for those who want to visit Ninh Binh Thumbs up to our tour guide Viet as well

Mike our tour guide was very polite, punctual and fun. It was a well organized trip. We really enjoyed the boat trip. The bus was spotless and very new. A quality trip.

We actually enjoyed the full tour, from climbing the big rock to the thrang an boat tour. We had enough time to see everything and were still able to visit all the locations as prescribed. Our guide was Hung (hero) who is a funny guy but also knowledgeable and helpful. The bus is comfortable and the lunch was good. 5 stars for this tour! 🎉

Hung was an excellent guide and catered for everyone’s needs. The tour was the perfect balance of hiking, cycling and a boat trip. Superb guide, would recommend.

Early in the morning we were picked up. The pickup place was communicate via WhatsApp. We climbed 500 stairs for a stunning view. We had an ok lunch. Cycled for an half hour. Then we were off to the boats. The views are amazing. The guide Hero was witty and informative. His English was petfect

Really good experience with Hung as our guide. From 7am till 7pm Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hanoi with lunch and everything well organized. Just dont try to DIY, you will regret not booking with these guys.

Had the best day touring Ninh Binh, seeing temples, going on a boat tour, small hikes and lunch all included. Our guide Hung (Hero) was amazing and extremely funny, super informative and considerate.

Great and effective way to see the tourist attractions in Ninh Binh. Hero is fun and the trip was good vibes. Would recommend

We were with the guide « Magic Mike », such a great guy. The whole tour and activities are awesome and very well organised. You don’t have to wait and you can be on your own if you want. The food was very good.

We recently joined the Ninh Binh – Hoa Lu – Trang An – Mua Cave tour, and it was an exceptional experience from beginning to end. The organization and logistics were seamless. Pickup from our hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter was punctual and efficient. Our guide, Hang (Hero), was truly remarkable. His extensive knowledge, excellent communication skills, and genuine enthusiasm made the entire day both educational and enjoyable. Hang provided clear explanations, cared for every guest’s well-being, and created a positive and engaging atmosphere throughout the tour.

I recently took the Ninh Binh Day Tour from Hanoi, and it was easily the highlight of my trip to Vietnam! The itinerary was perfectly balanced between history, nature, and a bit of adventure. Hero, our guide, was absolutely fantastic. He was so knowledgeable about the history of the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, sharing stories that really brought the 10th-century temples to life. He kept the energy high all day, was always happy to help with photos, and made sure everyone in the group was well taken care of. The Trang An boat ride was breathtaking—paddling through the limestone caves and emerald waters felt like being in a movie. Afterward, the hike up to the Mua Caves (Dragon Peak) was a bit of a workout, but the panoramic views from the top are worth every single step. I also want to give a huge shout-out to our driver, Chin. The drive from Hanoi can be busy, but Chin was a complete professional. The bus was clean and comfortable, and his driving was smooth and safe throughout the entire journey, which made the long day feel very relaxing. If you are looking for a seamless, well-organized way to see the best of Ninh Binh, I highly recommend this tour. Ask for Hero and Chin if you can—they are a dream team! Date of experience: December 29, 2025

It was a very good tour. The tourguide Hero was well prepared, nice and funny. The activities were fun and i really enjoyed the day!

We enjoyed our little day trip to Ninh Binh. And while we wished the area was less crowded & less backed up, we enjoyed our time. Not too rushed and not too jam packed, but just right. I would say 80% of the enjoyment was due to our guide, Hung, who was very entertaining. He can make for a comedian (or maybe he already is).

Hero was great and very funny, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. The trip was well organized and thoughtfully planned, so everything ran smoothly. We felt comfortable the entire time and truly enjoyed every part of the trip.

Pretty great! Hero is the best guide I couldve asked for, so nice and funny :) Duration was from 7 am to 7pm including the whole rides

We had a wonderful day! Hero (Hunge) is a fantastic guide with lots of knowledge and lots of funny anecdotes. The day was well worth the cost.

Overall very good experience travelling to Ninh Bihn guided by Hunge. Combination of being fully taken care of in terms of logistics and independent «exploring» the sites worked well. Very nice guide, full of positive energy! Worth speiding some hours on the bus for.

This was so much fun! Beautiful nature, and a informative and energetic tour guide! Highly recommend this day trip if you are starting in Hanoi!

It was day tour and an amazing experience with our tour guide Hero!!!! He was so entertaining and helpful! Very glad we booked this tour, highly recommend

Mike our tour guide was very friendly and kind person. Was available any time we had a question . Ninh Bin was excellent experience and one of the highlights of our trip. I highly recommend it.

Excellent tour from Hanoi to Ninh Binh!Our guide(Mike) was very helpful and everything was well organized except from the food which was average

Mike helped us make the day great- walking up & down the mountain, cycling and boating- plus los of sights and a yummy lunch

Hung was really friendly and knowledgeable about the history of places we visited during the tour. I usually listen to music and sleep during bus tours however he was so entertaining that I listened in on everything with no regrets!

Amazing sights all three we went to and the guide, Ken, was great and his English was way better than we had experienced on other trips. However, be prepared that there are A LOT of people on the boat ride and walking up the mountain. Still enjoyed it though.

Great tour with a great guide. Extremely well planed, paced, and run. Our guide Hero was amazing and super funny too. He cared for each person ensuring we hit stops everyone would enjoy and making sure to keep us informed what we would be doing next.

Hero was our guide for a fantastic day trip to Ninh Binh, Trang An, and Mua Cave. He handled all the standard guide duties with ease, from smooth pickups and drop-offs to seamless organization at every stop. What set him apart was his stand-up comedian talent. His jokes and witty stories kept the group laughing and fully engaged the whole time. The itinerary was perfectly paced. We glided through Trang An’s stunning boat routes and climbed Mua Cave for epic views without any rush. As a couple, we loved every prime spot and felt completely taken care of. Book Hero if you can. He makes tours unforgettable.

Had a great trip, with lots of varied sights. Definitely worth a day trip from Hanoi, particularly if you want to see sights in the countryside. Our tour guide, Hunge, had lots of tips and tricks to share. Furthermore, he showed plenty of flexibility (e.g. re-arranged order of the tour because we came in high season, with peak tourist crowd) to make our experience better. Great stuff!

Huong (Hero) did a great job keeping positive vibes going with his banter and energy. It takes a lot of effort to keep a big group in one place and he Did it effortlessly. Great balance of energy and perfect amount of information. He ensured everyone feels included and also is very conscious of their personal requirements. Good job!

It was amazing experience. Our guide Hung was very good and funny and knowledgeable too. Ninh binh natural beauty is beyond words to express.

Mia teaches the group a bit about the Vietnamese language being intonation based. Highlight was climbing the steps to reaching the Dragon at Ninh Binh. Great tour.

we had a fantastic day with Mia, she was funny, informative and attentive! would highly recommend this tour 10/10 saw all the main attractions of ninh binh

From the pick up to the explanation Mia has been an amazing tour guide. Well prepared and fun to be around. The place and the scenery are amazing. Very recommended.

Mia is a great tour guide, I highly recommend her! She reached out to confirm the puck up place and time in advance. The bus was comfortable and the driver was driving safely. The day consisted of different activities such as climbing the mountain, cycling and boating. Thank you very much for the tour!

Our guide Ken was very patient, accommodating and made the trip very informative. He was really good at managing a very diverse group. Trang an was delightful and lived up to the expectations - 2 hours well spent. The view atop the Mua caves makes the climb up totally worth it. Mua caves wouldn't be suitable for someone with knee or general fitness issues. Hoa Lu seemed like a very commercialized tourist spot and the old world charm you'd expect is missing. PS: This tour had 2 options. Option 1 - Bai Dinh + Trang An + Hang mua and Option 2 - Hoa Lu + Trang An + Hang mua. We'd booked the option 1 with Bai Dinh. The operators never checked with us which option we had booked, neither did they update us which option we were put on. We were taken to Hoa Lu against our plan and we got to know only once we reached - this beat our purpose of having booked this tour since we preferred visiting Bai Dinh over Hoa Lu. We even wore loose, full length pants to conform to the modest attire requirements for Bai Dinh - this made cycling in Hoa Lu all the more difficult. The saving grace from the tour company was Ken - our guide. If you book this tour, make sure you confirm you are with the right group the previous day/night when the tour operators reach out to you since they obviously dont care.

Kien Very very nice guy, knows a lot about the history and could even remember a lot of our names. I would recommend this guy

Kien is the best tour guide I've ever experienced. It was a real pleasure to go on this tour.We had a wonderful time.It was a great experience.

Big Ken was a legend, trip was well run and fun. Enjoyed it throughout and was a great day. Would recommend if spending a short period of time.

The trip was lovely, Ninh Bin was definitely worth a visit. The mountain climb and boat tour was great. Our tour guide Ken was awesome! :)