The new boat tour at the tourism hub of Trang An complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh is adding more prestige to the UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site while at the same time strengthening the province’s tourism brand.
The new waterway tour, the third of its kind, offers tourists a scenic boat trip of three hours through the Trinh and Quy Minh temples and caves of May, Dia Linh, Van and Dai. During the tour, visitors also have chance to stop at the Vu Lam Palace and Kong film shooting site then return to the departure point.
With the new waterway route tour, which opened in February with a ticket price of VND200,000 (US$9) per person, Trang An now has three waterway tours and one road route to serve visitors.
A royal court music performance in the new boat tour in Trang An Complex. (Source: VNA)
The tours offer the chance to visit up to 11 caves, temples and pagodas including the Trinh Temple and picturesque mountainscapes. The river water is clear enough to view aquatic plants living on the river bed. The nature is pristine with forested mountains and green valleys of reeds and bushes.
The new route is not a difficult trek but includes walks to the Tran Temple, the Vu Lam worshipping palace of the Tran dynasty and to Kong Village, a recently built model aboriginal community with many simple bamboo huts and friendly local villagers – just like the village you see in the latest Kong film: Kong: Skull Island.
Nguyen Van Duong, a freelance tour guide specialising in Ninh Binh boat tours, told Vietnam News that like many other tours in the province, including those through Tam Coc and Bich Dong Complex, the new boat tour in Trang An was obviously attracting visitors to the area.
Duong said along with stops at spiritual and historical vestiges such as the Trinh and Quy Minh temples, the new stop at the Kong film studio on the tour was attracting foreign and international visitors seeking to satisfy their curiosity and admire the natural beauty of the complex.
The Trinh temple has a history of more than 1,000 years while the Quy Minh temple has been recently restored.
Those interested in history will be attracted to the Vu Lam military base, built by the first emperors of the Tran dynasty (1225-1400) after they defeated Mongol invaders.
Caves, especially May Cave with its different stalactites, and Dia Linh Cave, the longest in Trang An at 2km and featuring a pristine beauty, provide adventure trips for those interested in exploration.
Director of the provincial Tourism Department Bui Thanh Dong told Dan Tri online newspaper that this year the province expected to welcome 7.2 million tourists and gross a turnover of VND2,700 billion (US$117 million).
The new waterway tour is the first step in the province’s plan to increase the number of tourists, particularly those who wanted to follow adventurous tours, Dong said.
Nguyen Thanh Trang, a business representative from the agency C-Vietnam Travel, said positive signs had been recorded in tourism development since Ninh Bình has attracted more interest thanks to local historical and cultural vestiges as well as well preserved natural beauty and eco-systems.
Located about 90km 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 Tràng An Landscape Complex, which has been expanded over recent years and gained popularity for its green fields, mountains, caves and forests.
The province has been 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 Landscape Complex was also used as a location for the movie Kong: Skull Island, one of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of 2017.
The locations opened to tourists last April.
Ninh Binh welcomed over 7 million visitors last year, up nearly 10 percent against 2016, of which international visitors were nearly 860,000.
The Trang An tourism complex has a total of 40 tourism spots of historical, cultural, art and natural vestiges including 20 recognised as national heritages.
In 2014, it was officially recognised as a mixed cultural and natural heritage by UNESCO thanks to its outstandingly natural & cultural values.
In UNESCO’s words, "Trang An is a resplendent complex of limestone karst peaks which are permeated with valleys, including submerged ones, and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs", nestling on the southern shore of the Red River Delta.
Archaeological traces of human activity dating back thousands of years have been found within the complex.
The Trang An Complex boasts several nationally recognised sites like the Trang An ecotourism site and Hoa Lu, Vietnam's capital in the 10th and 11th centuries. The area also has many temples, pagodas, paddy fields, villages and other sacred sites. It is home to about 500 flora species, 73 species of birds and 41 species of other animals and has a diverse ecosystem.
The Tea for Harmony: Yaji Cultural Salon and tourism promotion event themed Meet Guangxi (Baise) brought distinctive Chinese cultural features to the capital through activities organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The Phu Quy special zone, an island district off the south-central coast of Vietnam, is capitalising on its strong marine economy potential, particularly in tourism and fisheries, to transform the island’s economy, improve local livelihoods and position itself as a key sea-based economic hub.
Vietnam national U17 football team secured a place at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 for the first time after defeating United Arab Emirates national U17 football team 3-2 on in the final Group C match of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 in Saudi Arabia on early May 14 (Vietnam time).
A twinning agreement between Da Lat Railway Station in Vietnam and Trouville-Deauville Railway Station in France was signed at the French Embassy in Vietnam on May 7, creating new opportunities for cooperation in station management and operations, as well as cultural and tourism promotion between the two sides.
As Tay Ninh identifies tourism as a crucial economic pillar, integrating Don ca tai tu into tourism offerings is seen as a strategic move.
The recognition of Chuyen My and Son Dong craft villages as members of the World Crafts Cities network represents international acknowledgement of the cultural value, artisanal techniques, creativity and sustainable vitality of Vietnam’s traditional craft villages, he said.
Co-hosted by the municipal People’s Committee, the Department of Culture and Sports, and domestic and foreign agencies, the whole spectacle is meant to honour the city’s millennia-old heritage while reafffirming its strategy of establishing culture as a development engine.
In the context of deep international integration, cultural identity serves as both a “shield” against assimilation and a defining marker of a nation’s image. Protecting and promoting uniquely Vietnamese cultural values has therefore become a pressing task, particularly in an increasingly complex digital environment.
In Ho Chi Minh City, leaders, residents, overseas Vietnamese, students and pupils offered incense and flowers in tribute to the Hung Kings and Nguyen Huu Canh, credited with opening up the Sai Gon – Gia Dinh area.
The gathering offers a platform for photographers worldwide to exchange ideas and share experiences, marking the fourth edition of the event.
A survey by booking.com shows that around 33% of Vietnamese respondents are planning short domestic trips for the upcoming Hung Kings Commemoration Day and Reunification Day (April 30)–May Day (May 1) holidays, while 22% are opting for longer international journeys compared to last year.
In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam posted the fastest tourism growth in the region, welcoming 6.76 million international arrivals, up 12.4% year-on-year. Key markets such as China, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan continued to underpin demand.
From the moment attendees entered the exhibition space in Paris, visitors were enveloped in a harmonious blend of sensory experiences, with the delicate aroma of tea, the robust notes of coffee, and the vivid colours of Vietnamese handicrafts.
Only when culture is nurtured basing on the self-awareness and pride of each individual can it exist and develop sustainably, remarked Party General Secretary and State President To Lam.
This year’s festival drew the participation of 15 representatives from embassies in Russia, along with a large number of students from countries, including Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Haiti.
With its large scale, the ITE HCMC 2026 aims to promote tourism cooperation between Vietnam and priority markets such as Northeast Asia, Western Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania while also boosting visitor arrivals from the Indian market
Mui Ne’s appearance in global trend reports signals a new movement, where destinations can no longer rely solely on scenery but must tell their own stories and craft distinctive and personalised experiences.
Although widely regarded as a cultural “speciality” attracting tourists, Vietnamese puppetry is facing multiple challenges in preservation and development, requiring renewed efforts to both safeguard its identity and adapt to contemporary cultural currents.
By 2030, the project targets the establishment of shared digital platforms across 100% of cultural sectors. All digitised cultural heritage will be standardised under the national data framework and shared in accordance with regulations, while 80% of public digital heritage assets are expected to receive digital identifiers to clarify ownership and management, encouraging organisations and individuals to do the same and support market development.
Vietnam has in recent years undergone a notable transformation in its tourism development strategy, placing a strong emphasis on nature-based and eco-tourism. This shift is not merely aligned with global trends, but represents a necessary step towards safeguarding valuable natural resources, while appealing to a growing segment of environmentally conscious travellers.