Northern Vietnam · Day tour
Ninh Binh: Bai Dinh Pagoda & Tam Coc
The largest Buddhist complex in Southeast Asia in the morning, then a sampan down the Ngo Dong river through three water caves.
- Length
- Full day
- Approx. 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM
- Pick-up
- Hanoi
- From your hotel
- Guide
- English-speaking
- Group or private
What you see
The day in short
Everything below is covered by the programme. The order can move with the traffic and the weather; the list does not.
Highlights
- Bai Dinh Pagoda, the largest Buddhist complex in Southeast Asia, and its five hundred arhat statues
- The hundred-tonne bronze Buddha and the thirty-six-tonne bronze bell
- A sampan down the Ngo Dong river through Tam Coc, the Ha Long Bay on land
- Ca, Hai and Ba, the three water caves the boat passes through
- A cycle between the karsts, the paddies and the hamlets
Hour by hour
The running order
Approx. 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM. These are the timings operations work to; your guide confirms the pick-up the evening before.
Want it privately?07:30 AM
Pick-up at your hotel in the Hanoi Old Quarter and south to Ninh Binh.
10:30 AM
Bai Dinh Pagoda, by electric car and on foot through the complex.
12:30 PM
Buffet lunch at a local restaurant with Ninh Binh specialities.
02:00 PM
Tam Coc pier and a wooden sampan down the Ngo Dong through the three caves.
04:00 PM
A bicycle tour around the Tam Coc villages.
05:15 PM
Back on the coach for Hanoi.
07:30 PM
Drop-off at your hotel in the Old Quarter.
What's included
- Pick-up and drop-off by air-conditioned vehicle
- English-speaking tour guide
- Electric car ticket at Bai Dinh Pagoda
- Tam Coc sampan ride and all entrance fees
- Buffet lunch
- Bicycle hire and mineral water
What's not
- Personal expenses and soft drinks
- Tips for the guide, driver and boat rower
- VAT
Before you book
- The Tam Coc rice fields turn gold in the May and June harvest, which is the best time to take this one.
- Modest clothing is required inside Bai Dinh Pagoda.
The route
- 1Hanoi
- 2Bai Dinh Pagoda
- 3Tam Coc
Map is schematic and not to scale for travel times.
Good to know
Questions
How is this different from the Trang An day?
Trang An is the quieter, wilder waterway and pairs with Hoa Lu and Mua Cave. Tam Coc runs through open rice fields and pairs with Bai Dinh, which is vast and modern. Most people who have a spare day do both.
How much walking is there at Bai Dinh?
The complex is enormous. Electric cars cover the long approach, but the corridors of arhat statues and the steps up to the main hall are on foot and take an hour or so.
Can this run as a private tour?
Yes. Every excursion here can run privately with your own guide and vehicle instead of joining a group. Tell us how many of you there are and we will quote it.
Can we combine this with other days?
Yes — most guests string two or three of these together, or add them either side of a multi-day journey. Send us your dates and we will lay them out in a sensible order.
Book the Ninh Binh: Bai Dinh Pagoda & Tam Coc
Give us your dates, your hotel and how many of you there are. We confirm availability the same day and pick you up from the door.