Things to Do in Tam Coc: the Hidden Gem of Vietnam, Tam Coc, Vietnam

When it comes to Northern Vietnam, it seems that Sapa has been deemed the most beautiful. Everyone I met said it was their favorite part of their trip. So it was a bit of a bummer when we arrived in Hanoi and heard it was pouring and freezing cold there. I’m a big believer in being flexible, so instead of going to Sapa and trying to have the same experience everyone else has there, we decided to spend more time in other places. Tam Coc had made our original itinerary, so we spent some extra time there, and I’m glad we did.

Tam Coc seems to be the less touristed version of Sapa. Approximately two hours south of Hanoi, this little town has been deemed the “hidden gem” of Vietnam. It boasts scenic boat tours through lush rice paddies, caves that go on for miles, and trekking up rocky terrain. Although the town itself is small, it holds an unsurpassable amount of beauty.

We decided to get a taxi for a day to see several of the major sites. The roads are flat, straight, and fairly well paved, so this is actually a great place to try your hand at driving a motorbike if that’s something you’ve always wanted to do. Just be careful of gravel or sand on the roads.

One of the stops on our day trip was Bai Dinh Pagoda. It’s the largest complex of Buddhist temples in Vietnam. The newer portions were completed in 2013 as an addition to an older temple. The area is huge and requires transportation via electric car. Once inside, it takes a couple of hours to see most of the temples. We went towards the end of the day and were pretty exhausted, so we saw the highlights including the stupa and the temples around the outside. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).