Trang An complex heritage

 Trang An introduction
Trang An natural complex in Ninh Binh is not only the most important and prominent landscape in northern Vietnam, but also recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Every year, this place attracts millions of visitors to enjoy, it is worth mentioning that the number of foreign tourists is very large. Trang An can be seen as the brightest pearl in a series of landscapes of Ninh Binh.
Trang An is an eco-tourism site located in Trang An World Heritage Site in Ninh Binh Province. It has been ranked by the Vietnamese government as a particularly important national monument and has been recognized as a double world heritage site since 2014.
Trang An was originally called the South citadel of Hoa Lu ancient capital, now it is Hoa Lu ancient capital. Trang An with a system of limestone mountain ranges has a geological age of about 250 million years, over a long period of weathering due to the change of earth, climate, advancing sea and regressive sea, it has carried hundreds of valleys and caves.In this landscape, there are also many wetland ecosystems, limestone forests and relics associated with the history of the ancient capital Hoa Lu.
Trang An – Tam Coc inter-area of ​​Hoa Lu ancient capital is planned to be integrated into Trang An landscape complex, which is the first mixed world heritage site in Vietnam with outstanding values ​​of natural landscape. However, cultural history and geological tectonics are also the places invested to become an international tourism area.
Trang An wharf center is located 7 km west of Ninh Binh city along Trang An avenue and 96 km south of Hanoi. The core area of ​​Trang An – Tam Coc heritage area is over 6,172 ha, which is a special protection area for landscapes. This special protection area is located in Hoa Lu special-use forest, under the conservation plan of Hoa Lu ancient capital and also in the planning of Trang An world heritage population with an area of ​​12,252 ha.
Trang An is a region of water and clouds. The bottom of the blue water reflects the identical cliffs. There are 31 lakes and lagoons connected by 48 caves that have been discovered, including 2 km long water caves such as Dia Linh cave, Sinh Duoc cave, May cave, etc. Each cave has a unique appearance. As the name suggests, the cave has many changeable stalactites, water flowing from the cave ceiling makes the air in the cave cool. Dark cave has a wide and narrow cave suddenly changing. Sang Cave is sparkling with strange iridescent stalactites.
The most special is the Wine Brewing Cave and the Com Cave with the legend of the giant brewing wine here, bringing wine and rice to the mountains to eat. In the cave there are underground water deeper than 10 m. Legend has it that the ancestors came here to get water to make wine to advance to the king. When dredging the cave, archaeologists discovered many pottery pots, jars and tools for brewing wine. Go round Com mountain cave, go to Vong cave, there is old tree root and root cover whole cave. From here to Lang cave, Ao Trai cave, in the middle of Ao Trai cave, the heart of the cave expanded about 30m. Trang An cave has the outstanding features of a heritage area with four main types of caves: Ancient underground cave, ancient Karst cave, stone roof cave and frog jaw cave.
Trang An can form many closed cross-water journeys without having to go back. This cave complex is like a battle of eight trigrams. Mountains, lakes and caves form a continuous battle. Each lake is a different picture of the mountain, the shape of the mountain and the lake. Sky clouds, green trees, blue water mingled with each other.
The amazing thing in Trang An is that the lakes are connected by caves, which are different lengths of water crossings. These caves convey convective water flowing from ravine to other ravine. The mountain stretches surrounding the lake and in the middle emerges the land with the forest growing to the island. Far away on the slopes of the mountain, under the canopy of the soup bush, are the herds of mountain goats climbing on the precarious rocks.
Trang An is associated with the historical and cultural values ​​of Hoa Lu ancient capital. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh unified Jiangshan, founded Dai Co Viet state, and set up its capital in Hoa Lu. Hoa Lu capital consists of 4 cities: East – West – South – North; including the vast Thanh Nam, is a high mountainous region difficult to defend and protect the city called Trang An. With such specific terrain, Hoa Lu capital is like a stone capital with characteristics: mountains are cities, rivers are roads, caves are palaces.
A part of Trang An cave has been put into operation for tourism in Ninh Binh. Currently, visitors to Trang An often take 2 tours, a 3 hour boat tour and a climbing tour.

Rowing route: Trang An cave has a distinctive feature that is a form of yachting on water valleys created by many rocky cliffs connected by water caves without having to go back. It takes about 3 to 4 hours for us to sail through these caves.
Climbing route: The road tour is 1.6 km long. This route starts from Cay Bang wharf, visitors will walk, climb through three consecutive passes. The first pass is Cay pass, which is about 60 meters above the water surface. Second pass is Couple Pass. And the third pass is the Tran temple pass. Currently, this climbing path has been built of wide stone steps. On the way to Tran temple, there were 7 octagonal iron floors built as a resting place for visitors to climb.
Coming to Trang An, you will be sitting on a boat gliding across the mountains, watching the clear water there, exploring mysterious caves, listening to the boatman’s explanation about the meaning of the cave’s name. the legends associated with it.
Many people think of Trang An as “Ha Long on land”, but no, Trang An is Trang An, where the blue water is clear, the caves of all shapes, the beautiful scenery associated with the history of the capital city. Dai Co Viet in the past, where there were no luxury yachts like Ha Long, only a rustic canoe with a quality boat driver took you on a journey to admire the painting.