New boat tours to recently-studied routes deep inside the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh will be open to tourists during Tet, on February 17, to meet higher travel demand during the country’s biggest holiday and provide a new experience to tourists.

The new routes include Trinh Temple - May Cave; Dat Linh Cave; and Van Cave - Quy Minh Temple - Vu Lam military basement. Trinh Temple has a history of more than 1,000 years while Quy Minh Temple has been restored. Those interested in history will be attracted to the Vu Lam military basement of the first emperors of the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) after they defeated Mongol invaders. Meanwhile, caves, especially May Cave with its different stalactites, and Dia Linh Cave, the longest in Trang An at 2 km and featuring a pristine beauty, will provide adventure trips for those into exploration.

Each of the boat tours cost VND200,000 ($8.8) per person.

Located 90 km south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh is known as “Ha Long Bay on Land”, given its limestone mountains rising out of paddy fields. The most famous local attraction is the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, which has been expanded over recent years and gained in popularity for its green fields, mountains, caves, and forests. In December the province was listed as one of the 50 best spots to visit in 2018 by US travel site Insider.

Together with other famous sites in the province such as Tam Coc Grottos and Van Long Lagoon, the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was also used as a location for the movie “Kong: Skull Island”, one of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of 2017. The locations then opened to tourists last April.

Ninh Binh welcomed over 7 million visitors last year, up nearly 10 per cent against 2016, of which international visitors were nearly 860,000.

VN Economic Times