Van Long Nature Reserve: Ninh Binh’s Beautiful Illusion

Ninh Binh was on our list of places to visit for a long while. Well, to tell you the truth, it was one of the  places that we put on our list when we started looking for spots to visit in Vietnam. We had not heard of Ninh Binh before that. Our research showed us the idyllic countryside, gorgeous temples and the backwaters that the site is famous for. In retrospect, Ninh Binh did not disappoint.

In fact, since we were mobile, we explored a lot! One of the places that we visited was the Van Long Nature reserve.  We have never been people to waste a day especially when we have a precious few of them. That’s why we combined our visit to the Bai Dinh temple with an excursion to the Van Long Nature reserve. It is after all one of the cool things to do in Ninh Binh.

At first, the Van Long Nature Reserve looked like it was just a short distance away from the Bai Dinh temple. We however had spent the day wandering in the sweltering sun and the distance felt like a zillion miles.

A part of me wanted to ditch the idea. But when I look back I am glad that we did go all the way up to the Van Long Nature reserve. It was a cool boat ride in the latter half of the evening. More importantly, the nature reserve was calming, relatively quiet and peaceful. It was exactly what we needed.

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Somehow Van Long Nature Reserve Isn’t That Popular

I don’t remember how much we paid for our boat ride through the wetlands but it wasn’t much in comparison to what people pay at the other sites. The Van Long Nature reserve is a good drive away from the city of Ninh Binh.

That is probably why it attracts less tourists that it ordinarily should. The lack of large caves to meander through also acts as a deterrent. If you are in the area, it definitely is worth the detour especially since the lack of tourists means that you have the place all to yourself.

Van Long Nature Reserve Has A Lot To Offer

Just look at that boat!

When you reach, you will find that the length of the Van Long Nature Reserve is bordered by a road. It is a nice straight road and you can walk along it as you gaze at the wetlands. You will find that this is a great option if you don’t want to get into the actual boat and float around.

If you’ve got a cycle or a motorbike then riding up and down the road is a great way to see the vast expanse of protected land. We did this even though we did head out on the boat tour.

We chose to take the boat. Why? It was one of those traditional boats that were woven together. I think the experience itself was calling our name so we decided to go ahead. I mean look at the boat! Why wouldn’t we? 

Getting into the boat always takes a great deal of balance from my end. Not something that I have been blessed with. Let’s face it. Once a klutz always a klutz! Luckily I made my way to the sweet spot of the boat without throwing us over. Shawn on the other hand was his usual balanced self.

The illusion!

At first glance I was almost mistaken. Anything that rocks on water feels like it is floating on the depth of a river if not an ocean. The Van Long Nature reserve builds that illusion up. The water should appear stagnant but it doesn’t. Tiny ripples caused by the evening breeze mimic a tide or a flow. As the lady rowed along, I noticed that the nature reserve was actually quite shallow. There was a lot of different kinds of aquatic plants in the water that made it hard to see just how shallow though.

The calm of the evening is often interrupted by the rustle of the leaves and the flight of birds. Did I mention that the best time to sight a variety of the avian species is in the early morning or in the evening? I’m not sure what the early morning timings of Van Long Nature reserve are but since I am not an early bird I tend to choose the evening.

If you get here in time for the sunset, it is really pretty. We found ourselves floating around watching the birds swoop down and catch a bite to eat while we enjoyed our boat ride. It was late evening. In fact, once we were done, the sun was rather low on the horizon so we decided to stay and watch it set.

Sometimes hard work will get you nowhere!

Since the boat wasn’t one that we had been on before we were intrigued. The rounded shape is something that you see in the Vietnamese countryside. Most tourist boats in Trang An and Tam Coc however do not resemble these. They are built to carry more people. One of the constant sounds that I remember was the rhythmic splash of the oars.

The lady who guided our boat through the backwaters was an expert. It takes skill to navigate through those waters. Shawn tried his hand at it and soon came to realize just how strong the Vietnamese women are. Me? I preferred to be perched on a safe spot. I was half worried that if I moved too much, we would all fall straight in. That however was my hydrophobia acting up.

Tourists lounge locals work! I think this man was catching snails.

The tour of the Van Long Nature reserve came to a stop and we saw a group of tourists watching a nearby hill intently. It took us a while to understand what our guide was telling us. She spoke no English and us no Vietnamese. Eventually we figured out that there were monkeys in the distance.

We were trying to spot monkeys in those hills!

Eyesight is always a bone of contention when you are trying to spot something. We spent over half an hour looking at the mountain in the distance. The seconds ticked away and the minutes passed us by but we could see nothing! There were people getting excited all around us and yet neither Shawn nor I had spotted the elusive creature.

Shawn used his DSLR as a telescope but not luck. I tried the idea and failed. Just as we were about to leave I saw a spot dart across the landscape. It moved ever so fast that I wasn’t even sure if I saw what I saw. It was only when the incident recurred seconds later that I understood what everyone had seen and interpreted was more like a Rorschach’s test without my glasses.

And so they take flight!

Shawn was really miffed that he didn’t spot the monkeys but the flocks of birds eventually pacified him. You never realize how difficult capturing the perfect photograph is when you are balancing on a rocking surface and the birds refuse to cooperate! That being said it sure was fun trying to get the perfect shot was fun.

The End Or Not The End

The gorgeous view at sunset!

The sun was waving bye to the horizon as we wound off our trip. We however were not done with the day. The weather had turned pleasant and we were no longer hot and sweaty. Taking our rented moped we decided to head down the road and take in the native Vietnamese scenery.

How To Get About Ninh Binh

As I mentioned before, the best way to get about Ninh Binh and to visit the Van Long nature reserve is either by cycle or by a motorbike.

Now you can book your rental in advance or when you reach there. The difference is that you may have to haggle a lot when you reach. If you book it in advance you will know all about the reviews and everything will be ready when you reach!

Is It Possible To Visit Van Long Nature Reserve From Hanoi?

⭐️ Rating: 4/5 (74 Reviews) Price: $86 per person Duration: 1 day 📍Meeting Point: Hanoi Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

Despite the distance from Hanoi, many people make day trips to Ninh Binh every day. The journey is long and tiring but definitely worth it if you are short on time. So how do you go about it?

Instead book one of the tours online. You will get to see much more than the Van Long Nature Reserve. In fact, with the tour you will visit the Bai Dinh Temple, go out hiking for a bit, visit the Trang An complex, do a bit of sightseeing, eat a local lunch and finally head to the Van Long Nature reserve in the evening when the bird sightings are at their best!

At the end of our entire evening in Van Long Nature reserve we found ourselves content. The excitement of the day had wound down in to a peaceful buzz. If you know what I mean that is… I would recommend Van Long Nature reserve to all those people who want to unwind and relax. It is a little out of the way but oh! It is so worth it!

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