Day trip to Ninh Binh - We did a day trip to Ninh Binh with Vietnam Panorama Travel booked through Viator. It was an amazing experience! Philip was an excellent guide and took the time to explain all the back stories of the various stops. The highlight of the trip was the sampan ride on the Ngo Dong river. Highly recommend this

Great day out, recommend - Everything was very well planned, our guide Phillip arrived on time and we had a private car. The day was packed, we visited a shrine, learned about the history of Vietnam, climbed a mountain, went cycling and had an amazing boat ride. Phillip was great he was very informative and we have learned a lot. We had a lovely lunch in a nice restaurant. Would thoroughly recommend, an excellent day.

Amazing experience! Mr.... - Amazing experience! Mr. Cóng was is a very knowledgeable guide and made the trip interesting. Very comfortable trip with everything being taken care of , including vegetarian food option at local restaurant !

Tour was worth it - and see if you can request for Philip! - I booked a private tour for two. For reference me and my partner are both Vietnamese but live in California. We speak both English and Vietnamese but we don’t know all of the terms in Vietnamese. We also aren’t usually tour people because we do like to read about places on our own….but this may have changed our outlook on tours forever. We had an unforgettable day exploring the breathtaking beauty and rich history of Ninh Binh with our tour guide, Philip starting from 7:30am and ending the day around 530pm. Before our tour, Philip reached out to remind us of what to bring. From the moment we met him, Philip was warm, welcoming, and incredibly attentive to our needs and interests. His passion for Vietnamese culture and history was evident in every stop we made. Here’s a breakdown of what the tour consisted: The driver and Phillip picked us up at our hotel in old quarter Hanoi and we took the 2 ish drive to Ninh Binh. We stopped at a center for people with disabilities to learn about the craftsmanship of these individuals as they hand embroidered beautiful paintings. We then went to Hoa Lu, a beautifully reconstructed ancient capital that offers a glimpse into the lives of Vietnam's early kings. Philip's storytelling brought the site to life — he explained the historical significance with such clarity and enthusiasm. Even though we both understand Vietnamese, he was keen to catch on words/phrases we didn’t know and would continue the story telling in English. We appreciated the switchback back and forth so much! Next, we visited stunning lotus fields, where Philip gave us time to walk around, take photos, and soak in the serene beauty. He also shared interesting cultural insights about the importance of the lotus flower in Vietnamese tradition. A short walk from the lotus fields was the climb up to Mua Cave – 500 steps leading to one of the most incredible panoramic views in Vietnam. Philip paced the tour well, ensuring everyone felt comfortable and encouraged, making it to the top an enjoyable challenge rather than a rushed ordeal. Most tour guides don’t go with their guests but Philip went with us so he could ensure our safety. After the hike, we enjoyed a delicious lunch with at least five dishes that represented the local cuisine and Phillip gave us time to rest and relax. We then visited Bich Dong pagoda which was very serene and tranquil. We finished the day with a magical boat ride in Tam Coc, gliding between limestone karsts and through caves nestled in rice paddies. Throughout the tour, Philip showed a remarkable ability to adapt to our private tour. Philip is incredibly knowledgeable, not just of Ninh Binh, but Vietnams history and then some (world history too!) Whether answering in-depth questions or adjusting the schedule slightly for photo opportunities, he made the experience feel personalized and relaxed. He knew when to give us more information and when to just give us time to relax. Overall, we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Philip’s knowledge, warmth, and flexibility made this tour of Ninh Binh a truly special memory. For those of you looking for a tour, if you’re like us and prefer going at your own pace but also want the historical knowledge to accompany all the sites, highly recommend paying the extra money for a private or smaller group tour with Philip. He took care of all the logistics of planning the days events to purchasing tickets but also gave us the agency to decide if we wanted to continue or skip. When we return to Vietnam and consider other sites to visit in the the North, we are definitely going to contact Philip again!

Ninh Binh tour - Phil is an energetic and knowledgeable guide. He is personable and very helpful, and happy to change the itinerary to suit the mood and weather. The tour was excellent. Highly recommended.

Absolute must if you want to own your own time and have a high quality experience of Vietnam - Louis was great at communicating with us about pick up time, and accommodating our request to be picked up an hour later in the morning so we could sleep a bit more. Louis met us at our hotel and then called the driver to come collect all 3 of us. The car was air conditioned and clean and they provided 2 bottles of water per person. (Which was great, we also packed 2 bottles of water per person ourselves because it’s so hot here). We were never dehydrated throughout the day and there were plenty of little places to stop and get water or snacks if we needed them. (Or to use the bathroom). We loved having the agility to stop if we needed to, or wrap up an experience a bit earlier if we finished early (without having to wait for the whole group). It was especially valuable to use the most of our time at the Mua Cave/Kings stairs. Since we are two fit and athletic travelers we got up and down the stairs quickly with Louis (he’s so fit too!) and were able to take our time in the Lotus fields and had an hour for lunch. It was rainy in the afternoon on the day we went and Louis offered us to drive through the rice paddies instead of cycle if we wanted to avoid the rain. We opted for rain and decided a wet adventure would be okay. Louis rallied with us and we got ponchos and headed into the monsoon to see the ancient pagoda (and there were bats living in the cave where the 200-step pagoda is!) Louis is a great storyteller too! Answered so many lingering questions for us about Vietnam and the culture! We got lucky that the rain eased up at the end of the trip, and we were dry and cool for the boating portion of the trip. There is the option to buy things (like pictures or art from the boat-driver or other boat driver who take pictures for tourists) but it’s very easy to just say no if you don’t want those things and they are not crazy aggressive. Louis also arranged a great spot for lunch for my sister and I with delicious Vietnamese food and friendly staff. On the way home we had to make an unscheduled bathroom stop, and Louis and our driver were both super accommodating. There was also a huge (standstill traffic) accident on the highway on our way home, and we were SO glad to have a private car, he took side streets to get us around the accident and we drove alongside the freeway for a bit and looked at tour busses stopped with people standing in the freeway (they had been there a long time). We could have been stuck for hours but instead got home around 7:30pm ish thanks to his quick navigation. Would absolutely recommend this tour and team. These are some professionals!

QT best tour guide 😀 - This excursion was awesome! Our guide, QT, was fun, friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic about showing others the awesome sights of Northern Vietnam. He provided interesting facts about the places we visited as well as other landmarks we saw along the way. No waiting in line as the tickets were all purchased for us. Bikes used to ride were in great shape, the food served at the restaurant was delicious and plentiful, the places we visited were all incredible. Overall, we had an amazing day!

Great Day Out! - Excellent private tour of all the sites of Ninh Binh. Everything was perfectly organized from start to finish, but what truly made the day great was our guide, Phillip! He was a fantastic tour guide, super friendly, knowledgeable, and took great photos for us. Phillip organized the itinerary to ensure we avoided the crowds, allowing us to fully enjoy each stop without feeling rushed. I recommend this tour to anyone visiting Ninh Binh!

Amazing service - Fantastic service - this company organised a private tour for us with 6 hours notice the night before, due to another tour we had planned being cancelled. Our tour guide Tim Tam was so knowledgable, experienced and spoke perfect English. We loved every minute of it and would recommend a private tour to anyone wanting to do Ninh Binh!

Wonderful day trip to Ninh Binh - We had a wonderful private tour to Ninh Binh, great guide, we hike up 500 steps at Mua Cave for the fantastic view, then had a cycle in the countryside. Really enjoyed it and recommend