A few days ago some people asked me about experiences to travel Tam Coc area, my honor. I'm happy to share my own experience so that you can arrange a tour to Tam Coc by yourself without spending too much.

To enjoy full beauty of Tam Coc tours I recommend that you spend 2 days instead of a day trip, it will be too rush as the drive from Hanoi to Tam Coc would cost you 3 hours each way (110 km), you can travel by private car, motorbike so that you can control your time, and if your budget is tight public bus is also a good choice, there are plenty of buses starting from Ben Xe Phia Nam bus station in Hanoi, fares is about 4 usd/person one way.

If you want to see the golden color of the rice fields then the period from the end of May to early June is best to visit Tam Coc tours and Ninh Binh. At that time the green color of vegetation coupled with yellow color of rice fields will make a wonderful picture with beautiful layers. After Lunar New year period you can admire the green fields stretching out to greet the spring breeze.

As mentioned before the distance between Hanoi and Tam Coc is pretty close so you can go on a day trip. However, if you want to stay overnight to combine sightseeing spots outside the Tam Coc in Ninh Binh there are many hotels to choose from. The tourism industry in Tam Coc is pretty well developed so the accommodation facilities here are also handy to serve the needs of travelers. You can choose to stay at the affordable guesthouses around boat dock in Tam Coc, or if money is not your problem, the nearby Ninh Binh town also has good hotels 3 stars to 5 stars to choose. I myself have a good impression at Nam Hoa hotel, just a few minutes walk from tourist area, it has a large yard for parking, in the evening and morning someone will take car of your bikes, and the owner of the hotel Mrs Hoa is very friendly

Things to do in your trip to Tam Coc

Food and eating:
It is best to eat at the hotel you stay. As a habit most travelers tend to eat at a restaurant outside however in Tam Coc most restaurants are also associated with hotels, there are some choices around the boat dock such as Anh Dzung, The Long, Duc Tuan...

Specialty of Tam Coc and Ninh Binh is goat meat, especially grilled goat, the meat is crisp, thin fat very tasty. Tiet canh de (Goat blood pudding) is said very good but I don't like to drink the blood of animals. Com Chay (Burned rice) is another specialty of Ninh Binh (priced around 1 usd/boxe sold in the marketplace and in the restaurant is 2 usd a dish), but I don't like it as the oil is used many times. I felt the rice has burned fat smell and spicies are not tasty. In addition there are other delicacies that you can not ignore such as: Kim Son wine, eel soup, Yen Mac spring roll...

Tam Coc boat trip
Boat ride is the only way for you to visit Tam Coc. If traveling by road, you can just walk around outside. Ticket prices are 3.5 usd/person in 2 hours. In Tam Coc are the management of boats is very good, there are about 1500 boats of households. The boats are numbered and the families take turn to serve. I heard each boat goes two times in a month. Ah remember to have your tips ready as the boat rowers will ask for tip. While visiting Tam Coc, you should discuss this in advance with the boatman, if you want to stop to take pictures, or if you want to climb up high to find a good place to take picture of the beautiful scenery, with the experience and understanding of the place the boatman will be able to stop the boat and finding a convenient place, suitable for you to climb up the cliff. Don't stand up suddenly you will endanger yourself but also dangerous for those who go on the same boat.
Best time to do a boat ride is spring and summer as the rice on either side of the Ngo Dong river is yellow ripe. Ine summer there are often thunderstorms in Tam Coc and you should depart in the early morning. Because once you get there the weather is not too hot and most importantly avoid the rains that usually occur in the afternoon.

Souvenirs
As mentioned above, you should not buy Com Chay. You can buy some goat meat (16 usd/kg). Please always remember to ask the soy sauce and herbs as well. Goat meat is also sold live always at the hotel. If you go home via Ho Chi Minh highway you can buy sugar cane selling more on the way.

The neighborhood:
Around the Tam Coc area you can also visit Bich Dong pagoda and Trang An Bai Dinh landscape complex, Kenh Ga canal or Cuc Phuong national park, each place has it's own charm however to see all these place you need at least 2 more days.