If you're visiting Vietnam's capital, be sure to set aside time for a couple of day trips out of the city. And one you shouldn't miss is one to Ninh Binh province, about an hour by train, bus, or car (if you don't want to travel independently, tour operators run packaged day trips). In contrast with bustling Hanoi, Ninh Binh in the Red River Delta is famous for its peaceful tranquility and scenery, especially the sheer limestone karst hills rising around the river - a UNESCO World Heritage Site dubbed "Halong Bay on land.".

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