Trang An awakes after 1,000 years

Ninh Binh, the glorious citadel of Dai Co Viet (old name of Vietnam), has been stamped with the footprints of 42 years of sovereign of dynasties, Dinh, Le, Pre-Le and Ly. The land comprises three different types of landscape, wetlands, coastal delta and uplands, and is endowed with many places of particular interest such as Tam Coc-Bich Dong Grotto, Cuc Phuong National Park and Van Long Nature Reserve.
Today, once visiting Ninh Binh, travelers will have another option, an eco-tourism area named Trang An-Bai Dinh. The area covers about 12,000 hectares and includes limestone ranges, 31 valleys, 48 caves and rivers. Here archaeologists have found many vestiges of cultural and historical relics which are worth contemplation.
The site is also home to many wild creatures and plants. Each cave has its own beauty with many stalactites in a profusion of colors. Once touring Trang An, travelers surely will get lost in a land of myth and fantasy to leave behind daily stresses and worries. And while rowing through Trang An grotto in the quiet, fresh air of the highlands, with only the sound of birds and the oars stirring the clear water and surrounded by magnificent forested mountains upon which graze white goats, visitors enjoy a heaven on earth.
Ninh Binh City is about 90 kilometers from Hanoi, so tourists can book travel agencies in Hanoi for the tours. At the site, one-day tours are available for VND60,000 per person to take a cruise to the caves. Two-day tours allow time to visit the ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda of the Ly Dynasty, which dates back 1,000 years, and to admire the new
Bai Dinh Pagoda complex in the Bai Dinh limestone mountain range which is famous for its imposing size. Coming to Trang An, travelers should not miss enjoying the indigenous specialty, mountain goat, which is grilled, steamed or barbecued at a price of VND50,000 to VND60,000 per dish.