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Tam Coc

VerdictTake the cheaper ticket unless you want the shuttle to Bich Dong, and call the ticket line to check the last boat first.

A rowing-boat route through three caves, the oldest boat trip in Ninh Binh.

A small rowing boat on a calm river at Tam Coc between steep green limestone hills under a blue sky
Photo: Shyamal / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
On this page
  1. Intro
  2. Getting there
  3. Hours & fees
  4. Nearby
  5. Questions
  6. Sources

Tam Coc means "three caves". The boat route runs along the Ngo Dong river, which cuts straight through three mountains to form Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba. Wikipedia calls it the first and oldest boat route opened in Ninh Binh. The wider Tam Coc and Bich Dong area is sometimes called "Ha Long Bay on land", and it includes sites linked to the Tran dynasty's Vu Lam field palace.

Hang Ca, the first cave, is 127 m long, with a mouth more than 20 m wide. Hang Hai comes almost 1 km later and runs 60 m. Hang Ba, close behind it, is 50 m long and has the lowest ceiling of the three.

The management board says the area links close to 20 sights by boat, bicycle and on foot. Bich Dong pagoda is 2 km from the Tam Coc boat landing.

Hundreds of green rowing boats moored side by side at the Tam Coc boat landing, with an arched footbridge and palm trees behind
Image: travel oriented / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Tam Coc boat landing seen from above on a hazy day, with boats moored along a curved embankment
Image: ChieuTimViet / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Getting there

The management board puts Tam Coc 7 km from Hoa Lu ward, the center of Ninh Binh province. In a straight line on map coordinates, the boat landing is about 91 km from Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. Our Hanoi to Ninh Binh train guide covers the train from Hanoi.

Hours and fees

The Trang An management board's price list gives two Tam Coc tickets. The dearer one adds an electric shuttle that stops at Tam Coc, Thai Vi temple, Tien cave and Bich Dong pagoda.

TicketAdult (taller than 1.3 m)Child 1 m to 1.3 m
Without the electric shuttleVND 250,000VND 120,000
With the electric shuttleVND 350,000VND 190,000

Children under 1 m go free. Neither the board's page nor the Ninh Binh provincial ticket list publishes opening hours. The provincial list gives the Tam Coc ticket line as 1900 9157, so call that to confirm the first and last boat. Our Trang An boat tour price article compares Tam Coc with Trang An and the other boat routes.

Small boats on the river at Tam Coc, with a sheer limestone cliff rising on the left bank
Image: Andre Hospers / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Nearby

Questions travelers ask

Is Tam Coc worth staying in? Two travelers who stayed there gave mixed views on r/VietNam:

"I stayed at tam coc for a couple days. It was meh nothing special."

u/xTroiOix on r/VietNam

"Though still a beautiful place to go for a morning stroll."

u/Snikhop on r/VietNam

More sights in Ninh Binh

Related guides

Sources

Checked in October 2026.Show all 6 sources
  • vi.wikipedia.org. Tam Coc means three caves: Hang Ca, Hang Hai, Hang Ba, formed by the Ngo Dong river cutting through the mountains.
  • trangandanhthang.vn. Called Ha Long Bay on land; sites linked to the Tran Vu Lam field palace; close to 20 sights; 7 km from Hoa Lu ward, the provincial center.
  • trangandanhthang.vn. Without shuttle: adult over 1.3 m VND 250,000, child 1 to 1.3 m VND 120,000, under 1 m free.
  • dulichninhbinh.com.vn. Provincial ticket list: Tam Coc ticket line 1900 9157.
  • openstreetmap.org. Coordinates: Tam Coc boat landing (OpenStreetMap node); Hoa Lu, Trang An, Hoan Kiem Lake (Wikidata).
  • wikidata.org, page 2, page 3. Coordinates: Tam Coc boat landing (OpenStreetMap node); Hoa Lu, Trang An, Hoan Kiem Lake (Wikidata).