Day #14-15 - Leisure trip to Ninh Binh and Cuc Phuong National Park

Following our final field trip, we were treated to a leisure weekend to see more of the sights around Hanoi. We started in the Ninh Binh provence, where our first stop was Hoa Lu, to see the temples constructed in the Dinh and Le dynasties. There were some really spectacular buildings and landscapes.

Everywhere we went we saw the traditional Vietnamese festival flags flying. The colours of the flag symbolise the Five Elements, the basis of the universe according to ancient Chinese philosophy.

Next we took a river tour through the caves of the Trang An Grottoes. We piled into rowing boats and cruised through the caves, which are mostly natural. Although some sections have been dug out to fit boats through. One of the local guides had a special talent - he rowed with his feet for most of the trip.

After a group lunch we headed to the Bai Dinh Pagoda, a huge complex full of temples, statues and the largest bronze Buddha in Southeast Asia. There are also hundreds of stone Buddhas lining the corridors all the way through the complex. We had some fun picking our favourites.

Our final stop for the weekend was Cuc Phuong National Park, which was Vietnam's first National Park and one of the country's most important sites for biodiversity. We saw the site of the 'pre-historic man', where human remains that were thousands of years old were found. We visited a one-thousand year old tree. And we took a tour through the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre, which houses langurs, loris and gibbons until they can be released back into their natural habitats. We couldn't get close enough for good photos, but all the animals there were truly amazing.