Vietnam: Nihn Bihn
I have two favorite areas in Vietnam, and the Nihn Bihn province is one of them. Tucked into Vietnam's Red River Delta, this beautiful landscape has sometimes been nicknamed "Ha Long Bay on land." I am SO HAPPY we opted for Nihn Bihn instead of visiting the remarkably touristy Ha Long bay. It was a truly relaxing time in this area and will go down as my favorite days of the trip.
We stayed at an adorable homestay on the edge of the village of Tam Coc. From our room at the Tam Coc Bungalow, we watched the infamous Tam Coc boats glide past, more awesome women rowing boats with their feet and carrying loads of tourists all day long.
Within hours of the trip, the rain began. Luckily for us, it was the only rainy day of the trip and it soon passed in time for an evening stroll to a small pagoda near our homestay.
On our way back, we stumbled upon an old man and his grandson feeding chickens. They ushered us to their home which doubled as a cafe in the middle of nowhere. We asked for coffee. We were given over-priced orange juice. So, a very valuable lesson was learned: never get ushered anywhere and always say no.
The next day, we rented motorbikes and headed to the Trang An Boat rides. This was by far the most touristy thing we did in the Nihn Bihn area - and it was worth it. They totally have their stuff together and the boat ride was amazing! We opted for route one, which brought us through nine caves and stopped at three temples. More high-fives go to the amazing boat drivers who navigate the caves at ease - even around sharp corners. We remembered to tip this time.
After a quick bite to eat, we navigated to Bái Đính Temple Spiritual and Cultural Complex on the edge of the Nihn Bihn province. This place was massive and since we arrived late, we only saw a bit of it. On the plus side, my mom rubbed a laughing Buddha's belly for good luck.
We originally planned to stay in Tam Coc just one night, but after a great first day, we stayed another. The next day, we found some more egg coffee and then set off on a motorbike adventure without much of a plan. We ended up at the ancient capital of Hoa Lư and before heading in, we took a side trip to Động Am Tiên and discovered a beautiful lake and another cave pagoda.
We enjoyed Động Am Tiên more than Hoa Lư which we found generally underwhelming (hence a lack of pictures). The village beside the ancient capital was fun to see though - and I found some legit street art.
Our last stop in Nihn Bihn was the infamous Lying Dragon Mountain - which every single "what to do in Nihn Bihn" listicle told me we had to see. My daughter is also a HUGE fan of dragons, so I thought I'd grab a great photo of the dragon for her.
Now, I was told and knew that it was 500 steps to this dragon. What I didn't know is that those steps seem more like 1,000 steps going and it was filled with all the not-so-nice tourists. I also wasn't prepared for the fact that unless you'd like to risk your life (amongst other potentially clumsy tourists), there is no actual way to see the dragon unless you are willing to risk falling down 500 feet onto sharp jagged rocks. The view was amazing though. I'm not sure my mom thought the trek was worth it...
Overall, we were not impressed with the Lying Dragon Mountain and would not say it was a must-see in Nihn Bihn. It was far too touristy and not worth the reward after an agonizing trip up the mountain. That said, the small cave at the foot of the mountain was nice (and cool).
Last up (and it's a biggie!), our time ancient Hue, beachy Da Nang and cool Da Lat!