If you are looking for interesting experiences to be truly immerse yourself into the nature, Van Long Natural Reserve and Kenh Ga Hot Spring are the destinations you should not miss once visiting Ninh Binh Province.
Van Long Natural Reserve and Kenh Ga Hot Spring are both located in Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province, about 90 kilometers to the south of Hanoi. If Van Long is ideal for enjoying a boat tour, be harmony with the nature, and watching white-hipped langurs, Kenh Ga is a place that you can soak in a hot spring to unwind and release all lassitude and worry.
Van Long Natural Reserve is the largest wetland natural reserve in the Northern Delta. The place has been opened for tourists since 1998 and become a key tourism zone in Vietnam. In 2010, Van Long held two national records in Vietnam Records Book Center, namely, home of the largest community of Trachypithecus delacouri & the largest natural picture in Vietnam. This wetland is an area of the ecological diversity. Two main ecosystems in Van Long include wetlands and forests on limestone mountains. Flora and fauna here are pretty diverse with 722 plant species and 39 animal species. Not only known as the national natural reserve, Van Long is but also considered as “a terrestrial Ha Long Bay” due to its attractive landscapes. Van Long has around 1,000 beautiful caves, many of them have great values for tourism such as Fish Cave (Hang Ca), Turtle Cave (Hang Rua), Lemon Cave (Hang Chanh), and Shadow Cave (Hang Bong). A boat tour in Van Long also allows tourists to admire limestone massifs in various shapes and sizes like Raspberry Mountain (Nui Mam Xoi), Fairy Mountain (Nui Co Tien), Orphan Mountain (Nui Mo Coi), etc.
Approximately 3 kilometers from Van Long Natural Reserve and 1 kilometer from Van Trinh Cave, Kenh Ga Hot spring is a favorite hot spring in Vietnam of both domestic and international tourists. Kenh Ga Hot Spring was recognized as one in Top 5 most attractive hot springs in Vietnam and recorded in Vietnam Records Book Center. The mineral water in Kenh Ga Hot Spring has the high content of different salts including sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and bicarbonate. The waters have the colorless, the odorless, and the slightly acrid taste. The stable temperature in the hot stream is 530C. Indulging yourself in the mineral waters of Kenh Ga Hot Spring allows you to relax and forget all daily troubles. Especially, according to scientists, some normal diseases such as skin diseases, rheumatoid, and nerve inflammation can be cured if soaking in the stream several times.
Other attactions in Ninh Binh: Trang An Scenic landscape complex, Tam Coc Bich Dong, Hoa Lu Ancient capital, Cuc Phuong National park, Phat Diem stone cathedral, Van Long Nature reserve – Kenh Ga Hot Spring
