Ninh Bình () is a small city in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is the capital of Ninh Bình Province.
There are three main spots, where people board boat tours: Trang An, Tam Coc and Vân Long. Tam Coc being the most famous and therefore crowded of them.
Mountain goat (de nui) meat is a local speciality, often eaten with fried rice (com chien). Another local speciality is com chay, which is the burnt rice off the bottom of the pot, served with pork. Duck is featured in many restaurants.
The area near the train station has become a mini-backpacker area, and there are 4-5 backpacker cafes there with English menus and tourist prices (40,000-70,000 dong; coffee 15,000-20,000 dong). The three most popular restaurants are called "Good Food", "Cheap Good Food" and "Fast Food Cheap" (all on Hoang Hoa Tham).
There are plenty of bia hoi sellers along the river in the late afternoon and evenings. One glass usually costs 5,000 dong. Plenty of places sell a sugar cane drink with ice for about 5,000 dong.
There is a fresh fruit market next to the main market across the bridge.
There are a number of cheap hotels just outside the train station and next to the bus station. Other hotels are located near the city centre. As there is nothing to see in city, either area is suitable. The area near the train station has become a mini-backpacker district, complete with travel agents, touts, overpriced drinks and English-menu restaurants. While it is also possible to stay near the wharf for the Tam Coc ferry, it is not recommended as the quality of the hotels and in particular the restaurants is very low.
Ninh Binh is famous for the nearby karst scenery and the village of Tam Coc. There isn't much to do around, apart from drinking beer with the locals, but it is useful as a base for the surrounding countryside.
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is a inscribed as a mixed natural and cultural property, a spectacular limestone karst landscape. The archeological remains found in caves trace human presence since 30,000 years. Part of the heritage is Hoa Lu, the old capital of Vietnam.
