Trang An Eco-tourism complex – breathtaking venue

Retaining a total area of 3177.2 hectares, Trang An Eco-tourism complex is located in 8 communes of districts, namely Gia Vien, Hoa Lu and Ninh Binh city. The eco-tourism complex is divided into 5 major functional tourist zones: special preserved zone (Hoa Lu Ancient Capital area), center zone, cave zone, tourism service zone and Bai Dinh Pagoda spiritual tourist zone.  Trang An complex is also home to 47 historical relics with the large number of caves hiding in the limestone. Valleys and the system of underground river interweaving each other creating the magical and romantic space. It is one of the indispensable tourist sites in the journey of discovering Vietnam travel to Ninh Binh. Tourists once setting foot on here will actually get unforgettable experiences. An engaging ecoregionTrang An cave area is located in Gia Vien district and Hoa Lu district with an area of 966.4 ha. According to incomplete statistics, the ecotourism complex is home to 500 species of plants, 73 bird species, 41 species of mammals and 32 species of reptiles. Currently, the number of aquatic caves in the tourist complex is 48 along with numerous historical artifacts and archaeological relics. It has been preserved the vestiges of the prehistoric humans dating from 5,000 to 300 million year ago. Archaeologists and geologists assert that Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex - Hoa Lu was formerly an ancient 250 million to 300 million year inlet. Discovering Trang An cave tourist area is definitely one of the most impressive things to do in Ninh Binh. 

A scene in Trang An

Trang An cave tourist area is associated with the relics of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. Dinh Bo Linh came to the throne in 968 and chose Hoa Lu, a rugged mountainous region as the capital. Here, he built the palaces, based on the mountain to defense and turned the rugged mountain into the fortress isolated from the outside. When building the citadel, King Dinh Tien Hoang had exploited the natural advantages to serve people. The limestone mountain ranges were connected with each other thanks to the artificial walls to erect a unique and solid capital. It currently still preserves the large number of historical evidences of a capital with three successive dynasties, namely Dinh, Le, Ly. It can be said that the tourist complex is one of the fascinating historical - cultural - spiritual - ecological tourist attractions in Ninh Binh. Trang An tourist complex is situated in Thanh Tri Thien Tao mountain range of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. Here, the mountains surrounded 4 sides with caves hiding under mountain each. The wonder is that these caves are connected with each other to create a Hoa Lu Ancient Capital retaining the solid defense. The towering mountains are observatories as well as protecting walls of the citadel. The time has been able to undermine the artificial architectural works, but the citadel still forever exists. It is also the reason why Hoa Lu Ancient Capital has been called "Stone Ancient Capital". Many archaeologists going to Trang An cave ecological complex consider it as a "outdoor geological museum" because Trang An complex is surrounded by bow-shaped limestone mountains among the wetland low-lying area. The cracks from the limestone mountains reflect geological movement creating flows inside the caves. According to scientists, the famous karst caves in Hoa Lu limestone mountains- Ninh Binh and adjacent regions four thousand years old are regarded as a "Halong Bay on land" as today. The most prominent in the system of caves is type of horizontal water caves through the heart of the great mountains and regularly flooded. 

Trang An Tourist Area

These caves convey convective water flowing throughout creeks between creating the line connecting the caves together. Exploring caves in Trang An tourist complex is always indispensable sites in Vietnam tour packages to Ninh Binh attracting the large number of tourists at home and internationally. A magnificent tourist complex Hoa Lu - Tam Coc - Bich Dong, an important part of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital heritage site with King Dinh Tien Hoang Temple and Le Hoan Temple along with Trang An ecotourism complex is indispensable tourist rendezvous in the system of national tourist areas in Vietnam tour. As planned, Trang An ecotourism complex retains 9 waterway tourist routes and 2 road routes. The road route retains the length of 1.6 km into Tran Temple (also known as Noi Lam Temple) starting at Cay Bang wharf. It is actually interesting hiking route through 3 consecutive passes. The hiking trails are currently built with the broad stone sidesteps. On the way to Tran Temple (worshiping God Quy Minh - 18th Hung King), 7 octagonal ironwood buildings are built in order to serve the relaxation of trekking tourists. The waterway tourist routes combine hiking with excursions by boats across 13 caves to historic sites as the closed roadmap. It is these unique features make Ninh Binh travel become much more attractive. Ninh Binh has built many projects and building items in Trang An Eco-tourism complex so far. In particular, the resort is home to about 30 caves which are not dredged to serve tourist activities. Yet the number of tourists to Bai Dinh - Trang An tourist complex has been constantly increasing since 2009. In detail, the number of tourists setting foots on Ninh Binh was over 3 million people in 2011. Thanks to the tourist development, tens of thousands of workers in Gia Vien district, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh city have a chance to participate in tourism services such as boating, restaurants, motels... In addition, many areas have been awakened the potential of agricultural crops, fungi production or traditional villages such as embroidery, pottery or stone carving, etc.  Ninh Binh tour with highlight of Bai Dinh - Trang An, Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and Tam Coc - Bich Dong has become one of the impressive destinations in Vietnam, which strongly influences the development of tourism in the country. Tourists going to Ninh Binh actually have the opportunity to be immersed in the peaceful scenery of the wonderful tourist site. Trang An Eco-tourism complex will certainly be one of the fascinating Ninh Binh attractions in particular and in Vietnam in general. Tourists should once come here to enjoy the grandeur of the mountains, the daydreaming of lakes, spectacular caves together with immense blue sky. All mingles together offering tourists the passionate and poetic feelings among the wonderful natural scenery. The tourist complex significantly contributes to promote Ninh Binh tourism in particular and Vietnam tourism in general closer to tourists at home and internationally.

Ninh Binh tourism enhances promotions for development purpose

With the goal of attracting 4.8 million of visitors in 2014, from the beginning of the year, Ninh Binh tourism has many stratagies to attract both domestic and international tourists; especially, promotions in foreign market.

On opening the campaign of promoting tourist destinations in Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh participated in the second Vietnam International Tourism Mart in Vietnam Exhibition Fair Centre, with the theme “Tourism promotion – New destination, new opportunity and travelling for sustainable development”. The fair was organized by Vietnam Tourism Association in the coordination with the General Department of Tourism and the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hanoi.

Joining Vietnam International Tourism Mart (VITM) in Hanoi, the Ninh Binh Tourism Promotion Information Center collaborated with 10 units of management, businesses of tourism and services such as Trang An eco-tourism zone, Star business travel, Yen Nhi Hotel, Hoang Son Peace Hotel, and Emeralda Resort, and other units in Ninh Binh participating in this tourism fair. The fair with the scale of two standard booths is decorated with unique and typical images of eco-tourism, spiritual and cultural tourism, and Ninh Binh’s unique and attractive tourist products. This is a chance for Ninh Binh to promote and introduce Ninh Binh tourism under the theme: “Trang An scenic landscape complex in the orientation to the world heritage”. At the booth of Ninh Binh, Ninh Binh Tourism Promotion Information Center and travel businesses organized exhibits and issued more than 10,000 publications, tourist promotional materials such as photo books, travel map, and VCD which introduce Ninh Binh tourism, propaganda and promote tourist attractions, chains of restaurants and hotels through movies, video clips, and electronic photo albums. In four days of the fair, the booth of Ninh Binh appealed over 10,000 visitors, including nearly 1,000 visitors of travel companies.

Also, in the framework of the fair, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism directed the Tourism Promotion Information Center to promote tourism in coordination with 10 tourism businesses in this fair to hold a seminar on promoting attractions in Ninh Binh in Bao Son- Hanoi International Hotel. The goal of this coordination is to introduce tourism businesses and travel companies in Hanoi resources, products  and orientation  of tourism development in Ninh Binh, facilitating travel businesses in Ninh Binh directly access to their partners to share, connect information products and services accurately. Simultaneously, exchange and discuss on the advantages and difficulties of cooperation, exploitation of tourism market attract both domestic and foreign tourists. The workshop appealed the participation of nearly 170 businesses and travel companies in Hanoi, and 25 press agencies and media.

Tam Coc Cave, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam - Source: Image from Flickr

In 2014, despite the gloomy economy of the country and the world with difficulties, but Ninh Binh tourism industry still has many opportunities to grow, including striking the Vesak 2014 will be held at Bai Dinh Pagoda in May. It is expected there are about 10,000 official delegates, including 3,500 international delegates from over 100 countries and territories. During the celebration, there will be many cultural activities took place like exhibition of Buddhist art photography, performances of arts, films, Buddhist culture fair. Currently, Ninh Binh is preparing necessary conditions await the consideration of UNESCO recognizing Trang An scenic landscape complex as a world heritage.

Tam Coc, Ninh Binh - Source: Image from Flickr

For promoting and promulgating Ninh Binh tourism, the industry of tourism will cooperate with Vietnam Television, VTC Digital Television, VTV Television Cab, and telecommunication agencies and mass media to introduce Ninh Binh. Advertisements of Ninh Binh tourism are promoted on website of the General Department of Tourism. The industry of Ninh Binh tourism also coordinated with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to develop the image of Ninh Binh in Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2014, and Korea World Travel Fair. In addition, the industry strengthened the management of civilized lifestyle, social security and environmental sanitation in the region to meet the need of tourists in famous destinations in the province.

Cyclists from London to Ninh Binh - Source: Image from Flickr

These above important events will contribute to promoting widely the potentials of tourism, unique culture and tourism products of Ninh Binh to the world. This is a good opportunity to attract tourists, especially foreign tourists to Ninh Binh, and appeal more domestic and international investors to promote joint activities and Ninh Binh tourism.