Van Long Nature Reserve

Van Long Nature Reserve is the home of the critically endangered Delacour’s langur. There are only 200 left in the wild and it is in this national park that the only viable population of this wonderful primate is found.

Delacour’s langur mom with baby – photo taken from the endangered primate rescue center website

This species of langur enjoys sleeping in limestone caves at night so this area was a perfect place for them to live and thus this place was chosen as a nature reserve for to protect this vulnerable animal. Other animals have taken advantage of the protected status and I see numerous birds and fish on my boat tour. This nature reserve has also brought sustainable tourism to the local people and a relaxing place for tourists to appreciate the natural beauty of Vietnam.

My chauffeur for the boat tour through Van Long Nature Reserve.

What was truly stunning was the incredible biodiversity of this nature reserve. It is small compared to the vast nature reserves of my home country, Canada, at only 3,000 hectares (30 square kilometers) but it contains a vast amount of life. According to the IUCN official report on Van Long Nature Reserve there are 11 different ecosystems (wetland and limestone karst hills being the two major ones), 670 species of vascular plants, 54 species of fish, 32 species of reptiles, 72 species of birds, 39 species of mammals. Many of this species are endangered and this nature reserve gives these animals the chance to survive.

Along with the Delacour’s Langur there is also another critically endangered, but less charismatic, animal here. This animal is the Ca Cuong water bug.

In Vietnam, this great big bug is considered a delicacy and is sometime fried whole. The pheromone from male beetles is sometimes extracted and used to make a dipping sauce. this demand for it has led to a serious decline in numbers of this great big water beetle.

Thankfully, a farmer outside of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has a farm for raising this beetle hopefully preventing its extinction. You can read more about it here: https://vietnam.vnanet.vn/english/raising-ca-cuong/266197.html

After the establishment of the nature reserve a thriving tourist industry quickly grew and many local people switched from farming to working in tourism.

When I arrived in the near empty parking lot I was immediately approached by a few people trying to sell Knick knacks and souvenirs. Covid had hit the local tourist industry hard but there was still some domestic tourism here.

After buying my ticket I was escorted to my little bamboo boat with a guide. The boat was ideally suited for the slow moving and shallow waters of the nature reserve. It was quiet and peaceful save for the sound of the wind and the animals. I had my camera out hoping to catch a photo of some langur’s but alas for me the langurs were not out and about today.

The traditional conical hat (non la) and the ao dai (long dress) in a Vietnamese nature reserve. Vintage Vietnam.

The karst limestone cliffs. The langurs love these spots.

Trying to get a better look at the little fish swimming below the boat.

As we rowed along my guide pointed towards a cave.

It might look big but it was a small hole within the vast limestone cliff

Eventually the tour came to an end and it was time to return home. I rode my motorcycle around for a little while longer. Enjoying the peace of the place before returning to my lovely homestay. Stay tuned for more Ninh Binh adventures.

The vast cliffs of Van Long Nature Reserve

Hang Mua Cave – Ninh Binh, Vietnam

The weather was amazing while I was in Ninh Binh. After riding in the rain for three straight days it felt so good to see and feel the sun in its bright blue sky. Because it was rainy season in Central Vietnam (my new hometown) the weather had been consistently cool and cloudy. While I kind of like the cool and cloudy weather I got kind of tired of not seeing the sun. But here, the weather was bright and beautiful. I could see why the chose to film the movie Kong: Skull Island here.

Time for some bike riding and sight seeing. The first place I went to was the Hang Mua Cave because it was within walking distance. Although it was very beautiful with a wonderful garden and lovely views it was a typical tourist attraction. Worth visiting but not worth spending too much time there.

The Lotus fields right outside the Hang Mua cave and garden. It was winter when this picture was taken so the flowers were not in bloom.

In the Hang Mua Cave site there is a cave and big limestone cliff with built in stairs. I went to the cave first. The cave was rather unimpressive, there are far better caves in other parts of Nin Binh, Phong Nha and Ha Giang. It was still nice.

The cave had plenty of room for walking and was well lit.

The climbable limestone cliffs were much more interesting and offered spectacular views.

There were two peaks on the limestone cliff to climb.

The rice fields and lime stone cliffs of Ninh Binh

On the road to Ninh Binh, Vietnam – Road Trip

Breakfast while on the road. Instant noodles with an egg and black coffee.

Today is the big day. My motorcycle road trip through North Vietnam begins now. I eagerly leaped out of bed and stepped outside to greet the day.
Oh crap! Rain! Riding in the rain sucks. Oh well, adventure means there will always be some level of discomfort. I put on my rain jacket and my helmet and buckled down for the cold ride.

My first stop was Dong Ha. With the bad weather I planned on just booking a hotel room and staying in the room until early the next morning when I would leave. The ride was not pleasant. Even my water proof clothing couldn’t keep all the rain out. As I rode I reminded I myself of the nice warm hotel room that awaited me. Going through Hai Van Pass was especially rough.

“This sucks” I thought but then I remembered the Marcus Aurelius quote ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune”. I have been studying the works of the Great Stoics like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, recently and I have been trying to incorporate their ideas into my life. Even then I still felt myself being cranky.

After 4.5 hours on the bike I finally arrived in Dong Ha only to find the quality of my hotel was much lower than Booking had said it was. I was shivering and in the early stages of the first stage of hypothermia and really needed to jump into a hot shower, I discovered the hot water wasn’t working at the time. The windows didn’t close properly and and this allowed the cold and wetness into the room. I spent most of the rest of my day trying to stay warm under the sheets. Not a good start for my epic road to the north.

The next stop was the much larger city of Vinh. The weather on the road wasn’t as bad but it wasn’t great either. I made sure to buy an even better rain jacket while on the road and this did help. While riding the weather cleared up for a brief moment and I found a truck stop that was serving coffee. I pulled over and asked if they had any food to go with the coffee. Their wasn’t any real food but the industrious young man offered to make me instant noodles with an egg and I eagerly agreed. That hot instant noodles on that cold wet day (see picture above) was just what I needed. While I ate my food I watched NFL highlights on my phone.

A typical trucker outhouse. There was no toilet paper.

Because my first day at a budget hotel was so bad I decided to treat myself to a much nicer hotel. I made sure they had good showers and hot water. After getting myself into the room I took the longest hottest shower I ever had and was finally able to warm up. That night I went to the hotel restaurant. The staff were happy to have a foreigner there and practiced speaking English with me while I practiced speaking Vietnamese.

Luxury. Hot water and the bathroom had toilet paper.

Early the next morning the weather was cloudy and chilly but not wet. That was a serious improvement. The further north I rode the better the weather improved. Now the road trip really begins.

When the ancient limestone cliffs of Ninh Binh rolled into sight the clouds had moved on and the sun shone brightly. When I pulled into my homestay the owner met me and apologized because he couldn’t speak English. “No problem, I can speak Vietnamese” I responded. His eyes shot open in surprise and I spent the rest of time there only speaking Vietnamese. I got more practice in those few days than at any other time.

After checking into my room I got a drink and laid in the sun. With rainy season in central Vietnam I don’t think I had seen the sun in weeks. It felt so good to feel the sun on my panda fur.

The homestay was Hang Mua Family Homestay and it was wonderful. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxing. The views of the limestone cliffs were beautiful, the staff were hard working and the food and drinks were great. 10/10 would recommend.

This is the first real stopping point of the trip and I didn’t feel like doing any site seeing today. So I explored the homestay and relaxed.
Below are some pictures from my homestay.

The view of the limestone cliffs from the homestay.

One of my favourite places in the homestay.

This was the view from the swing. Yes, there is a little pond, populated by fish, in the middle of the homestay.

The bungalows were built right beside the cliff side. Don’t worry it was very safe.

That night I fell asleep to the sounds of crickets coming from waters surrounding the cliffs. The ambiance of nature was a much needed change from my home city of Da Nang. My road trip is starting to get good.

That will be all for today. Sorry for the long time between posts.
Stay tuned as I explore Ninh Binh