Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve

A fantastic landscape, worth a trip even in the rain. If you like peace and simplicity, this is the right place for you.

My boat captain gave me time to take photos and pointed out the monkeys in the trees and various water birds.

As the sole participant I paid 200k. I think a tip of 100k is definitely appropriate.
It was a wonderful trip!

(September 2023)
Someone from the restaurant near the parking area pointed us to the point where you could buy the tickets for the boat, it was a few meters away from the “pier”. Back then it cost 100k per person and at the end of the ride after cca 80 minutes, we gave our guide a tip but we absolutely weren’t pressured to. We got very lucky with the weather, we wore hats because it was extremely sunny and some ladies were selling umbrellas nearby. We didn’t get to see monkeys but the scenery was stunning nevertheless. I was mad at myself for not being able to speak Vietnamese more because our guide was lovely and tried to tell us about the formations in caves, animals and plants, I just couldn’t understand him 🥲 It’s a shame that there is a language barrier in most of the touristic places in Vietnam.

We were lucky enough to have the wetlands to ourselves. We were there, 11.00 am in January. We saw several different types of birds as well as the monkeys, who were moving around the cliff face with ease. A lovely quiet spot. Well worth a visit early. 🤙

A lovely spot in the heart of Ninh Binh's lush nature. We paid 100baht per person for the boat ride and had the boat to ourselves. Tickets are just down the road from where you get the boats.
We did not have to tip the driver and at no point was tipping mentioned or pressured like other reviews say. It seems they had a new system where you pay more upfront for the ticket than before but no more aggressive tipping culture. I hope this means more overall money to the drivers.

The boat ride itself was lovely, it's rowed so as to not make any noise and disturb the wildlife. So quiet and peaceful as you weave through the reeds. We went in the afternoon and still saw a lot of birds, including two Kingfishers, many Storks and a Marsh Harrier. Earlier morning would be very good I imagine. The lady driver stopped to collect some plants off the water which was a cool experience.

We saw maybe one other boat during our time, the boat trip was 1 hour 30. We also drove our motorbike around the whole reserve afterwards which was a nice drive with great views.

King Kong was filmed here!!! But tbh there’s not much to see here. Maybe because we came in the hot afternoon so it was hard to spot any animals, I found it pretty boring, Trang an is a better place to look at. But still no regrets 👌🏻 it’s way less crowded than Trang An, the tickets are cheaper and you still get to see pretty amazing views ❤

To find the ridiculously unassuming ticket booth you gotta ask the locals for directions. Tickets were 100k dong/pax, boats can fit up to 3 people. The locals are incredibly nice and friendly, my group not only got to row with our little paddles, but our rower let us row the boat with the big main oars too!

All of us took turns to try, carefully getting up from our seats to slowly move into position. the boat was dipping quite a bit into the waters due to there being three of us :) I was lowkey scared the whole time that the boat would flip 😂 it didn’t

Rowing was fun! But we… basically failed 😂 the boat went into the banks quite a lot and went straight almost never 😊

Beautiful area, not that many tourists comparing to Tam Coc.

If you ask your hotel they all recommend to go to Tam Coc. Van Long is a little further, but it works out cheaper with the taxi included and much better without the overcrowding.

Great experience. We were the last boat (330ish), didn’t see too many birds (what we came for), but saw more the 12 of the Delacour Langur across 2 different parts of the park. Also the landscape was probably more striking than Trang An or Tam Coc. With the reeds and the karsts in the grey of the evening, it was just superb.

Such beautiful scenery, and a great boat trip that was more quiet than the tam coc one. When we went we were the only ones there which felt super serene

Beautiful scenery- we visited early December and were lucky to see beautiful pink lotus flowers!
Pay for a boat ride (1.5 hour) to be taken around the wetlands and go into a cave.
I was sceptical about doing this boat ride after visiting trang an, but it really was worth it! A lot less touristy and more peaceful- adds to the beauty of the landscape!
Also visiting later in the day was well worth it as the sun starts to set and the birds start to fly back to their nests (we only saw a small flock but it was worth holding on for!)

This will be my 2nd best attraction site after Trang An. A calm and relaxed boat ride, the rower even let me ride the boat and taught me nicely. We were blessed to witness the wild monkey from very far distance. Definitely will go back in winter time.

Loved the wide open space and the views so much. It was very serene. The cave was abit underwhelming, but the views were amazing.

We weren’t pressured to tip the boat man but after tipping him, I think he seemed to expect more 😅 but other than that he was really nice.

Beautiful serene and peaceful boat ride trough wetlands. Spotted a few birds but overall it was super calm and relaxing. I rlly enjoyed it.

We went first thing in the morning and it was really peaceful and quiet with only another couple of boats. Much less touristy than other boat tours in Ninh Binh but had its own unique landscape. We were lucky enough to see a family of lemurs and observed them for a while.

A nice boat promenade, in a peaceful surrounding
Very very very nice

I was initially disappointed because you cannot walk in the nature reserve. BUT the boat trip was lovely and peaceful, a very different vibe to Trang An. We were lucky enough to see the langurs but even without that it is a charming boat trip among the scenery of Ninh Binh.
Cons - There are 3 routes available according to the sign but unclear if the rowers make any distinction! Price was also quite high for what it is - 100K per person (plus tip which is well deserved) but much cheaper than Trang An or Tam Coc.

Majestic location and very peaceful. We were lucky to be the only two rafts there during the slightly misty afternoon. If you have watched Skull Island (King Kong), you would find yourself very immersed in the scenery. Beautiful place I will be returning. Bring binoculars, spot some kingfishers, storks and beautiful floral and fauna

A one hour drive away from Tam Coc. Much less touristic and just as beautiful as the more popular boat tours from Trang An.
If you are lucky, you can see monkeys there too.

I got the trip to explore the Van Long nature reserve in April 8. Few tips for the next customers:
- it is far from Ninh Binh city around 15km. I lost 40 minutes for driving. ( i drive slow).
- price ticket. 80.000 vnd/1 person if you travel alone. 50.000/ person if your group has more 2 people.
- the best time to see is morning (around 7:00-8:00) and afternoon (16:00-17:00 p.m). These time, you can see the special langur in tue Red list. But i was late so couldn't see any langur. But the afternoon is the best time to hunt sunset :)
- the wind nature on the wetland make you feel interesting and relaxing. The driver of bamboo shared me few information. Here was the main King Kong film set with Tràng An.
-there are 2 routes. First route to see the cave and the second route to see the langur. I recommend for 2nd. Cause it is longer and more interesting. :) you maybe disappointed if just see the cave in dry season.
- the route 1 will be more amazing if you visit in rain season in July- August. The water level will higher and you can explore the beautiful cave.
- tip for driver who help you row boat. :)
- have a good camera to take the most pictures with your ability

Have a good trip!👍

This place is absolutely breath taking. Our boat guide was accommodating when we wanted to take pictures and overall very friendly even though language was a barrier. Definitely recommend coming with hats a d sunscreen as well as being and ready to tip your "rower". I think very underrated and definitely worth the 2 hour drive from Hanoi.

This place is unique because if you go around by boat you can see the “white pant monkey” which is endangered animal and a lot of wild cranes. The scenery is almost the same as Trang An, but the area is smaller.