I know the feeling of wanting to make the best out of your trip and being unsure of which route to take. I have been there over and over again. My purpose here is to save you some time and help you make a better decision.
There is no one best choice that fits all. It’s more like, there may be one that’s best for you depending on what you’re looking for. Both Trang An and Tam Coc routes are beautiful and more than enough to have an unforgettable experience. Although, there are some differences that may incline you towards one over the other. I’m here to help you figure it out.
My name is Danitza, a “slowmad” who has been slow-traveling for over three years now. Welcome to my travel blog with info about the places I have visited and texts about my journey towards finding work-life balance while maintaining a nomadic-travel lifestyle.
As always, illustrated with photos I took during the trip so let me take you through a photographic journey across Trang An and Tam Coc. Let’s start!
Some quick concise info about the area
You will find stunning natural landscapes, ancient temples, and authentic Vietnamese culture and food. In Ninh Binh, the “Trang An Landscape Complex” is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site which includes both Trang An and Tam Coc as well as the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and historic site (that was the capital of Vietnam in the 10th and 11th centuries).
Being recognized by UNESCO means they’ve been awarded the “World Heritage” designation based on strict criteria for their exceptional cultural, historical, and natural significance to humanity.
How to get to Ninh Binh, Trang An and Tam Coc?
Both Trang An and Tam Coc belong to the Ninh Binh province in northern Vietnam. It’s super easy to get there by taking a bus from Hanoi –I used this site to book (12go) and it was very reliable across Asia.
Where to stay in Ninh Binh, Tam Coc, or Trang An?
I recommend you skip the city and stay near the river; right in the Tam Coc or Trang An area instead of the Ninh Binh city.
I chose Trang An because I fell in love with the specific guest house I found. It was a little family-owned property with a pool and the most amazing view of the limestone formations. They were lovely and they had a restaurant with homemade traditional Vietnamese food. If you want to check it out – this is the one (not a paid recommendation). The downside is that if you don’t know how to ride a motorbike, Trang A will be too far from everything.
If you’re looking to be near a variety of restaurants, coffee shops and closer to a more local vibe, then Tam Coc would be for you. You would also be within walking distance to the Tam Coc boat tour starting point.
How to move around Trang An or Tam Coc in Ninh Binh?
The way to go is definitely renting a motorbike. I can’t describe how incredible it felt to ride around this area admiring nature and exploring the surrounding areas. However, I must confess I’m a passenger princess and I was scared to drive in South East Asia. I never had to since I traveled with my boyfriend. He happily drove for the both of us despite my anxiety on the road. The price of transportation in Vietnam is very low. We probably paid between 100,000 and 150,000 dong (yup, that’s the name of their currency) per day for the motorbike.
So if a motorbike is not for you, then you can consider a bicycle or even using Grab. Grab is the “Uber” of South East Asia where you will not only get car rides but also can hop on the back of a motorcycle with an experienced local driver. Please never forget to wear a helmet.
Despite the transportation you choose, I highly recommend taking a morning of your trip to bike around Trang An. It was an adventure to explore the little roads that lead you to wonderful sights. This was one of the most unforgettable moments I had here.
My thoughts on Trang An
The Trang A boat ride offers a more immersive natural experience than Tam Coc. You can choose between a combination of caves and temples surrounded by amazing rock formations that are very unique to this part of the world. You can actually hop off the boat temporarily to explore a few of these temples. They refer to the Trang A Complex as the “Ha Long Bay on Land” because of the similarity of the limestone formations.
What’s the experience like in Trang An?
I have read some articles suggesting not to do the Trang An boat ride because they consider it more “artificial”. To be honest I don’t understand where that comes from.
The whole ticketing and entering process is definitely more put together than in Tam Coc but that doesn’t make it fake. Once you’re on the boat you’re surrounded by nature. This can be one of the calmest, most beautiful rowing trips you will ever have.
They offer three different routes. This article is based on the experience I had by choosing #3. The reason we chose this one over the other routes is that the first one seemed overly packed with caves, the second one was the shortest and the third one had a perfect balance of caves and temples while spending as much time as possible enjoying the ride. Although it included fewer caves it did include the “Trang An longest cave” which is about 1 km long.
Each boat can accommodate up to 4 people + the guide/rower; we were just 2 so we had to wait for a couple that wanted to do the same route as us to start our ride. It took no more than two minutes to find the people to share the boat with and start our trip.
I recommend Sunset time for the Trang An boat ride
I happened to take one of the last boats so the whole area was pretty much for ourselves. The sunset time was just perfect to enjoy this trip without getting burned by the sun. As a photographer, it was an interesting time to do it because we got to experience different light moments. While the sun was coming down plus “the golden hour”, those yellowy-orangy rays you get before the sun fully sets.
There were barely any other boats around us, and although it may have been the time of the day we chose, it also could’ve been because Trang An is often less crowded than Tam Coc. Whatever it was, the serenity and peacefulness of this trip was unbeatable.
The major downside of the Trang An trip vs Tam Coc
A big consideration is that traditional foot-rowing is not allowed in Trang An, so if that alone is a reason for you to reconsider, then read more about Tam Coc below.
My thoughts on Tam Coc
Tam Coc felt like a more “authentic” experience than Trang An, not because this last one is artificial but because Tam Coc has a more “rustic” feel. It’s a bit less organized and more “hop on a random boat and see what happens” kind of vibe.
What’s the experience like in Tam Coc?
My first impression was that the surroundings are more open. There’s a lot more space between you and the limestone formations; it has a very different panoramic view, a bit more distant and wider than Trang An. It feels like you’re looking at it from the outside even though you’re right in the middle. The nature is still incredible and you get to see more of the villages, rice fields, and local people rowing and selling stuff like flowers or souvenirs.
Local Merchants and Foot Rowing in Tam Coc
I have read about people struggling with local merchants but I have to say that this was not my experience at all. Few people did approach us to show their products but were not pushy or intense about it even when we declined to purchase.
There is one thing that makes Tam Coc extremely special and in my opinion, it’s precisely the local people rowing around… with their feet. You will not see this in Trang An since it’s apparently not allowed to do it there. I believe this is a wonderful thing to experience and it’s definitely a major reason to choose Tam Coc.
Ultimately, if you’re more interested in nature than traditional rowing, then Trang An may be the way to go. You can still walk around the Tam Coc river area and most likely see the people rowing with their feet anyway.
Quick list of differences
Reasons to choose Tam Coc:
- It’s easier to get to if you’re staying in the Tam Coc area. You can probably just walk from your hostel or guest house or take a super-quick motorbike ride to get to the start point.
- It may feel more authentic to some people due to the less put-togetherness and the presence of more local stuff and people around the area.
- You’ll see the traditional feet-rowing which makes it super special.
- It’s a shorter trip so if you’re in a hurry you may prefer to do this and explore more of the surroundings of Ninh Binh instead of spending too much time on the boat (other suggested activities below).
Reasons to choose Trang An:
- Trang An offers a more immersive experience in my opinion, it’s less wide therefore you get to see the rock formations from closer and the stillness/clearness of the water is surreal.
- It’s way more organized and with different routes to choose from that include a variety of temples and caves.
- You get to hop off the boat to explore some temples if you want to.
- It’s a bit further from the center therefore less crowded and there aren’t local merchants rowing around so you may get a more serene experience.
- In my opinion, you get a more impressive view of the natural environment.
What would I choose knowing what I know now: Trang An or Tam Coc?
As I said before, they’re both impressive. Ultimately, this whole article is about which one to choose so knowing what I know now, here’s what I would do if my time around Ninh Binh was not enough to do both:
I would choose Trang An. The view of the natural surroundings and the immersive experience definitely made a huge impact on me. I am a digital nomad who has traveled to 25+ countries and Trang An has been one of the most beautiful sceneries I’ve had the opportunity to see. I can even say I liked it more than Ha Long Bay (I took the overnight cruise tour). Although…
You don’t need to miss on the Tam Coc experience even if you choose the Trang An boat ride
The foot-rowing they do in Tam Coc is totally worth viewing. I would go check it out at least from the river/starting point area. There are so many cute coffee shops with a view of the water. You can sit and just admire the people rowing around. Here’s one I liked, but you can choose anyone around the area (not a paid recommendation).
Additionally, you can do the Hang Mua hike for that “aerial” view of Tam Coc you get when you google it. This is the postal picture of Ninh Binh and you can actually see it from here. Consider that you must be in a decent-enough physical condition but it’s nothing out of this world. If you’re fine with stairs you can totally do it in about 15-20 mins to the top and the view of the Tam Coc river is stunning.
Other things to do in Ninh Binh
I spent 90 days traveling around Vietnam, and the Ninh Binh surroundings were some of the most special spots I’ve seen not only in Vietnam but the world. Here’s a list of other things you can check out if you’re looking for an adventure:
Hang Mua
As I mentioned above, the Hang Mua cave is one of the must-do’s in my opinion. The view from here is the postal image from Ninh Binh you get when you google it.
Hoa Lu Ancient Capital.
Hoa Lu is a whole region. To get to the “entrance gate” you have to go here You will find several temples (pagodas) and historic information about the time Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam.
Bai Dinh Pagoda
Bai Dinh Pagoda is a huge Buddhist complex with several pagodas, Buddha statues, and the tallest stupa in Asia (which has a beautiful view). It’s free entrance but you will need to use their cart service to move around which is like 60,000 VND. It does have a “tourist attraction vibe”, but in my experience, that was easily brushed away by the beautiful religious temples, grand statues, and surrounding nature. We didn’t take a guide, we just free-styled exploring the area.
Bike ride around Trang An
Rent a bicycle and ride around Trang An. I can’t recommend this enough.
Thung Nham Bird Valley
The Thung Nham Bird Valley is a cool spot to explore if you have extra time and like touristy insta-spots. I did enjoy my time here a lot. Consider it is extremely crafted for “pics” and tourists. Not so much a natural sanctuary, it was more a natural “park” with several human-designed environments. The birds are not all around as I expected, you have to take a specific boat ride to see them which is included with the entry fee. The cost is 150,000 VND.
I hope this information helps, and if you have any travel-related questions, feel free to contact me on Instagram
