The Ninh Binh area lies approximately 100 kilometres south of Hanoi. The centre of tourist activities is the town of Tam Coc, where most tourists also try to get to.
Although Tam Coc is a relatively small town, it is well connected by public transport to other locations in Vietnam.
By air
There is no airport directly in Ninh Binh. The nearest airport is Thanh Hoa Airport, but there are only direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City.
It is much more strategic to arrive at Hanoi HAN airport, which is served by many direct flights from countless destinations around the world and in Southeast Asia.
- Cheapest flights from Vietnam cities - skyscanner.com
- Cheapest airline tickets from Thailand, Malaysia - airasia.com
From more distant destinations, Hanoi has connections to London, Paris, Istanbul, Sydney and Dubai, to name a few.
A tourist minibus runs directly from Hanoi Airport to Tam Coc approximately once an hour. Book it on 12go.com.
By bus
Local buses run to Ninh Binh from many destinations in Vietnam.
Local buses most often go to the bus station right in Ninh Binh (note, this is far from the tourist town of Tam Coc). If you arrive at the bus station in Ninh Binh, you need to take a taxi to Tam Coc.
Even in Tam Coc itself, you will find a bus station with fewer bus lines. So check in advance which station your bus leaves from.
Long-distance buses are usually very comfortable, offer plenty of sleeping space, and sometimes even include phone charging or snacks.
Bus prices and routes to Ninh Binh
Below you can find the most common local bus lines that you can use for your trip to Ninh Binh.
| Destinations | Price | Travel time | Bus Station |
| Hanoi | From 180 000 vnd | 4 h | Ninh Binh |
| Hue | from 540 000 vnd | 14 h | Ninh Binh, Tam Coc |
| Phong Nha | from 350 000 vnd | 8 h | Tam Coc |
| Sapa | from 600 000 vnd | 8 h | Tam Coc |
| Ha Long | from 300 000 vnd | 3 h | Tam Coc |
By tourist minivan
Tourist minivans from many destinations across Vietnam travel to Ninh Binh. Tourist minivans almost always go as far as Tam Coc and can take you directly to your hotel.
The use of tourist minivans is especially worthwhile on shorter routes, where they run very frequently and make travelling easier. The prices are very similar, or only slightly higher, than local buses.
The following lines can be particularly practical:
| Destinations | Price | Travel time |
| Hanoi | From 180 000 vnd | 3 h 30 min |
| Cat Ba | From 300 000 vnd | 4 h 30 min |
| Ha Long | from 400 000 vnd | 3 h 30 min |
| Mai Chau | from 450 000 vnd | 4 h |
You can book minivans online, but you'll almost always be able to negotiate a better price at the front desk of your accommodation or at one of the ubiquitous travel agencies.
By train
You can also take the train to Ninh Binh, but expect to arrive at Ninh Binh train station and have to take a taxi to Tam Coc.
The train line runs north towards Hanoi and south towards Hue and then Da Nang. So the train is most worthwhile if you plan to travel to one of these places.
There are relatively few trains running and they tend to sell out (especially the night ones) long in advance. For this reason, we recommend booking online or through a travel agent a few days in advance.
You can use the train to travel on the following routes:
| Destinations | Price | Frequency | Travel time |
| Hanoi | from 210 000 vnd | 8x daily | 2 h 15 min |
| Hue | from 1 300 000 vnd | 8x daily | 11 h |
| Da Nang | from 1 800 000 vnd | 8x daily | 13 h |
