Ninh Bình, Red River Delta, Vietnam

🇻🇳 Ninh Bình is the capital of Ninh Bình Province in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. Geography

Ninh Bình Province is located in northern Vietnam comprising 48 square kilometres. It takes 2 hours by coach to travel from Hanoi to Ninh Bình.

History During the Nguyen dynasty, in August 1884 in the Tonkin campaign, the allegiance of Ninh Bình was of considerable importance to the French, as artillery mounted in its lofty citadel controlled river traffic to the Gulf of Tonkin. Although the Vietnamese authorities in Ninh Bình made no attempt to hinder the passage of an expedition launched by Henri Rivière in March 1883 to capture Nam Định, they were known to be hostile towards the French. In November 1883, on the eve of the Sơn Tây campaign, the French occupied the citadel of Ninh Bình without resistance and installed a garrison.

Geography Ninh Bình is located to the south of the Northern Delta, between the Red and Ma rivers. It is bordered by Hòa Bình and Hà Nam to the north, Nam Định to the north-east, and Thanh Hóa to the south and west. Ninh Bình also has a very short coastline abutting the Gulf of Tonkin.

Demographics The ethnic groups include the Viet (also called the Kinh, the Vietnamese ethnic majority), as well as other groups such as the Dao, Hoa, Hmong, Mường, Nùng, Tày and Thai. There are 23 ethnic groups, of which the Kinh account for more than 98%.

Natural sights • Tam Cốc-Bích Động • Thung Nham Ecotourism Zone (Khu du lịch sinh thái Thung Nham) • Múa Caves (Hang Múa) • Tràng An • Cúc Phương: primitive forest and ancient inhabited cave (Nho Quan) • Địch Lộng cave and pagoda (Gia Thành - Gia Viễn).

Ninh Bình was selected as among the main locations for the movie Kong: Skull Island.

Conservation centers • Bear Sanctuary Ninh Bình • Endangered Primate Rescue Center • Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program • Turtle Conservation Center.

Ecological sights • Cúc Phương National Park • Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve.

Historic sights • Bích Động pagoda and cave • Bái Đính Temple • Ban Long Pagoda • Dinh and Le Temples • Hoa Lư ancient capital • Hoa Lư Citadel; Nhat Tu Pagoda • Phát Diệm Cathedral (Phát Diệm - Kim Sơn).

The old city of Ninh Bình is a well-known historical site in Vietnam.

Festivals[edit] • Thái Vi festival (Ninh Hải - Hoa Lư) (third moon of the lunar calendar) • Trường Yên Festival • Yên Cư Festival • Nộn Khê Festival.

Handicrafts[edit] Embroidered handicrafts in Hoa Lư District Sea reed handicrafts in Kim Sơn District

Transportation[edit] Ninh Bình is located 91 km from Hanoi and has both rail and road transport links. It has express rail connections with Hanoi in the north and Thanh Hóa and Vinh in the south. Buses from Hanoi's South Bus Station stop by Ninh Bình; the bus routes parallel and complement the rail route.