Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary

Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary. What can I say? This place far exceeded my expectations and every person that works here has a real passion and love for what they are doing.

From the moment we arrived everyone was so friendly and welcoming, all the tour options were presented with no pressure to buy anything. We went for the full sanctuary tour and at 250K per person it was worth every penny. Not only are you paying for a really excellent tour with a very passionate and knowledgeable guide, you are also helping to support the incredible work that is being done to help these beautiful animals and the ongoing expansion of the sanctuary.

These bears have all been rescued from a horrific and pitiful existence where they were kept in tiny steel cages to have their bile regularly extracted by horrendous methods. This sanctuary is giving them a second chance to live a normal life in a safe and loving environment. Every care is taken to ensure that they have a proper diet, stimulation and space to explore so that they can hopefully make a full recovery from the trauma they have suffered. I have to admit I spent a lot of time with tears in my eyes thinking about where these bears had come from and what this place and the people that run it mean for their future and that of other bears still to be rescued.

This is, by far, the most moving experience I have had in two months of travelling round Vietnam. If you are in Ninh Binh the Bear Sanctuary is a must see. Thank you to everyone involved at Four Paws.

Well worth a visit, it's great to see people so enthusiastic about bears, and watching the bears themselves, enjoying their lives after living in cruel conditions. The guided tour was a bit short though, but I guess you can hang around more, I was in a hurry anyway. The movie, which is part of the guided tour is worth watching too.

A genuinely touching experience. The staff here are passionate and doing such important work. They provide 3 options for tours: self guided (50k), guided (150k) and guided with closer access to the bears (250k). All are fantastic and it is clear to see that the bears are being given a brilliant second chance at life. The shop also provides classy souvenirs with all profits going towards the bears themselves.
A must do in Ninh Binh.

tl;dr An amazing, kind, meaningful, beautiful and interesting place that can't be missed in Ninh Binh. Go early; take the in-depth tour; then enjoy a coffee or lunch at the inhouse café after!

We had a lot of wonderful experiences in Ninh Binh, but this was truly a highlight.

ABOUT: The bear sanctuary rescues bears from the inhumane bear bile trade, helps to treat and rehabilitate them, and introduces them into a semi-wild captivity where they are well cared for the rest of their lives. They are given nutritious food, lots of enrichment, play, and space, and companions if possible. Each bear even had a small swimming pool, hammock, playgrounds, and many bushes and trees to forage in. It's truly a paradise for these formerly abused bears, and wonderful to see them enjoying themselves free and uncaged.

TOUR: We opted for the most in depth tour at 250k VND each. This involved having a guide bring us through the staff areas at the bear sanctuary and screening some videos and a short film. The tour was both fun and informative whereby we got to see many bears up close, ask our lovely guide many questions, see where their food is prepared and the vet clinic, as well as many behind the scenes aspects of the sanctuary. The staff don't pressure you to take this tour (it's the most expensive), but I feel it would be a shame for fellow visitors to miss it. Our guide Ngen (sorry if I spelled her name wrong) was so patient and nice! Would suggest going at opening time (9am) to catch an early tour, as the bears have just been fed and are active at that time. The short 30-minute film shown at the end of the tour is also great.

Signages/education: There are many interesting and fun signs that educate visitors about not just the bears in the sanctuary but also the bear bile trade, medicinal plant alternatives to bear bile, different bear species of the world, etc.

Staff/Service: Extremely friendly, accommodating, and nice!

Food: They have a vegan café and bistro. I liked that the food was vegan; it's not bad; quite decent for the price.

Environmental consciousness: Amazingly well done, love that they are so consistent in their mission by not just giving these bears a good home but also encouraging plant based eating and usage of herbs.

What a memorable experience! We had no idea what to expect. When we arrived we were told that the best time to see the bears was around 1pm after they’ve had their morning nap. We read all the information boards which gave information on some of the rescued bears and the background of why they’ve been rescued. We had lunch in the veggie cafe then watched a film about the illegal practice of extracting bile from bears and showing the efforts people have gone to to help the bears. Quite an emotional rollercoaster. Then we had tour round the bear compounds. Expectations of seeing much were low, but we saw lots of bears; some shaking out their food, playing and generally hanging out. The staff were incredibly knowledgeable and so enthusiastic about their work. If you’re in the Ninh Binh area and get a chance, do go!

Amazing sanctuary! The immersive guided tour (ca. 1.5h) is very well worth it. You can learn a lot about bears, the terrible suffering they experience in the bile farms and how the team of the sanctuary and Four Paws saves them from it.

The staff does an amazing job in making the bears‘ life better and giving them the environment they need. I highly recommend a visit to this sanctuary!

You have many options to visit this place: unguided skywalk (50k), guided skywalk and documentary (150k) and guided closer to the bears (250k). I did the first option, because I was short on time. They have a lot of information on the bears in general and the illegal farms from which they are saved. Really easy to see the bears

Highly recommend the sanctuary visit ticket, that lets you see the bears up close and hear stories from a wonderful guide. Such a caring place for the rescued bears. And lots for visitors to learn in modern exhibits. Definitely worth a stop!

Lovely landscape you see on the way here. Nice place to visit. They do work hard to save and look after the bears.
We saw many bears during our visit, eating, bathing in the pools. Definitely recommend getting a guide, they is lovely and explains to you their work, the bears past and their every day life.
The food in the restaurant is vegetarian and very tasty too 😋

Amazing sanctuary doing amazing things! Our tour guide was incredible and very passionate. We would 100% recommend!

We had an amazing time at the bear sanctuary! The lady who showed us around gave us lots of information and it was clear that she really cared about the bears. It was so sad to hear how these bears have been mistreated, but so wonderful to see the amazing work that everyone at the sanctuary is doing! Would definitely recommend this wonderful place.

The highlight of my trip to Vietnam, and absolutely worth a day trip from Hanoi. I've been supporting Four Paws for years but to see their work in action, rescuing bears in desperate need from the bear bile industry, is something truly moving and awe-inspiring. The sanctuary itself is incredible, with large enclosures tailored perfectly to meet the needs of the rescued bears, informative educational facilities and a lovely restaurant serving great-value vegetarian food and drink for visitors. The staff are so friendly, dedicated and passionate, with a clear love for the bears and the critical work they do.

There are a few options for how to spend your visit, ranging in price from 50K VND to 250K VND, with the latter package including a 45-minute guided sanctuary tour, a self-guided skywalk experience (there are information boards, videos and interactive activities throughout, as well as a gorgeous view over the enclosures and sanctuary) and viewing of a beautiful 30-minute film about the bears and sanctuary life in the air-conditioned presentation room.

If making the trip from Hanoi, I'd strongly advise taking advantage of the centre's recommended driving service, Quang Anh Limosine. I arranged my own means of transport on the way there, being a bus company to Ninh Binh and a taxi for the remainder of my journey, but used Quang Anh's transportation service on the way back to Hanoi. This was a much better option, not only being more efficient, faster and more well organised, but also much cheaper (200K VND, compared to the 750K VND I paid for the bus and taxi).

If you're in Northern Vietnam, don't miss the chance to visit and support the work of this wonderful sanctuary. I won't be forgetting the incredible impact my visit had upon me anytime soon.

We found this on the map as we wanted to experience something off the normal tourist track. It was my favourite part of Ninh Binh and well worth the moped ride. They take amazing care of the bears and all the information helps you understand the mission of four paws and the bears themselves.

We didn't have time for the tour, but would definitely recommend it and it's worth the 150,000. But the skywalk, if you are lucky like we were, allows you to see the bears well. We saw a total of 8 bears and the staff are so friendly. Plus what you spend supports the bears and locals. So we made use of the gift shop and restaurant on our way out.

Amazing sanctuary. They work very hard for the well being of the bears. Enjoyed the guided tour and the restaurant.

If you are in the area I would definitely recommend visiting the sanctuary. We had a very interesting tour with a lovely tour guide who also spoke English. She showed us around the sanctuary and answered all of our questions. The tour cost us 150000 vd. per person. That also includes the sky walk, on which you have a great view over the enclosures. The money helps the sanctuary to buy food and in general to take care of the bears.
🐻

Great place. They rescue tortured bears and give them a peaceful life.
Worth to see and support.
We did the sanctuary tour😀👍

Thank you for your work and passion in giving the bears a second life!! It is very sad to learn about the history of these poor animals and the cruelty of humans. And it is so good to see that at least some of them can now live a life in peace, joy and happiness!! We loved spending time at the sanctuary and seeing so many bears during the guided tour (highly recommended!) and we hope your plans to keep extending the sanctuary soon go very well! 🐻❤

Its amazing this sanctuary exsists its just ashame it has to exsist due to the cruelty of bear bile farmers. If visiting please spend the extra and get the immersive experience, 250k each, the videos they have are utterly heart breaking but the life stories when these amazing creatures are rescued is life affirming.

Please keep up the good work!

The bears were very sweet, came just at feeding time. They give you bearnoculars to spot them with. 10/10, nice food too!

Visiting the bear sanctuary will help contribute to a great cause. It’s a lovely place. 10/10 experience, would recommend.