Ninh Binh province in northern Vietnam has been named among the 23 best places to visit in the world in 2023 voted by San Francisco-based Catarina Mello, an award-winning luxury travel content creator, photographer, entrepreneur and online educator, according to Forbes.
Ninh Binh, about 95 km from Hanoi's center, is home to the UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage site Trang An Landscape Complex.
"Ninh Binh has been named one of the most underrated destinations in Asia, and it’s often referred to as one of the most beautiful hidden gems on the Asian continent," said Mello.
"It’s rising in popularity on social media, so it won’t stay a hidden gem for too long. Go while it still offers a very authentic Northern Vietnam experience."
"Only two hours away from the busy capital city, Hanoi, Ninh Binh is an authentic and fascinating place known for its giant limestone karst mountains, lush valleys, miles and miles of rice fields and winding rivers. It’s so beautiful you’ll immediately fall in love with it," Mello commented.
"The most famous dishes include goat soup, grilled goat meat with five spices and steamed goat meat with ginger," she added.
The other destinations on the list are: Mallorca, Noto Valley (Sicily), Isle of Skye (Scotland), Nice (France), Interlaken (Switzerland), Formentera (Spain), Paros (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), Japan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Rajasthan (India), Manizales (Colombia), Grenada, Caribbean Coast (Costa Rica), Edmonton (Alberta), Victoria (British Columbia), Namibia, Oman, Tasmania and Northern Territory (Australia).
Early February, Ninh Binh was ranked seventh on a list of the 10 world's most welcoming regions this year at the 11th annual Traveller Review Awards held by travel site Booking.com.
Last July, the province was listed by Travel + Leisure among the 12 coolest Asian film locations to visit. The U.S. travel site credited the accolade to the filming location for the 2017 blockbuster “Kong: Skull Island”.
"As the largest production ever shot in Vietnam ($190 million), Kong: Skull Island demanded filming locations as expansive as the budget. Trang An, Van Long and Tam Coc (Ninh Binh province), the iconic Ha Long Bay, and the entrance of the Tu Lan Caves were all featured," it noted.
In 2021, Ninh Binh was ranked first in the top seven experiences not to be missed when visiting Vietnam by the oldest daily newspaper in France - Le Figaro.
In 2018, it was named among the world's 15 most underrated destinations by British national daily The Telegraph.