Located 120 km from Hanoi, Tam Coc - Bich Dong is part of the Hoa Lu limestone mountain range. For hundreds of years, the place has preserved the primitive beauty that has attracted a lot of tourists.
The Tam Coc complex includes Tam Coc and Bich Dong, which are situated in Van Lam village, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. Recognized as a special national heritage, Tam Coc is often called “Ha Long Bay on the land” for its quiet and peaceful landscape of rice fields, the system of limestone grottoes and historical relics from the Tran dynasty in the 13th and 14th century.
Tam Coc means “Three Caves” including Hang Ca (First Cave), Hang Giua (Middle Cave), Hang Cuoi (Last Cave). To reach Tam Coc, you must take a small boat at the wharf and take a ride up the Ngo Dong River through Xuyen Thuy cave, rice paddies, and limestone karsts. Here, you may feel like disappearing from the real world and getting lost in such a hidden fairy site.
About 2km from Tam Coc wharf, tourists will reach Bich Dong (which literally means “Green Pearl Grotto”). It is considered to be the second most beautiful cave in Viet Nam. The Bich Dong Pagoda was built near the cave in the Le Dynasty. The Lower Pagoda is located at the foot of the outcrop, from which it’s climb of about 100 steps to the Middle Pagoda, then a shorter but still steep ascent to the Upper Pagoda. Inside each cave temple, looming statues and the smoke of burning incense create an otherworldly atmosphere.
