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From Hanoi, follow National Highway 1A for about 90km south to Gian Khau intersection, turn right onto Provincial Road 477 for nearly 8km, then turn right again for another 2km, and you will reach Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve.
Spanning over 3,000 hectares across seven communes: Gia Hung, Lien Son, Gia Hoa, Gia Lap, Gia Tan, Gia Thanh, and primarily Gia Van commune in Gia Vien district, Van Long is the largest wetland nature reserve in the Northern region of Vietnam. It resembles a watercolor painting, with limestone mountains reflecting their images onto the clear blue water day and night.
The limestone mountain range here is named according to the distinctive shape of each mountain mass, such as: Hoang Quyen Mountain, Hom Sach Mountain, Da Ban Mountain, Meo Cao Mountain, Co Tien Mountain, etc. Within these mountains are 32 caves with unique beauty, such as: Ca Cave, Bong Cave, Rua Cave, Chanh Cave, Thung Doi Cave… Particularly noteworthy are the fascinating carvings on the cliffs, such as: an ancient human figure holding an axe in one hand and a bow and arrow in the other; a group of people holding hands and dancing together…
Surprisingly, these rock formations are normally invisible to tourists, but if water is poured onto the rocks, they become clearly visible. Van Long is also known by tourists as the "bay without waves" because when traveling by boat in the reserve, the water surface is as calm as a mirror.
The forest ecosystem in Van Long is very diverse with approximately 722 plant species, including 687 species of vascular higher plants, 35 species of aquatic plants, and notably 8 species listed in the Vietnamese Red Book (Kien, Lat Hoa, Tue La Rong, Co Toai Boi, Sang, Bach Bo, Ma Tien, Hoa Tan). 39 animal species, including 12 rare mammal species (sun bear, serow, slow loris, red-faced monkey, civet, clouded leopard, leopard..., especially the langur); 38 species of frogs, toads, and reptiles, including 9 reptile species listed in the Vietnamese Red Book (king cobra, monitor lizard, python, rat snake, red-headed striped snake); and 100 bird species. During the dry season, Van Long is also a wintering ground for many migratory birds from the North such as: Bonelli's eagle, grey heron, great egret, teal, grey heron, white heron, bittern…
Along with its stunning natural scenery, Van Long also boasts many valuable historical and cultural relics such as Dich Long Pagoda, Hoa Lu Cave, the temple of King Dinh Tien Hoang, the temple of Saint Nguyen... and the unique cultural identity of the local communities in the Red River Delta. Therefore, Van Long has all the elements to develop community-based tourism.
Since the beginning of 2005, with the assistance of the Ninh Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gia Van commune – home to over 5,300 people – has pioneered the implementation of a community-based tourism model in Van Long. Accordingly, in addition to their main livelihoods of rice cultivation, crop farming, and livestock raising, the local people also engage in supplementary occupations providing tourism services, from organizing receptions to introducing and promoting the unique natural and cultural values of the locality to tourists.
Therefore, visitors to this area, in addition to experiencing daily life with the locals such as going to the market, cooking, milling rice, pounding rice, tilling the land, scooping water with buckets and ropes, setting nets, catching crabs in the rice fields, fishing with traps, sleeping in traditional wooden-framed houses with earthen floors, etc., also have the opportunity to participate in tours by ox cart or buffalo cart to explore the scenery of the Northern Vietnamese countryside, and sit in a bamboo boat to admire the picturesque beauty of the landscape in the Van Long Nature Reserve…
Currently, Gia Van commune is developing this model on a large scale to optimally exploit the local tourism potential and strengths. Initially, the commune government has done a good job of ensuring security, order, and environmental hygiene; coordinating with the Tourism Department and the Ninh Binh Provincial Tourism Promotion Center to organize training courses on tourism knowledge and cultural etiquette for tourists for local people; and collaborating with travel companies to promote local tourism. In addition, the Senior Citizens' Association is leading the movement to plant trees and ornamental plants to create a green, clean, and beautiful tourism environment...
With the relatively new tourism model implemented by the government and people of Gia Van commune, Van Long is poised to become a leading eco-tourism and community-based tourism destination in Ninh Binh in the future.
