On a spring morning, we visit the ancient Hoa Lu capital, now in Truong Yen Commune, Hoa Lu District, in the northern province of Ninh Binh. Hoa Lu means “Flowers of Reeds” and was the capital city of the Dinh dynasty (968-980) and the Tien Le (Early-Le) dynasty (980-1009). The Ly dynasty (1010-1225) was also [...]

Ben went off to Halong Bay, and having been there once before, I decided to take myself off for an adventure of my own…which lead me to Ninh Binh… The kind of place where you have to change your route home because the road has been blocked by rice crops. The kind of place where [...]

Hoa Lu is some 110km or two hours from Hanoi. Located near Ninh Binh city, Hoa Lu is the site of a 10th-century capital of an ancient Vietnamese Kingdom called Dai Co Viet. This small Kingdom covered an area of only 300 hectares, and reigned from the 10th century, during the Dinh and Le dynasties, [...]