If you're looking for a great day trip from Vietnam's capital Hanoi, consider Tam Coc (above) or Trang An (below), as they feature a boat trip with stunning scenery around with mountain and clear water. I sometimes get asked by our guests which is preferable, and frankly, it's not an easy question to answer. But there are some minor advantages/disadvantages to each.
Tam Coc is a UNESCO World Heritage region often referred to as "Halong Bay on land" for good reason: the similarity of its limestone karst landscape. In Trang An, the scenery is also the same but on a larger area of the river (wetland). The boat trip on Tam Coc takes about 2.5 hours and brings you go through three caves, going and return on the same waterway – a small river. On Trang An, you go through more caves (7-9), going through caves, returning a different way, with the time on boat longer, about 3.5 hours.
Tam Coc is much more beautiful during the yellow rice fields from May to early June. Tourist crowds are usually around 10 am till 3 pm, and so it’s recommended that you take the boat ride in early morning or later afternoon after 4 pm. There’s no rice fields in Trang An, peering down at the underwater ecosystem is a fantastic sight. I also suggest if possible you take the boat ride in early morning or late after noon to avoid the crowds. You should also avoid from February to late March, the most crowded time of year.
Trang An
I also hear some other reasons which said to choose Tam Coc instead of Trang An because Tam Coc is more natural while Trang An is artificial, but I think it’s not true at all. You might see some pagodas along the trip in Trang An, and also some caves needed to construct the way to go inside but generally it’s a natural ecosystem and all the caves are natural and more beautiful than in Tam Coc. Also some people complaint about rowing boat hawkers in Tam Coc keep asking you to buy stuff on her boats, I don’t think this is a hassle too.
What about doing both? Yes, it’s possible, but you'll need to go early in the morning and come back late in the evening.
Another option for nature and tranquility, and with fewer tourist crowds, is a boat ride in Van Long Nature Reserve.
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