Van Long Nature Reserve - Vietnam's Untouched Wilderness

Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve
Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve

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Van Long Nature Reserve, nestled in the Ninh Binh province of Vietnam, stands as a serene testament to the country's commitment to preserving its natural beauty. Known for its tranquil waters, towering limestone karsts, and rich biodiversity, Van Long is the perfect destination for travelers seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and immerse themselves in nature.

Location and General Overview

Situated just two hours south of Hanoi, Van Long Nature Reserve is the largest wetland in Northern Vietnam. Unlike the more frequented Tam Coc or Trang An, Van Long provides a quieter, more undisturbed environment. This untouched landscape is characterized by its calm waters, which reflect the towering limestone cliffs and the lush greenery, creating a mesmerizing, mirror-like effect.

Highlights of Van Long Nature Reserve

Boat Tours

Exploring Van Long by boat is an unmissable experience. Glide quietly across the still waters in traditional sampan boats rowed by local villagers. This peaceful journey allows visitors to fully appreciate the reserve's stunning scenery and the wildlife it harbors, including rare birds and the elusive Delacour's langur.

Bird Watching

Van Long is a haven for bird enthusiasts. The reserve is home to over 200 species of birds, including some rare and endangered ones. The best times for bird watching are early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the birds are most active.

Breathtaking Scenery

The landscape of Van Long is a photographer’s dream. The combination of the towering limestone cliffs, the lush greenery, and the calm waters creates a surreal, picturesque setting. Sunset and sunrise are particularly magical times to capture the beauty of the reserve.

Local Culture

Visiting Van Long also offers an opportunity to experience the local culture. The surrounding area is dotted with traditional villages where life moves at a slower pace, and visitors can see the locals engage in their daily activities, like farming and fishing.

Sustainable Tourism in Van Long Nature Reserve

Van Long Nature Reserve is a shining example of sustainable tourism. The use of non-motorized sampan boats helps maintain the tranquility and cleanliness of the wetlands. Visitors are encouraged to respect the natural environment by minimizing noise, not littering, and adhering to the designated paths and areas for tourism.


Van Long Nature Reserve is a hidden gem in Vietnam’s vast natural landscape. Its tranquil waters, rich biodiversity, and striking scenery offer a peaceful retreat and a chance to connect with nature. Whether you're a bird watcher, a photographer, or simply a lover of natural beauty, Van Long provides an unforgettable experience that highlights the importance of preserving our natural world.

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Traveler Reviews

Showing 30 of 1,452 Reviews
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Esperienza surreale! Abbiamo potuto ammirare tutta la riserva naturale dalla barca in soli 22 gnomo minuti, con nostra grande sorpresa ad un turista è stato addirittura permesso di nuotare con i simpatici delfini. Scamorza affumicata a treccia topperia. Che giornata!! Certi di un rapido riscontro porgiamo cordialità.
photoreview-Susanna Vanoni-0
King Kong was filmed here!!! But tbh there’s not much to see here. Maybe because we came in the hot afternoon so it was hard to spot any animals, I found it pretty boring, Trang an is a better place to look at. But still no regrets it’s way less crowded than Trang An, the tickets are cheaper and you still get to see pretty amazing views ❤️ To find the ridiculously unassuming ticket booth you gotta ask the locals for directions. Tickets were 100k dong/pax, boats can fit up to 3 people. The locals are incredibly nice and friendly, my group not only got to row with our little paddles, but our rower let us row the boat with the big main oars too! All of us took turns to try, carefully getting up from our seats to slowly move into position. the boat was dipping quite a bit into the waters due to there being three of us :) I was lowkey scared the whole time that the boat would flip it didn’t Rowing was fun! But we… basically failed the boat went into the banks quite a lot and went straight almost never
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A one hour drive away from Tam Coc. Much less touristic and just as beautiful as the more popular boat tours from Trang An. If you are lucky, you can see monkeys there too.
Tolle Aussicht auf die umliegenden Berge und man kann problemlos die Stille auf dem Wasser genießen. Weit ab vom Trubel der Touristen. Wenn man Glück hat, ich hatte welches, sieht man sogar die dort ansässigen Affen auf den Bergen rumspringen. Zudem kann man bei Bedarf auch mal selbst das Paddel schwingen. Es hat 2 zusätzliche kleine Paddel für die Gäste an Bord. Ansonsten darf gerne nur die Fahrt über 1-1,5h für ca18€ genießen. Die Leute vor Ort betreiben wirklich Kraftarbeit über jeden Tag. Da kann man auch mal ein kleines Trinkgeld springen lassen.
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100% should visit!
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Beautiful area, not that many tourists comparing to Tam Coc. If you ask your hotel they all recommend to go to Tam Coc. Van Long is a little further, but it works out cheaper with the taxi included and much better without the overcrowding.
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A lovely spot in the heart of Ninh Binh's lush nature. We paid 100baht per person for the boat ride and had the boat to ourselves. Tickets are just down the road from where you get the boats. We did not have to tip the driver and at no point was tipping mentioned or pressured like other reviews say. It seems they had a new system where you pay more upfront for the ticket than before but no more aggressive tipping culture. I hope this means more overall money to the drivers. The boat ride itself was lovely, it's rowed so as to not make any noise and disturb the wildlife. So quiet and peaceful as you weave through the reeds. We went in the afternoon and still saw a lot of birds, including two Kingfishers, many Storks and a Marsh Harrier. Earlier morning would be very good I imagine. The lady driver stopped to collect some plants off the water which was a cool experience. We saw maybe one other boat during our time, the boat trip was 1 hour 30. We also drove our motorbike around the whole reserve afterwards which was a nice drive with great views.
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Such beautiful scenery, and a great boat trip that was more quiet than the tam coc one. When we went we were the only ones there which felt super serene
photoreview-Lois Graham-0
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I was initially disappointed because you cannot walk in the nature reserve. BUT the boat trip was lovely and peaceful, a very different vibe to Trang An. We were lucky enough to see the langurs but even without that it is a charming boat trip among the scenery of Ninh Binh. Cons - There are 3 routes available according to the sign but unclear if the rowers make any distinction! Price was also quite high for what it is - 100K per person (plus tip which is well deserved) but much cheaper than Trang An or Tam Coc.
photoreview-Flo Steer-0
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We went first thing in the morning and it was really peaceful and quiet with only another couple of boats. Much less touristy than other boat tours in Ninh Binh but had its own unique landscape. We were lucky enough to see a family of lemurs and observed them for a while.
Incantevole
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Loin du tourisme de masse donc parfait. La billetterie n'est pas facile à trouver par contre
Nice peaceful boat ride. Only a few other boats passed
Sehr schöne Tour! Etwas abseits des Rummels .
Das Van Long Naturreservat gehört zum Trockenen Halongbucht, wurde aber zum Glück noch nicht von der Massentourismus entdeckt. Wir waren zur Nebensaison (Anfang November) hier gewesen und da war es sehr ruhig. Die Bootsfahrt hat uns sehr gut gefallen. Die Landschaft, die Ruhe, die Abgeschiedenheit, die Tierwelt machen den Ausflug zu einem einmaligen Erlebnis. Die Fahrt hat für uns beiden 200K gekostet. Wir hatten dann noch 100K Trinkgeld gegeben, worüber unserer Ruderin sich sehr gefreut hat. Bedenke, dass jeder Ruder im Schnitt erst alle 10 Tage zum Einsatz kommen darf, ist die Belohnung für ihre Arbeit völlig akzeptabel. Es ist eine Dienstleistung und für diese muss nun mal belohnt werden. Ich verstehe nicht, warum manche Touristen sich über das Trinkgeld aufregen und sich dadurch, das tolle Erlebnis vermiesen lassen.
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A nice boat promenade, in a peaceful surrounding Very very very nice
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Vân Long là khu bảo tồn thiên nhiên đất ngập nước vùng đồng bằng châu thổ Bắc bộ, thuộc địa phận 7 xã của huyện Gia Viễn, Ninh Bình, gồm các xã: Gia Hưng, Liên Sơn, Gia Hòa, Gia Vân, Gia Lập, Gia Tân, Gia Thanh ở phía Đông Bắc tỉnh Ninh Bình. Khu bảo tồn được mệnh danh là “vịnh không sóng” với địa hình Vân Long bằng phẳng, độ chênh không quá 0,5m. Là khu vực có đa dạng sinh học cao, nơi sinh sống của nhiều loài động thực vật khác nhau như loài Cò ốc (Openbill), Gà lôi nước - (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), có hệ sinh thái núi đá vôi, nơi sinh sống của quần thể “Voọc quần đùi” lớn nhất Việt Nam. Đến tham quan khu bảo tồn thiên nhiên Vân Long bạn sẽ được di chuyển bằng thuyền trên đầm, bạn sẽ cảm nhận được vì sao Vân Long được ví là "vịnh không sóng". Nước ở đây phẳng như một tấm gương khổng lồ - một bức tranh thuỷ mặc phản chiếu những khối núi đá vôi mang hình dáng như tên được đặt: núi Mèo Cào, núi Mâm Xôi, núi Hòm Sách, núi Đá Bàn, núi Nghiên, núi Mồ Côi, núi Cô Tiên… Tuy nhiên, mặt nước ở đây nước không có màu xanh của biển, mà trong vắt hiện rõ nét những lớp rong rêu dưới đáy đầm. Nếu bạn có ý định đi du lịch Vân Long thì có thể đi vào bất cứ thời điểm nào trong năm, nhưng để có được những tấm hình đẹp với sen, súng thì nên đi vào dịp tháng 5, tháng 6 là phù hợp. Đường đi đến khu bảo tồn thiên nhiên Vân Long khá thuận tiện, nếu tính từ trung tâm thành phố Ninh Bình, bạn chỉ cần di chuyển khoảng 20km. Nếu di chuyển bằng phương tiện riêng, bạn có thể di chuyển trên quốc lộ 1A theo hướng Ninh Bình - Hà Nội, khi đến ngã ba Gián Khẩu thì rẽ trái và đi khoảng 5km sẽ đến chợ Vân Long. Sau đó rẽ phải đi vào khoảng 2km là đến bến thuyền Vân Long.
photoreview-Ha Hoang-0
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Magnifique et gratuit. Il faut louer un scooter avant.
Die Fahrt mit dem Ruderboot durch die noch sehr ursprüngliche Landschaft war wunderschön, still und zauberhaft. Uns sind nur wenige andere Boote begegnet.
11/10 recommend. VIEWS ARE INSANE I AM IMPRESSED
Paseo en barca muy relajante de 1h aproximada. Dependiendo de la hora a la que se vaya el calor es agobiante. Recomendado protección solar.
photoreview-Manuel Rodríguez-0
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This will be my 2nd best attraction site after Trang An. A calm and relaxed boat ride, the rower even let me ride the boat and taught me nicely. We were blessed to witness the wild monkey from very far distance. Definitely will go back in winter time.
photoreview-Danny Nguyen-0
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Đẹp
Một nét đẹp của đầm Vân Long~Ninh bình.
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Phong cảnh quá đẹp.
photoreview-Phuong Dovan-0
Wonderful views in the wetland
Excellent ! Bien moins touristique que Trang An et les autres stations
Được đi thuyền trên nước, xung quanh là núi đá vôi
Beautiful place to explore where was the King Kong came with a lot of birds, amazing caves, traditional bamboo boat ride, best time Oct, Nov

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