Mua Cave, five hundred steps and the view from the dragon
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The photograph that sells Ninh Binh is taken from a ridge above Tam Coc, at the top of about five hundred steps. Mua Cave is the name of a cave almost nobody looks at, attached to the staircase everybody climbs.
What is at Mua Cave?
Mua Cave is a limestone hill with a stone staircase cut up its side, a pavilion at one summit and a dragon sculpture along the ridge of the other. The cave at the base gives the site its name and takes about four minutes to see.
The stairs are the attraction. They climb in uneven flights to two viewpoints, and the second one looks along the Tam Coc valley with the river running through it.
At the bottom sit gardens, a lotus pond and a cafe, which are pleasant and are not why anybody comes.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Steps | About 500, uneven, mostly unshaded |
| Climb | 20 to 30 minutes at a steady pace |
| Ticket | 100,000 dong |
| Total visit | About an hour |
| View | The Tam Coc valley and the river |
How hard is the climb?
The climb is steep and short rather than long, and the surface causes more trouble than the gradient. Cut stone, uneven in height, with a handrail on some flights and none on others.
The last few metres to the dragon are a scramble over rock rather than a staircase, with a drop on both sides. Plenty of people stop at the pavilion instead, which has almost the same view.
Shoes with grip matter more than fitness. The accessibility guide is honest about which Vietnamese sights work for anybody unsteady on steps, and this is not one of them.
What does it cost?
Entry is 100,000 dong, or under four dollars at about 26,000 dong to the US dollar. The ticket covers the steps, the cave and the gardens.
Parking a motorbike costs another 10,000 to 20,000 dong. Nobody sells drinks on the ridge, so carry water up rather than planning to buy it.
The tickets put a morning here at a fraction of what the boats cost, and the Trang An page covers those.
When should you climb?
Climb at sunrise or in the last two hours of daylight. The steps face the sun, there is no shade on them, and the valley below is hazy at midday in a way that flattens the view.
Sunrise adds mist between the karst, which is the version of the photograph that circulates. Sunset lights the far side of the valley instead, and the site stays open late enough for it in most seasons.
Coaches arrive mid-morning from Hanoi. Between ten and two the narrow upper flights queue in both directions, which is unpleasant on a staircase with a drop on one side.
What is the view from the top?
The view runs down the Tam Coc valley: the Ngo Dong river curling between limestone towers, rice on both banks, and the boats that work the river on the water below. No other viewpoint takes in the Ninh Binh landscape as completely.
Late May and early June turn the rice gold, which is the fortnight photographers plan around. The rice year guide covers when the fields turn across the country.
In the wet months the same fields are green and flooded, and the river runs brown. Different photograph, same valley.
How does it fit with the boats?
Mua Cave takes an hour and a boat takes two to four, so most people do one of each in a day. Climbing first and rowing afterwards keeps the hardest part in the cool hour.
The site sits a few minutes by bike from the Tam Coc jetty and about fifteen from Trang An. Cycling between them through the rice is most of what makes a Ninh Binh day pleasant.
A day trip from Hanoi fits the climb and one boat, and nothing else. The two days in Ninh Binh route explains what a second day buys.
Is it worth doing in bad weather?
Cloud is fine and rain is not. The valley looks better under cloud than under hard sun, and wet steps turn dangerous, because decades of traffic have polished the stone.
Wait an hour if a shower passes through. The Ninh Binh page covers the season, which is wettest between July and October.
In winter the climb is comfortable at any hour, and the valley is often under low mist until mid-morning.
FAQ
How many steps are there at Mua Cave?
About 500 to the dragon on the ridge, cut into the limestone in uneven flights. The climb takes twenty to thirty minutes at a steady pace, and the last stretch is narrow enough that people queue on it at busy hours.
How much does Mua Cave cost?
Entry is 100,000 dong, which at roughly 26,000 dong to the US dollar is under four dollars. That covers the steps, the gardens at the base and the cave the site is named after, which most visitors walk past on their way to the stairs.
How long does Mua Cave take?
About an hour in total: twenty to thirty minutes up, time at the top for the view, and fifteen minutes down. Add half an hour if you also walk the gardens and the lotus pond at the base.
When is the best time to climb Mua Cave?
First light or late afternoon. The steps face the sun for most of the day, there is no shade on them, and Ninh Binh runs above 30°C from May to September. Sunrise also puts mist in the valley, which is the version in the photographs.
Is the climb at Mua Cave hard?
It is short and steep rather than long. The steps are uneven, some flights have a handrail and some do not, and the final scramble to the dragon is rock rather than stairs. Anybody comfortable with twenty minutes of stairs will manage it; anybody with a fear of exposure may not enjoy the top.
What can you see from the top of Mua Cave?
The Tam Coc valley: the river winding between limestone peaks, rice fields on both banks, and boats on the water if the hour is right. In late May and early June the rice turns gold, which is when the view is at its best.