TOP THINGS TO DO IN VAN LONG, NINH BINH 🌿
Slow down, explore nature, and experience the quiet side of Ninh Binh
If you are looking for a quieter side of Ninh Binh, away from busy tourist routes and crowded attractions, Van Long is a place worth slowing down for.
Surrounded by limestone mountains, peaceful wetlands, rice fields, gardens and traditional villages, Van Long offers a different kind of travel — one where you have time to walk, cycle, watch wildlife, enjoy local food, and simply sit quietly with a cup of coffee.
At Van Long Garden, we believe that some of the best travel experiences are not about seeing as many places as possible.
They are about experiencing one place more deeply.
Here are some of our favourite things to do in and around Van Long.
- Take a Boat Ride on Van Long Wetland 🛶
One of the most beautiful ways to experience Van Long is from the water.
Step into a traditional boat and slowly glide across the calm wetlands, surrounded by limestone mountains, reeds and open skies.
As the boat moves quietly through the water, look for birds, aquatic plants and reflections of the dramatic limestone cliffs.
There is no rush.
Just water, mountains, nature and silence. If lucky enough, you will have chance to watch white pant langurs, a critically endangered primates found only in Vietnam.
- Cycle Through the Countryside 🚲
Take a bicycle and explore Van Long at your own pace.
From Van Long Garden, you can follow quiet village roads and dyke paths around Van Long Wetland and Dam Cut.
Along the way, you may see farmers working in the fields, buffalo grazing beside the road, birds crossing the sky, small village gardens and limestone mountains rising in the distance.
There is no need to follow a strict itinerary.
Ride slowly.
Stop when you see something beautiful.
Take a photograph.
Say hello to a local villager.
Then keep going.
Bicycles are available for guests at Van Long Garden.
- Take a Slow Walk Around Van Long 🌿
Sometimes, the best way to discover a landscape is on foot.
Leave your phone in your pocket and take a slow walk around the countryside.
In the early morning, you may find mist floating above the wetlands. Later in the day, sunlight moves across the limestone cliffs and rice fields, creating a completely different landscape.
Walk through village paths, gardens and quiet rural roads.
There is always something small to notice when you are not in a hurry.
- Go Birdwatching 🐦
Van Long Wetland is an important habitat for birds and other wetland wildlife.
Early morning and late afternoon are especially peaceful times to explore.
Bring binoculars if you have them, move quietly and look carefully around the reeds, waterways and limestone cliffs.
You may not see wildlife immediately.
And that is part of the experience.
Nature rewards patience.
- Look for the Delacour’s Langur 🐒
Van Long is also home to the Delacour’s langur, one of Vietnam’s rarest primates.
These distinctive black-and-white langurs live among the limestone cliffs surrounding the wetland.
Seeing them in the wild is a special experience — but wildlife is never guaranteed.
The best approach is to slow down, observe quietly and respect the animals and their natural habitat.
Sometimes, you see them.
Sometimes, you simply enjoy knowing they are somewhere among the mountains.
- Explore the Garden at Van Long Garden 🌱
The garden is an important part of the Van Long Garden experience.
Take a walk beneath pomelo and fruit trees, follow the small garden paths and discover herbs and plants traditionally used in Vietnamese cooking and everyday life.
Lemongrass, ginger, perilla, rosemary, basil and other aromatic plants grow around the garden.
For us, the garden is more than decoration.
It is part of the food, the experiences and the rhythm of everyday life.
- Pick Herbs and Experience “From Garden to Table” 🌿
Want to experience Vietnamese food in a more hands-on way?
Start in the garden.
Pick fresh herbs, discover how they are used in Vietnamese cooking, and then bring them into the kitchen to prepare a simple local dish.
It is a small experience, but it connects several things we love about Van Long:
nature → garden → food → people → memories.
You do not simply eat a dish.
You discover where some of its ingredients come from.
- Join a Vietnamese Spring Rolls-Making Workshop 🥢
Vietnamese spring rolls (NEM) is more than a familiar dish — it is also a part of everyday family cooking.
At Van Long Garden, you can learn how to make it from scratch.
Begin by gathering herbs from the garden, prepare the ingredients and learn the simple techniques behind making Vietnamese nem.
Then sit down and enjoy what you have made together.
From garden to table — and from food to memories.
- Relax with a Herbal Steam Bath 🌿
After cycling, walking or exploring the wetlands, take some time to slow down.
At Van Long Garden, fresh herbs from the garden can be prepared for a traditional herbal steam experience.
Afterwards, enjoy a refreshing cup of honey, lemon and ginger.
Warm steam.
Fresh herbs.
Quiet surroundings.
A simple countryside ritual for a slower afternoon.
- Enjoy a Quiet Morning Coffee ☕
You don’t always need an activity.
Sometimes, the best way to experience Van Long is to wake up early, open the curtains and let the morning come to you.
Listen to the birds.
Watch the sunlight move through the garden.
Enjoy a cup of forest specialty coffee or antient tea carefully selected vay Vanlong Garden.
There is no schedule.
No destination.
Just a quiet morning in the countryside.
In Van Long, doing nothing can be part of the experience.
- Practice Yoga in the Garden 🧘
Start your morning surrounded by greenery.
With birds singing, fresh countryside air and the peaceful atmosphere of the garden, yoga becomes a simple way to reconnect with your body and the natural surroundings.
Breathe in.
Slow down.
Be present.
EXPERIENCE VAN LONG SLOWLY 🌿
Van Long is not a place you need to rush through.
It is a place to cycle without a timetable.
To walk beside the wetlands.
To watch birds in the morning.
To look for langurs among the limestone cliffs.
To pick herbs from the garden.
To share a meal.
To drink coffee beneath the trees.
To listen to the sounds of the countryside.
At Van Long Garden, we believe that travel is not always about seeing more places.
Sometimes, it is about seeing more deeply.
Come for the wetlands.
Stay for the garden.
Slow down for the experience.
COME AND SLOW DOWN IN VAN LONG 🌿
Van Long Garden
A peaceful countryside retreat beside Van Long Wetland, Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
🌐 www.vanlonggarden.vn
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Vanlong Garden
A peaceful retreat in the heart of Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve, Ninh Binh.
🌐 www.vanlonggarden.vn
☎️ +84 819 681 080
