Situated about 95km south of Hanoi along National Road 1, Ninh Binh is the gateway to Hoa Lu, site of Vietnamese capital from 968 to 1010 AD. Although much of the city has been destroyed, the temple complex of Kings Dinh and Le remains as an important historical monument.
SIGHTSEEING SPOTS: Tam Coc Caves are know as "Ha Long on land" with huge limestone mountains on both sides of the Hoang Luong River.
Bich Dong is a cavern situated in the Ngu Nhac range of Hoa Lu District. Bich Dong, which means "the Cavern of Jade" is considered as "the second cavern in the southern sky" with its three pagodas: the upper, the middle and the lower ones ranging from the top to the foot of the mountain.
Cuc Phuong National Park , 100km west of Hanoi, covers an area of 25,000 hectare of which three quarters are limestone rocky mountains ranging from 300m to 600m in altitude. This national park was discovered in 1960.
Phat Diem Cathedral was built from 1875 to 1898 in Kim Son district, 120km from Hanoi. The cathedral complex reflects a mixture of original architecture in western and eastern styles.
Hoa Lu was the ancient capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1010 with two remaining temples dedicated to kings Dinh and Le, the founders of the Dinh and the Former Le Dynasties. The two temples were built with a 17th century Vietnamese architecture in characteristic style. It is an original architecture of wood and stone carving in the 17th and 18th century. Both temples lie on the site of the ancient royal citadel. Next to the temple is the saddle-shaped mountain called Ma yen where the two kings were buried.
