Most tourists’ only experience of north-central Vietnam is a torturous 16-hour bus trip from Hanoi to Hué. While it’s true that you’ll find more English-speakers and Western-style hotels in the south, this region offers something perhaps more tourist-friendly – the opportunity to potter about, largely left to your own devices. After the clamour of Hanoi and Hué this makes for a nice change.
While the stunning karst-ridden countryside around Ninh Binh can be seen from a tourist bus on a day trip from Hanoi, it doesn’t rate with the experience of cycling around the idyllic rice paddies by yourself or on the back of a motorbike, as children leading water buffalo stop to wave and shout hello. Architecture and Graham Greene fans alike won’t want to miss Phat Diem, the fascinating cathedral unchanged from its vivid description in The Quiet American (albeit without the bodies floating in the canals).
Getting there & away The major north–south rail route cuts a swathe directly through the region, as does Hwy 1A. The only airport is situated at Vinh, and it has only limited flights to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Book your flights in Vietnam at First Choice Flight Centre
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