Trang An is an eco-tourism area inside the Trang An Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh. UNESCO listed the complex in 2014 as a mixed natural and cultural site, the first of its kind in Vietnam. Its limestone ranges are about 250 million years old, and erosion has left hundreds of valleys, caves and lakes between them.
The terrain was hard to cross, which is why Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang used it as the southern wall protecting his capital at Hoa Lu in the 10th century. The Tran dynasty later set up the Vu Lam field palace here during the wars against the Mongols. Many historic sites from both periods remain.
You see it from a small rowing boat. Vietnam's tourism board notes that at the Trang An and Tam Coc docks, each sampan is guided by a boat person who rows with their feet, not their hands. Wikipedia counts 31 lakes linked by 48 known caves, some of them water caves around 2 km long.
Getting there
Wikipedia puts the Trang An boat center 3 km south of the Hoa Lu ancient capital and 96 km south of Hanoi by road. In a straight line on map coordinates it is about 86 km from Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.
From Hanoi, the train is one option. Our Hanoi to Ninh Binh train guide covers the train timetable and the station.
Hours and fees
The management board's price list gives these prices for the Trang An eco-tourism area:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (taller than 1.3 m) | VND 300,000 |
| Child 1 m to 1.3 m | VND 150,000 |
| Child under 1 m | Free |
The Ninh Binh tourism portal's own list, updated 4 March 2025, still shows VND 250,000 for adults. The figures above come from the management board's page, which we read again on 24 October 2026.
Neither the board's page nor the provincial list publishes opening hours. The provincial list gives the Trang An ticket office phone number as 0229.3620.335, so call that to confirm the first and last boat. Our Trang An boat tour price article compares this ticket with Tam Coc and the other Ninh Binh boat routes.
Nearby
- Hoa Lu Ancient Capital: about 4 km in a straight line.
- Tam Coc: about 5 km in a straight line.
Questions travelers ask
Trang An or Tam Coc? Two travelers compared the two boat areas in r/VietNam threads about seeing Ninh Binh without a tour:
"Agreed: Tam Coc is overtouristed and uninteresting; Trang An more laid back and authentic."
u/X-man0421 on r/VietNam
"I recommend to stay at tam coc or trang an, because it's close to the activities."
u/Educational_Low6834 on r/VietNam
