Ninh Binh, Halong Bay's inland twin

Halong Bay, with its thousands of limestone islands rising from the Gulf of Tonkin, is one of the most famous landscapes in Asia. Around a hundred kilometres south of Hanoi, the same kind of rock has produced a landscape almost as dramatic, but on land. Steep, jungle-covered limestone towers rise abruptly from flat green rice fields, and rivers wind between them, passing through caves that run right under the hills. The Vietnamese often call it "Halong Bay on land". The area around the city of Ninh Binh has become one of the most popular trips from Hanoi, and with good reason.

Trang An and Tam Coc

The best way to see the landscape is from the water. At Trang An, small sampans carry two or three passengers along a network of rivers and channels through the karst, passing through a series of low caves where the boatman's oar scrapes the ceiling and everyone ducks. Temples stand at the foot of the cliffs, reached only by water. The Trang An Landscape Complex was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2014, for both its natural beauty and the archaeological evidence of thousands of years of human occupation in its caves. Its scenery was used as a backdrop for the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island.

Tam Coc, "three caves", is a similar boat trip a short distance away, along a river that runs between rice fields and cliffs and through three caves. It is famous for its rowers, many of them local women, who often row with their feet, pushing the oars with their legs while they rest their hands. It is especially beautiful in late May and early June, when the rice is golden before the harvest.

For a view from above, a climb of several hundred steps up to Mua Cave's viewpoint gives a panorama over the rivers, fields and towers. It is hot work at midday and best done early or late.

Hoa Lu, the old capital

Ninh Binh has a long history. In the tenth century, when Vietnam won its independence from China after a thousand years of Chinese rule, the first independent dynasties made their capital at Hoa Lu, protected by the limestone hills. It remained the capital for some forty years, until in 1010 the court moved to the site of what became Hanoi. Little remains of the old citadel, but the temples dedicated to two of its kings, Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh, rebuilt in later centuries, stand in a peaceful setting among the karst.

Van Long, and the langurs

Van Long Nature Reserve, a wetland of reed beds and still water among the limestone hills, is quieter than Trang An and Tam Coc. Boats glide over still water rather than through busy channels. It is home to one of the largest remaining populations of Delacour's langur, a critically endangered black-and-white primate found only in this part of northern Vietnam, which can sometimes be seen on the cliffs.

Bai Dinh, a few kilometres from Trang An, is a very different kind of sight. It is a vast modern Buddhist temple complex built since the early 2000s, with enormous halls, bronze statues and long corridors lined with hundreds of carved stone arhats. It draws large numbers of Vietnamese pilgrims, particularly around the lunar New Year, and gives an insight into the revival of Buddhism in modern Vietnam.

The tours that stop there

Explore Worldwide's Cycle Vietnam, thirteen nights in February, October and November, includes Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu and the Van Long reservoir. It also takes in Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay, Hue, Hoi An and the craft villages around it.

Explore Worldwide's A Taste of Vietnam: Halong Bay to the Mekong Delta, twelve nights, includes Ninh Binh with Hanoi and Halong Bay. Its other places include Dong Hoi and the caves of Phong Nha National Park, the wartime tunnels of Vinh Moc, the Quang Tri Citadel and Hue. Explore Worldwide's Upgraded Discover Vietnam, thirteen nights, includes Ninh Binh with Hanoi and Lan Ha Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and Tra Vinh.

The landscape is beautiful all year, but the best times are spring and autumn. Summer is hot and humid, and in winter it can be grey and misty, though the mist has its own charm among the towers.