Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh is 93km south of Hanoi in north-central Vietnam	Gate to Lang Phu Coc, about 30 minutes south of Hanoi on Route 1A	A church built by the French during the colonial era, about 30 min south of Hanoi	A booming business, Sufat selling motorbikes in Vietnam,
Fancy building along the highway south of Hanoi	...I didn't catch a sign saying what it was...	Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1680km south on Highway 1AL	Near Starting to get into the scenery that the Ninh Binh area is famous for
A flock of ducks, popular menu items in the Far East	Communist hammer and sickle on the road to Hoa Lu with the date 21 January 1931 "Dang Bo Xa Ninh Hoa"	The road to Hoa Lu, which was the capital of Vietnam ca 968-1009	Scenery on the way to Hoa Lu, part of the area known as the inland Halong Bay
Entrance to Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu	...looks like a dog doing its business...	Dad at Hoa Lu	Vietnamese school boy, Hoa Lu
Lily pads and flowers, Hoa Lu - Dinh Tien Hoang temple	Lily pads and flowers, Hoa Lu	Lily pond, Hoa Lu	Gate, Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu
Gate, Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu	Vietnamese festival flag, Hoa Lu	Hoa Lu - Dinh Tien Hoang temple	Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu
Interior of the Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu	Drum, Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu	Lacquer dragon, Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu	Altar with offerings of fresh fruit, Dien Tien Hoang temple
Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang, Hoa Lu	Paper lantern and stone lantern, Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu	Vietnamese "Nam" = English "Man"	Sculpture of a horse, Dien Tien Hoang temple
Yen Ngua Mountain as the scenic backdrop for Dinh Tien Hoang temple, Hoa Lu	Man playing a one-string traditional instrument, Hoa Lu	Woman working to break up clumps of dirt, Hoa Lu	Dad giving it a go
...and yes, they finally got me into a photo...	Take the time to explore some of the back country lanes past the temple, Hoa Lu	Odd tractor-like vehicle	Scenery around Hoa Lu, Vietnam
Hoa Lu landscape with a snall house	Ducks, Hoa Lu	Another temple, Hoa Lu	A small temple, Hoa Lu
The area around Ninh Binh is said to be like an inland version of Halong Bay	Traditional stone house, Hoa Lu	A small canoe pulled up along the shore, Hoa Lu	Another little temple in the scenic area around Hoa Lu
A small temple, Hoa Lu	Vietnamese school children pedaling home, Hoa Lu	Dad taking a rest with a Vietnamese boy whose only English word is "money"	View from the climb to the Tomb of Dieh Tien Hoang, Hoa Lu
View from the climb to the Tomb of Dieh Tien Hoang, Hoa Lu	Tomb of Dieh Tien Hoang, Hoa Lu	Tomb of Dieh Tien Hoang, Hoa Lu	View from the climb to the Tomb of Dieh Tien Hoang, Hoa Lu
The interesting geological formations around Hoa Lu are volcanic in origin	Small pagoda with festival flags at the parking area, Hoa Lu	The car we hired for the day, Hoa Lu	Our driver, who unfortunately spoke very little English
Vietnamese license plate belonging to the car we hired for the day	"Dry Halong Bay" Ninh Binh	Bill board for Tam Coc, Ninh Binh's main attraction	Gateway to Tam Coc, Ninh Binh
Pricing for visits to Tam Coc (30,000 per person plus 40,000 per boat)	Tam Coc "Harbor" - the landing for row boats to the Tam Coc caves	Boat landing for the 2 hour paddle on the Ngo Dong River through the Tam Coc caves	Row boat, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh)
Tam Coc boat landing	Tam Coc row boats waiting for customers, Ninh Binh	Very odd - foot paddling	Bridge over the Ngo Dong River, Tam Coc
Tractor	Paddle boat, Tam Coc	Floating photographer, Tam Coc	Another floating photographer waiting for a willing customer
Ngo Dong River entering the scenic rock formations	Dad with our paddlers, Tam Coc	Tam Coc river excursion	Hang Ca, the First Grotto, one of 3 caves the river passes through
Low entrance to the First Grotto, 20m wide, 127m long	First Grotto, Tam Coc	First Grotto, Tam Coc	First Grotto, Tam Coc
Between the First and Second Grottos	Traffic on the Ngo Dong River, Tam Coc	Park Ranger, Tam Coc	Rock formation, Ngo Dong River, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh)
Tourist boat, Tam Coc	Shrines near the entrance to the Second Grotto	Row boat entering the Second Grotto, Ngo Dong River, Tam Coc	Second Grotto, 18m wide, 60m long, Tam Coc
Most of the paddlers are women, but some are men, Tam Coc	Entrance to the Third Grotto, 18m wide, 45m long, Tam Coc	Third Grotto, Tam Coc	Entrance to the Third Grotto, Tam Coc
Boat in the Third Grotto, Tam Coc	Small floating market after the Third Grotto, Tam Coc	After the Third Grotto, the boat turns around and paddles back to the starting point	Second Grotto, Tam Coc
Second Grotto, Tam Coc	I'm surprised they don't stop here	Tourist boat, Tam Coc	Between the Second and First Grottos, Tam Coc
Rock formations, Ngo Dong River, Tam Coc	River eroded limestone formations, Tam Coc	Tourist boat, Tam Coc	Between the Second and First Grottos, Tam Coc
Between the Second and First Grottos, Tam Coc	Tourist boats on the Ngo Dong River, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh)	Steep, rocky hills, Tam Coc	Our assistant paddle lady, Tam Coc
Our primary paddle lady, Tam Coc	Tourist row boat, Tam Coc, Ninh Binh	Row boat, Tam Coc	Between the Second and First Grottos, Tam Coc
Approaching the First Grotto, Tam Coc	Approaching the First Grotto, Tam Coc	Ngo Dong River, Tam Coc	Entering the First Grotto on the return trip, Tam Coc
Entering the First Grotto on the return trip, Tam Coc	Tam Coc	Inside the First Grotto, Tam Coc	Inside the First Grotto, Tam Coc
First Grotto (cave) Tam Coc	Young man rowing a boat, Tam Coc	Tam Coc	Hilltop temple with a stone carved dragon which must have a great view of Tam Coc
Tam Coc	Nearing the end of our trip - the sales spiel over	Tam Coc	Tam Coc
Tam Coc	Tam Coc	Back to the boat landing at Tam Coc	Back on land, Tam Coc
Wave goodbye from our boat lady, Tam Coc	Various souvenir hats, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh)	New Hotel, Tam Coc (Ninh Binh)	Gas pump, Vietnam 1300 dong/liter
Communist billboard in Ninh Binh City	Japanese surrender - 9 September 1945	Ho Chi Minh watching over Ninh Binh (translation anyone?)	Another Ho Chi Minh billboard in Ninh Binh City