Van Long Nature Reserve is one of the largest wetlands of the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam. The protected nature reserve has a diverse ecological system and the best way to explore it is by taking a boat ride through its waters.
The boat ride takes you through beautiful limestone mountains and narrow dark caves. And if you’re lucky, you can maybe even see an endangered species of monkeys.
The boats in Van Long Nature Reserve are made of bamboo, and they look a bit different than the ones in Trang An and Tam Coc. They’re made for shallow water.
The best time of the day to visit Van Long Nature Reserve is towards the sunset, as it looks incredible. And sunset time is also when the wildlife is the most active, especially birds that are returning to their nests.
Van Long is most known for Delacour’s langurs, an endangered species of monkeys that can be seen here. There are around 200 Delacour’s langur left globally, and 120 of them are in Van Long Nature Reserve.
And it’s also a heaven for bird watchers as many bird species, such as storks and herons, live here.
Van Long Nature Reserve is a less touristic area of the highly famous Ninh Binh. The area has only been open to tourists since 1998. If you’re interested in an equally beautiful, more affordable, and more peaceful boat ride than Trang An or Tam Coc, then Van Long is the place for you!
Van Long Nature Reserve is located about 85km away from Hanoi and 20km away from Ninh Binh. It’s the easiest to go to Van Long from Ninh Binh, which you can reach easily with daily buses, trains, and private cars.
You can drive around the Van Long embankment/ridge, as there’s a nice path going all around the water and around the whole nature reserve.