We took a day trip to Tam Cốc-Bích Động (Ninh Binh province), which is a couple hours south of Hanoi and a popular tourist destination. Our first destination was at site where two identical temples were located each celebrating a different King who ruled during the early years of Vietnam: King Dinh (pronounced “King Ding”, which we can’t seem to say with a straight face) and King Le. King Dinh is credited as being the country’s first absolute monarch who “reunified” the country in 968 after a period where there were 12 separate groups operating independently. I thought it was interesting that they use the word “reunification” to describe one group essentially conquering all other groups and taking control. That word is seen all over Vietnam/American War museums here as well. The propaganda is that the Americans were trying to impede the “reunification” of Vietnam. Shortly after King Dinh was assassinated in 980, Vietnam fended off an invasion from the Chinese led by General Le, who was later King Le. Both these men are very important figures in the early days of Vietnam and have temples in Ninh Binh where they are worshiped (ancestry worship is a huge part of Vietnamese culture).
Our second and final destination was to take a 90-minute canoe tour through caves on the Ngo Dong River. The views there were incredible! We paired up with two or three passengers per boat as our guides rowed constantly for the next 90 minutes, taking us out about 45 minutes and back to the starting point. They are able to rest their arms by rowing much of the time with their feet! It’s an amazing thing to see, and even after watching it I still find it hard to understand how they contort their feet to control the oars.
Leave a reply