At 8:00 am we'll leave your hotel for our day trip to Ninh Binh. After a 3 hour drive (about 100 km) we arrive at the Nature Reserve of Van Long. We board a bamboo rowboat as soon as we arrive for our 1 1/2 to 2 hour trip along a meandering stream, enjoying spectacular scenery surrounded by rice paddies and towering limestone mountain peaks. After lunch, served at a local riverside restaurant, we make a short transfer (4 km) down a peaceful country road to Hoa Lu - Vietnam’s ancient capital eleven centuries ago. Here, there are two temples dedicated to King Dinh and King Le, the founders of the capital during the 10th century. We'll return to Hanoi late in the afternoon at about 4:00 pm.