Ninh Binh (Vietnam)

After a short 9 hour bus ride from Hanoi we arrived in the North Central town of Ninh Binh. As luck would have it our hotel had arranged for a taxi to pick us up from the side of the road where the bus dropped us …. well, sort of. Rather than a taxi with 4 wheels the hotel arranged for a crack team of four scooters to courier us back to our rooms. This unlucky fellow drew the short straw and had to move my 85 lb back pack, which as far as I can tell was about 10 pounds heavier than him. Plus me, who weighs slightly more than the bike itself. Everyone at the hotel had a good laugh when they saw this side show pull up.

After proving themselves worthy the night before we hired four bike masters to show us the sites around Ninh Binh. First stop was Tam Coc. A skilled paddler with a unique technique gave us the tour.



Tam Coc is often referred to as “Halong Bay of the Rice Fields” where limestone cliffs rise from the rice paddies.





After Tam Coc it was back on the bikes for a tour of the country side. Rena definitely seemed to be enjoying herself. Not sure how much fun it was for her 78 lb driver.




Although quite capable, our chariots weren’t necessarily built for the muddy back roads. We had to get off and walk a few times and on this occasion we had to stop and clean the mud that had built up between the tires and fenders. For some reason everyone found this quite funny. Vietnamese people seem to laugh a lot and it’s very contagious. Another source of amusement for our guides was my driver. Not 100% sure but I think they were teasing him all day for his choice of clothes…sandals with dress socks and dress pants. Everytime he got a foot full of mud I think he would curse in Vietnamese which would send the other drivers into a fit of giggles….very amusing for all concerned.

Our back road journey gave us the opportunity to see many, many people working the rice fields. Going forward there will be no more complaining about accountancy.




The last stop of the day was the floating village of Kenh Ga. Wasn’t exactly what we had imagined but it gave an accurate glimpse of what life on the water must be like.




The local transportation. Must admit the view from their back yard is tough to beat.






Our boat driver didn’t speak English so we weren’t able to determine what exactly this structure was. It had a mosquito net in it so someone definitely slept there. Best guess is that it is where the fisherman sleep when they are too far to make it back home at night.


And finally, in Vietnam, when you misbehave…you are tied to a chair.