Ninh Binh attractions are scattered kilometers throughout the province, and it’s essential for you to find reliable transportation to conveniently travel between them.
Luckily, once you know the various modes of transport and how they work, it’s pretty easy and cheap to navigate around the area, especially when you stay in a central location like Tam Coc or Trang An.
This is our detailed guide on how to get around Ninh Binh.
Grab
A popular option loved by tourists is taking a Grab—similar to Uber but for Asia. The app (free to download) offers a transparent and fixed rate in advance. It’s also providing details of the car and drivers to ensure you hop on the right one. The app offer choices of car or motorbike, giving more flexibility choosing one matching your budget.
On the downside, the price can be slightly expensive, particularly during rush hours or on rainy days. The app is also not that popular in Ninh Binh and takes a long time to get one, especially in some far-central areas like Van Long or Cuc Phuong.
By Taxi
Hailing a taxi ride in Ninh Binh is surprisingly cheap and easy. Most of them are private and required to turn the meters on. A fair price starts from 12,000 vnd ~ 0.5 cents per kilometer and goes up depending on times and distance. Traveling around most places in Ninh Binh shall rarely cost more than 100,000 vnd per ride.
One thing to keep in mind is that you run the risk of catching Xe Dù—illegitimate taxis. These scammers will normally refuse to turn on meters or go around and round. If you’re not fully confident, ask your hotel staff to call you one or make sure you pre-negotiate a fixed and all-inclusive price if you have no other options.
By Motorbike
We don’t assert that Vietnam ranks at the top for road safety, but Ninh Binh indeed is one of the best regions to drive a motorcycle. The province is much less crowded than other Vietnam’s cities, with good-condition roads and peaceful scenery alongside.
Most hotels or homestays offer motorbike rentals at 200,000 vnd~10 USD per day for an automatic motorbike without gasoline (extra 24,000 vnd~1 USD per liter). They might request to leave your passports or a sizable deposit.
However, note that most motorcycles are a bit old, like Nouvo 2015 or Airblade 2024, so make sure to carefully check brakes, headlights, and signal lights.
Legally, you’ll need to have a valid international driving license to avoid any hassle of encountering police, though very rare. Wearing a helmet while driving is mandatory in Ninh Binh or Vietnam as a whole.
By Bicycle
It’s safe to say Ninh Binh is the most ideal place to ride a bike in Vietnam. There are lots of quiet sidetracks that avoid busy traffic on the main roads. These romantic and beautiful sidetracks are surrounded by yellow rice fields, limestone mountains, or just simply a peaceful local village like this route from Bich Dong to Tam Coc.
Bicycles are often available for free at most homestays or hotels. For those that don’t, there are plenty of shops, like Ninh Binh Bicycle Rental, which rents out bicycles for 50,000 vnd ~ 2.5 USD per day with hotel delivery.
If you come here during the summertime (between May and August), it is pretty hot, with temperatures up to 38°C or even 50°C at noon. Bicycling at this time can leave you sweaty and wet all the time.
Public Bus
There are about 5 routes of public bus in Ninh Binh, but they’re not much of a help, if not bad, for travelers. These routes normally connect Ninh Binh City to rural districts of the province, such as Nho Quan or Kim Son.
The most helpful route you might need is probably bus No. 3, which takes you from Ninh Binh bus station to Cuc Phuong National Park. Tickets cost 16,000 vnd ~ 0.6 cents per way, with one departing hourly from 05:00 to 17:00.
