Ninh Binh Province

 

We were able to escape the madness of Hanoi traffic and sample rural Ninh Binh Province.  It was a full day of visiting temples, petting water buffalo, riding bamboo boats and bicycles.  We had fun.

 

Men and women rowed these bamboo boats with their feet.

The Hoa Lu temples of the Dinh & Le Dynasties in Ninh Binh province.  Originally there were no roads to this Dynasty and it is surrounded by a wall of mountains that served as a protective wall.  It was only reachable by the river that we traveled by bamboo boat.

 

We went on a very fun bicycle ride, on rickety, ill fitting bikes alongside trucks, motorbikes and cars.  No helmets.  We road past buffalo, goats and other bicyclists.  We rode alongside rice fields, through farms and over bridges.  It was a very unique experience.