Vietnam Dec 2023 Day 5

Day 5

14 Dec 23

Ninh Binh to Vinh

Ninh Binh was really endowed with natural beautiful, a great place for sightseeing and ecotourism. There were so many Europeans here and many choose to stay in the villages. This is only possible due to comprehensive tourist support infrastructures available here. 

For the past 4 nights, I stayed at The Moon Lady Homestay. Its just off the main road overlooking farmland. Because of high demand for accommodation, many residential places have converted to homestay. Certainly this help the local earn additional income.

I departed from Ga Ninh Binh at 8.30 on train SE7 to Vinh city

Many buildings are built very close to the railway track, especially in the cities. 

The route passed through vast tract of padi field, mostly on furlough and some are flooded, waiting for the next planting season. 

It was really an old and slow train but it's clean and toilet works. Food was served on push carts by train attendants.

The train journey was four hours. It arrived  at Vinh Station at 1240.

Vinh is the cultural centre of North Western Vietnam. During the French rule, it was an industrial base but also became the centre of uprising against the French. Vinh was also part of Ancient Champa Kingdom. Many historical sites were destroyed by the US during the war.

Hong Son Temple preserves a collection of valuable religious statues and is a major tourist attraction.

The largest wet market in Vinh is located near the temple. Here, everything that is needed in the kitchen is sold. Stalls are everywhere. Vendors just display their wares on the roadside floor, even raw meat, There were life frog, seafood and fish. It's like our wet market before the 60s.

The traffic in Vinh is messy and the number of  motorcycles is overwhelming. It's a challenge for pedestrian to cross the road.

Vinh National Park covers a large area with a huge lake. It have many sculptures based on Chinese mythology.  There is also a gigantic monument of Jo Chi Minh.