Hoa Lu Citadel:

Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam during the Dinh (968–80) and early Le (980–1009) dynasties. The site was a smart choice for a capital city because of the natural protection afforded by the region’s bizarre landscape, with rocky outcrops as spectacular as Tam Coc's. The ancient citadel of Hoa Lu, most of which has been destroyed, covered an area of about 3 sq km. The outer ramparts encompassed temples, shrines and the king’s palace. The royal family lived in the inner citadel.

Yen Ngua Mountain provides a scenic backdrop for Hoa Lu’s two remaining temples. The first, Dinh Tien Hoang, was restored in the 17th century and is dedicated to the Dinh dynasty. At the front of the main temple building is the stone pedestal of a royal throne; inside are bronze bells and a statue of Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang with his three sons. In a building to the right a display features photos and some artefacts, while to the left are three Buddhist prayer stones – one supported by a turtle, another with a crab and two rats at the base.

The second temple is dedicated to Le Dai Hanh, an early Le monarch. Inside the main hall are an assortment of drums, gongs, incense burners, candle holders and weapons, with a statue of the king in the middle, his queen on the right and their son on the left. In the left-hand section of this complex a modern museum features part of the excavations of the 10th-century citadel wall, unearthed in 1998

Tam Coc:

Poetically penned "Halong bay on the rice paddies’, the area around Tam Coc boasts stunning scenery. While Halong bay has rugged rock formations jutting out of the sea, here they soar skywards from a sea of green. Tam Coc is named after the low caves through which the Ngo Dong River flows. The essential Tam Coc experience is to sit back and be rowed through the caves – a serene and scenic trip, which turns into a surreal dance towards the end.

Kenh Ga:

The village of Kenh Ga (Chicken Canal) gets its name, apparently, from the number of wild chickens that used to live here. It’s a lovely area, and one of the best places outside of the Mekong delta to see river life – but nowhere in the Delta will you find stunning limestone formations like the ones providing the backdrop here. Another difference: people in Kenh Ga row boats with their feet, leaning back and watching the world go by. The local people seem to spend most of their lives on or in the water: at their floating fish-breeding pens, harvesting river grass used for fish feed, trawling in the muddy shallows for shellfish or selling veggies boat-to-boat. Even the children commute to school by boat. The river is used for every­thing from bathing, to washing plucked chickens, to defecating in.

Cuc Phuong National Park:

This national park is 70km from the coast and covers an area about 25km long and 11km wide, spanning the provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa. Its highest peak is Dinh May Bac (Silver Cloud Peak) at 656m. The park is home to the excellent Endangered Primate Rescue Center. The center is located about 500m before the national park reception center. You can’t wander around the center alone, so if you’re traveling independently you need first to go to the national park reception area and arrange a guide. Entry is free, but you might consider purchasing some postcards or a poster, or making a donation.

Though wildlife has suffered a precipitous decline in Vietnam in recent decades, the park’s 222 sq km of primary tropical forest remains home to an amazing variety of animal and plant life. There are 320 species of bird, 97 species of mammal including bats, and 36 species of reptile identified so far. Of the 2000 plant species, 433 have medicinal properties and 299 are food sources. The park is home to a species of tree called Cay Kim Giao (Podocarpus fleuryi hickel). In ancient times, kings and mandarins would only eat with chopsticks made from this lumber – it was said that anything poisonous it touches turns the light-colored wood to black.

Poaching and habitat destruction are a constant headache for the park rangers. Many native species, such as the Asiatic black bear, Siamese crocodile, wild dog and tiger, have vanished from the area as a result of human impact. Episodes of violence have erupted between the Muong and park rangers who have tried to stop logging in the park. The government has responded by relocating the villagers further from the park’s boundary. Some Eco-tourism ventures such as village homestays provide income to the local people, thereby giving conservation a direct economic benefit to them.

Improved roads have led to increased illegal logging, which in turn is having a huge impact on the growth, movement and conservation of plants and animals.

The best time of year to visit the park is in the dry months from November to February. From April to June it becomes increasingly hot, wet and muddy, and from July to October the rains arrive, bringing lots of leeches. Visitors in April and May should be lucky enough to see some of the literally millions of butterflies that breed here.