Introduction
Nestled within the stunning limestone karsts of Ninh Binh, the Ninh Binh Caves offer a mesmerizing journey into nature’s wonders. From the famous Tam Coc Caves, where you can glide on a boat, to the mystical Trang An and the breathtaking Mua Cave, each cave has its unique charm and beauty. These natural formations, shaped over thousands of years, provide an unforgettable experience for adventure seekers and nature lovers alike.
Today, let Ninh Binh Private Car take you on a Ninh Binh Cave Tour to learn more about the beauty of the mysterious caves here. Sit firmly on the boat as we take you through Ninh Binh’s fantastic cave system.
Ninh Binh Caves Systerm
Tam Coc – Bich Dong
In the list of beautiful caves in Ninh Binh Caves, we will have Tam Coc—-Bich Dong. Tam Coc is a system of three caves, including Ca Cave, Hai Cave, and Ba Cave. The Ngo Dong River pierced through the mountains, creating majestic natural caves.
Ca Cave is 127m long, passing through a large mountain. When rowing into Ca Cave, you will feel the coolness and the uniqueness of the stalactites above you in many different shapes. Hai Cave is about 1km from Ca Cave, which is 60m long and has a stone dome shape. Lower than Hai Cave is the modest Ba Cave, with a length of 50m.
Located 2km from Tam Coc is Bich Dong or “Nam Thien De Nhi Dong,” the second most beautiful cave in the South. Just by hearing the name, we can understand the undeniable beauty that has been recognized for thousands of years of history.
Bich Dong consists of a water cave piercing through the mountain and a dry cave halfway up. In front of the cave is a branch of the Ngo Dong River winding along the mountainside; rice fields are on the other side of the river. The combination of beauty inside and outside the cave creates a natural masterpiece that makes visitors admire its beauty.
Thien Ha Cave – Thien Thanh Cave
The next caves of Ninh Binh Cave that you cannot miss are Thien Ha Cave and Thien Thanh Cave. Thien Ha Cave (Galaxy Cave) Ninh Binh is a small cave in Son Ha commune, Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh, about 24 km from the city. Along with Thien Thanh cave, these are two extremely valuable natural heritages in Ninh Binh province.
Coming to Thien Ha Cave, you will be impressed with the extremely quiet and beautiful space bestowed by nature. Thien Ha Cave is divided into two separate areas, including a 200 m-long dry cave and a 500 m-long water cave. Inside are extremely unique stalactites created by Mother Nature.
The deeper you go into the dry cave, the more you will feel like you are lost in a golden palace with shimmering stalactites in the sunlight. In addition, inside the dry cave, there is also a “stone castle” associated with famous fairy tales and many traces of the Ancient Vietnamese people.
In particular, near the end of the deep cave, there is a skylight nearly 3 meters wide and high. On sunny days, light will shine through, creating a beautiful scene. After admiring the rich landscape at the dry cave, you continue to board the boat down the stream to reach the waterfall with images of multi-colored stalactites.
The Thien Ha cave tourist area in Ninh Binh includes two caves, Thien Ha and Thien Thanh. After exploring Thien Ha cave, you can continue the journey to Thien Thanh dry cave, which has a length of more than 50m and a cave entrance height of about 3 – 4 m. Although it is not a large cave, this place also possesses stunning landscapes that will make you admire.
Mua Caves – Must Visit At Ninh Binh Caves
Mua Caves, or Dancing Caves, is a cave you cannot miss when visiting the Ninh Binh Caves Tour. It is located at the foot of Mua Mountain in the eco-tourism complex in Khe Dau Ha village, Ninh Xuan commune, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh. The cave’s location is quite favorable, as it is only 100 km from Hanoi, so visitors can catch the bus to get there.
Mua Caves has a unique shape, like an upside-down bell. Although this cave was naturally formed, human hands intervened in carving the shapes of the rocks in it. During the Tran Dynasty, the king visited this place to enjoy the music and dancing of his concubines.
When you come to Mua Caves, you will test your endurance by climbing to the top of the mountain through 486 stone steps. Once you have climbed to the top, you can see the beauty of the Tam Coc area with its vast, green rice fields.
Thien Ton Cave
Thien Ton Cave is a historical and cultural relic belonging to the Hoa Lu ancient capital relic site in Thien Ton, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh, Vietnam. If Bai Dinh pagoda worships Cao Son god, the mountain god guarding the western gateway to the Western citadel, then Thien Ton pagoda cave is a relic worshiping Thien Ton god. This god guards the eastern gateway to the Eastern Citadel of the Hoa Lu ancient capital relic site.
During the archaeological process, archaeologists found many precious objects in this cave in 1981. Artifacts include floor tiles decorated with phoenix and lotus flowers, as well as pieces of tower models. There are also small statues of ducks and dragons and many decorative terracotta pieces – in the cave, there is a rectangular stone relic carved in the shape of a dragon.
Nau Ruou Cave
Nau Ruou Cave, or Wine Brewing Cave, is a unique cave in the Ninh Binh Caves Vietnam system. Initially, the cave had many beautiful stalactites, but because the cave mouth expanded, those stalactites no longer exist.
There is a well about 15m deep in the cave. The water is very clear and cool. Legend has it that ancient ancestors discovered this well and used it to make wine. That’s also why the cave is named Nau Ruou Cave or Wine Brewing Cave. During dredging, people found many jars and tools used in the winemaking process.
Dich Long Cave – Pagoda
If Bich Dong is the second most beautiful cave, in 1821, King Minh Mang bestowed the cave and Dich Long Pagoda with the five words “Nam Thien De Tam Dong,” which means the third most beautiful cave. So, if you want to explore Ninh Binh Caves, this is a place not to be missed.
To reach the cave entrance, you must climb over 100 stone steps. In front of the cave gate are six words: “Nham Son Dong, Co Am Tu.” Therefore, this place is also called Co Am Pagoda and Nham Son Cave. Dich Long Cave has many beautiful shimmering stalactites hanging down like hanging bells. In front of the cave entrance is a special jade well filled with water flowing down from stalactites.
Am Tien Cave
Located about 10km from Ninh Binh city center is Am Tien Ninh Binh Cave. This relic is located in the relic complex of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh. The most impressive point of Am Tien Cave is that a blue lake appears in the middle of the cave, strangely quiet. The water is surprisingly clear; sometimes, you can see moss under the lake’s surface. Surrounding the lake are steep rocky cliffs and a path weaving at the foot of the mountain. You can walk on this road to see the beauty of the mountains, forests, and even the quiet blue lake.
There is a pagoda with the same name as Tuyet Tinh Coc, which is Am Tien Ninh Binh Pagoda. Previously, Am Tien Cave was mainly used as an execution ground to execute death row prisoners. Some people commit serious crimes and will be released into caves where tigers and leopards are raised to deter others. Later, the pagoda was established to commemorate the lost souls.
Tien Ca Cave
Tien Ca Cave, or Mermaid Cave, is the most mysterious cave of the Ninh Binh Caves system, with many unique features. The cave is 1200m long, relatively airtight, and can be reached by hanging. Walking through rows of green bamboo creates a wild feeling, like entering some mysterious place.
Ninh Binh people know how to arrange light in the cave, creating a picture with countless colors. Visitors can visit stalactites with many shapes formed from millions of years of natural creation.
Vai Gioi Cave – Ninh Binh Caves
Vai Gioi Cave is 88 meters above the ground and has a unique location. To get there, visitors must go through 439 stone steps. In addition to exercising, the cave is also a famous spiritual place for the Ninh Binh people.
The cave’s name, “Vai,” means bowing to show respect, while “Gioi” is an ancient Vietnamese word synonymous with “heaven.” Therefore, people in the Hoa Lu area often organize rituals to pray for favorable weather and good harvests.
Inside Vai Gioi cave are many special stalactites, such as traces of animal teeth and fish bones, making visitors feel lost in an archaeological cave. The “earthly” floor of the cave has many flat stone blocks as if representing the simple, peaceful life of reality. The hell layer contains many specially shaped rocks, such as Nai Ha Bridge, Tam Sinh Thach, and Yama Throne. In addition, the “hell” level has two stalactites shaped like mastiffs; this is the place that distinguishes between the hell and earth levels.
Ma Tien Cave
Ma Tien Cave is halfway up Ma Tien Mountain (Roi Ngua Mountain). To get here, visitors must take a boat across Dong Thai Lake to reach the foot of the mountain. From the foot of the mountain, visitors will have to go up more than 100 more stone steps to reach the cave entrance.
The cave entrance is 15m high and 10m wide, like the mouth of a giant fish. The floor of the cave is not flat but slopes down. Below the floor are many large and small stone blocks of diverse shapes. Inside the cave, the quiet space and large and small rocks crowded together create the feeling of entering an aquarium.
Through a door hang, you will come to the 2nd floor of Ma Tien cave. This is one of five different cave chambers: high, low, wide, and narrow. Each stall brings you different, new, and attractive scenery.
The room for the fairies to live in is on the west side of the second floor. It is the highest and coolest place. In addition, Ma Tien Cave has many temples, pagodas, and deity shrines associated with unique folk festivals. This place also offers many interesting outside tourist activities such as yachting, boat racing, camping, and hunting, bringing diverse experiences to visitors.
Van Trinh Cave (Giang Tien Cave) – Biggest In Ninh Binh Caves
Van Trinh Cave, also known by the people here as Giang Tien Cave, is the largest cave in the Ninh Binh Caves system, with an estimated area of 4000 m2. Inside the cave, stalactites are arranged in high layers, forming unique shapes. The story about this cave is that fairies descended to earth to help the poor.
To reach Van Trinh Cave, you must climb 205 steps. The cave is divided into two small, staggered caves: the Upper and Lower caves. Thuong Cave has a floor area of approximately 150 m², with small, undulating stalactites resembling human-like shapes. At the top of the cave is a skylight called Thien Nhan, which means yin and yang meet, and heaven and earth are in harmony.
This cave is not only a tourist attraction but also has important spiritual significance for local people. In the cave, there is a raised stalactite block, like a man’s penis, located opposite a small hole called the “birth door.” For infertile people, they will come here to touch their hands and crawl through the hole to pray for a child.
Conclusion
A visit to the Ninh Binh Caves is an unforgettable adventure. Here, you can immerse yourself in breathtaking landscapes and explore nature’s hidden masterpieces. Whether you’re gliding through panoramic mystical grottoes or hiking to viewpoints, these caves offer a perfect blend of excitement and tranquility. Cave exploration in Ninh Binh is one of the things you cannot miss when coming to Vietnam, especially for those who love exploration.