Hoa Lu or Bai Dinh?

On the Mua Cave day tour from Hanoi you choose the morning when you book: Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s capital in the 10th century, with the temples of King Dinh and King Le and a bicycle ride through the villages, or Bai Dinh, a vast Buddhist pagoda complex toured by electric car. The afternoon is the same either way: the Trang An boat, then Mua Cave.

The calendar above is the day tour with both options, from $48 in current promotion (usually $55) a person (checked November 2026); pick the option on the booking page.

Side by side

Tickets from the Trang An heritage management board’s list, read November 2026; distances by road from a routing engine.

Check dates and pick your morning

Hoa Lu

Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam from 968 to 1010 under the Dinh and early Le dynasties, and the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital is one of the three protected areas that hold most of the Trang An World Heritage property. The tours visit the temples of King Dinh Tien Hoang and King Le Dai Hanh, then ride bicycles along village roads between the limestone. One guest on the hero tour found the Hoa Lu stop a bit underwhelming next to Trang An and Mua Cave; others name the cycling among the best parts of the day. Real Vietnam Travel Company’s day with Hoa Lu, the Trang An boat and Mua Cave is built on this morning, from $52 in current promotion (usually $57) (checked November 2026).

Bai Dinh

Bai Dinh is a pagoda complex on a different scale: the tours describe long corridors of arhat statues, giant bronze bells and Buddha statues. It is 14.1 km from the Trang An wharf by road, and the grounds are big enough that the visit is made on an electric car, which the hero tour includes on this option. The electric car alone is 150,000 dong return; the shuttle with the stops, the tower and a foot soak is 300,000 dong.

Both, from Ninh Binh

With no drive from Hanoi, the days that start at a Ninh Binh hotel fit both: NB Luxury Travel’s day from Ninh Binh does Hoa Lu at 9:00 and Bai Dinh at 10:00 before lunch, then the Trang An boat and Mua Cave, from $53 in current promotion (usually $58) (checked November 2026).

Pick your morning

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.