hoa-lu-ancient-capital-ninh-binh-vietnam — **Hoa Lu (Cố đô Hoa Lư) in Ninh Binh** – an ancient, formerly the capital of Vietnam. Entrance gate to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital.

ℹ️ Information – Hoa Lu
🛕 History of Hoa Lu
🚍 How to get to Hoa Lu
☀️ When to visit Hoa Lu
🏡 Homestays + Resorts
❓ FAQ + Travel Tips
📸 Photos of Hoa Lu

Quick answer: Hoa Lu Ancient Capital in Ninh Binh was Vietnam’s first real capital during the 10th and early 11th centuries. Surrounded by dramatic limestone hills and rice fields, its remaining temples and ruins tell the story of the Dinh and Early Le dynasties. Today, it’s a peaceful place to reflect on Vietnam’s early history and enjoy its natural beauty.

At a glance:

📍 Location: Truong Yen Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh.
🏛️ Historical era: Capital from 968 to 1010 under the Dinh, Le, and early Ly dynasties.
🧱 Ruins & temples: Includes temples of King Dinh (Dinh Temple) and King Le (Le Temple), built on the old citadel.
🌄 Landscape: Surrounded by karst mountains, rivers, and peaceful rice paddies.}
📅 Festivals: The Hoa Lu or Truong Yen Festival is held in the 3rd lunar month to honor past kings.
🌍 UNESCO connection: Part of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex.

Last updated in November 2025

Hoa Lu is a historic city, now a tourist attraction near Ninh Binh city

- Ninh Binh is a city that offers a number of important historical sites, great natural sceneries and lies only about 100 km from Hanoi and is therefore very popular. Hoa Lu District, which lies on the west side of Ninh Binh city, is the site of the world-famous and popular scenic spot of Trang An complex. And just a short distance from the center of Trang An Ecotourism Site, about 5 km north is a very important and historic place Ancient city of Hoa Lu (Cố đô Hoa Lư). It does not look huge and extensive, but its importance is, of course, unmissable for the Vietnamese themselves. And even a foreign tourist should not miss this place if you are already in Ninh Binh.

Historic temples, small museum, pagodas, gardens, historical artifacts.

- Hoa Lu Ancient Capital is located about 100 km from Hanoi and about 12 km from Ninh Binh city, Truong Yen village, Hoa Lu District. Hoa Lu is also written on the UNESCO list. The historic city of Hoa Lu is now more of a remnant of this important place. Now offers to visit the following places of interest: Temple of King Dinh Tinh Hoang (Đền vua Đinh Tiên Hoàng – Xuân Thủy ) + tomb on nearby Ma Yen Mountain, Temple of King Le Dai Hanh (Đền vua Lê Đại Hành), Nha Tru Pagoda (One Pillar Pagoda) in a nearby village, a small museum with excavations and artifacts or estates, gardens or prayer places in a nearby village. Immediately opposite the entrance eastern gate to Hoa Lu is also the beautiful another historic place Am Tien with a pagoda, a cave and a lake. A trip and a visit to the historic city of Hoa Lu itself will take you a maximum of 2 hours.

ly-thai-to-beer-house-hoa-lu-ninh-binh — A shrine (newly built) known as Ly Thai Toa (Ly Thai To beer house) at the gateway to the historic city of Hoa Lu.

The history of the Ancient city of Hoa Lu begins in the 10th century.

- If we take the history of this place very briefly, we get to the 10th century. And I don’t really see the deep history of this place. But most importantly, it was the first capital of feudal goverment after the coronation of Vietnam’s first emperor, Dinh Bo Linh (Đinh Bộ Lĩnh, posthumously known as Đinh Tiên Hoàng).
- Hoa Lu has been the capital for 42 years from 968-1010, becoming a political and cultural center and the site of several important historical events in Vietnam. It was the birthplace of the first 2 imperial dynasties – Dinh Dynasty and Le Dynasty. And just after these 2 dynasties bear the names of two palaces that can be visited in Hoa Lu.

Homestays + Resorts in Ninh Binh ➜

- The temple dedicated to Đinh Tiên Hoàng was built by locals near the center of the old capital to honor Dinh Bo Linh, the first Vietnamese emperor. Bộ Lĩnh grew up in this area in the middle of the 10th century during the reign of Ngô Quyền and expelled the Chinese occupiers from the country and proclaimed himself king in 938. Đinh Tiên Hoàng’s tomb is located on nearby Mã Yên mountain (a short hike is possible and you can enjoy nice views to the area), while Lê Đại Hành lies at the foot of the mountain.
- After the end of the Le Dynasty, in 1010, Ly Cong Uan, the founder of the Ly Dynasty, moved the capital to Thang Long (now Hanoi) and Hoa Lu became the “ancient capital”. After these 3 dynasties, the entrance gates to the historic city of Hoa Lu in the east, south and north have also been preserved in good condition. You will see all these ancient gates and they are passable.

le-dai-hanh-temple-hoa-lu-vietnam — Temple of King Le Dai Hanh (Đền vua Lê Đại Hành) in Hoa Lu Ancient City has retained its visual appearance.

How to get and travel to Hoa Lu Ancient City?

- The best way to get to the historic city of Hoa Lu near Ninh Binh is by motorbike, bicycle or private transfer. So it depends on where you come from here. Most of the visitors will probably come here as an excursion in the Trang An complex. Therefore, if you will be staying in the Trang An complex, it is advisable to choose a motorbike or a bicycle. The area is lowland, so it is quite easy to ride here and bicycles are popular by tourists. If you are going on a longer trip, I recommend using a scooter / motorbike. Some private and fast minivans depart from Hanoi to Hoa Lu, the travel distance is about 100 km. You can also use the minivans from Hanoi to Tam Coc.
- From Hanoi to Hoa Lu – private minivans, travel time is about 2.5 hours and tickets cost about 10-12 USD / pp.
- From Ninh Binh to Hoa Lu – you can use a private taxi, mototaxi or Grab, travel distance is about 12 km.
- From Hanoi to Ninh Binh – private minivans, buses, private transfers or trains of Vietnam Railways

How to go to Ninh Binh from Hanoi? ➜

When to visit Hoa Lu Ancient City and what about tickets?

- Hoa Lu ancient city can be visited all year round. On some holidays, such as TET and after the new year, various spiritual ceremonies or festivals can take place. Hoa Lu is the most visited place at this time. However, if you are looking for a quieter period, choose eg autumn, September – October. The Ninh Binh area is suitable for visiting, for example, in the autumn or from the beginning of spring (expect possible celebrations until spring). The opening hours of Hoa Lu Ancient City are from 7 am to 5 pm and the ticket costs 20,000 VND and you can buy it on the spot (please note that the price may vary over time). Read this article: Weather in Ninh Binh.

museum-le-dai-hanh-hoa-lu-vietnam2 — The background of the palace, or also a small museum of relics and artifacts (Nền cung điện Đinh-Lê) is next to Le Dai Hanh Temple.

Where to stay near Hoa Lu Ancient City? Homestay or resort?

- If you want to stay around the historic town of Hoa Lu, I would choose the Trang An complex area. That is, a few kilometers from here, only about 5 km from ecotourism site of Trang An. You can’t stay directly in this historic town, but there are already various homestays or resorts for tourists in the vicinity. I recommend choosing the Trang An area, there are nice nature sceneries in the countryside, there are very well rated accommodations and the prices are low.

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- Trang An scenic complex is also nice because right in the heart of the place, no ugly big hotels are built, but there are stylish resorts and homestays that fit in well with the area. I’ve picked out some possible recommended accommodations, all very well rated and some with a swimming pool: Trang An Farmstay, Trang An Eco Homestay, Hoa Lu Ecohomestay and or Trang An River View Homestay.