Vietnam - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 138

enlightened Buddhists). They line the route up to the triple-roofed Phap Chu pagoda,
which contains a 10m-high 100-tonne bronze Buddha. Chua Bai Dinh is 11km northwest
of Ninh Binh.

Hoa Lu

Hoa Lu was the capital of Vietnam under the Dinh (968-80) and Le dynasties (980-1009).
The ancient citadel (admission 10,000d) , most of which, sadly, has been destroyed, once
covered an area of about 3 sq km.
There is no public transport to Hoa Lu, which is 12km north of Ninh Binh.

TOP OF CHAPTER

Cuc Phuong National Park

030 / ELEV 150-648M
One of Vietnam's most important reserves is this national park ( 030-384 8006;
www.cucphuongtourism.com ; adult/child 40,000/ 20,000d) . Ho Chi Minh personally took time off
from the war in 1963 to dedicate the area as a national park, Vietnam's first. The hills are
laced with many grottoes, and the climate is subtropical at the park's lower elevations.
There are excellent trekking opportunities in the park, including a hike (8km return) to
an enormous 1000-year-old tree ( Tetrameles nudiflora, for botany geeks), and to a Muong
village where you can also go rafting. A guide is mandatory for longer treks.

Sights

Endangered Primate Rescue Center
( 030-384 8002; www.primatecenter.org ; 9.30-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm) The Endangered Prim-
ate Rescue Center is home to over 140 creatures from 15 species of gibbon, langur and
loris. The gibbon is a long-armed, fruit-eating ape; the langur is a long-tailed, tree-dwell-
ing monkey; and the loris is a smaller nocturnal primate with large eyes.

CONSERVATION CENTRE

Turtle Conservation Center
( 030-384 8090; www.asianturtlenetwork.org ; 9-11am & 2-4.45pm) The Turtle Conservation
Center houses over 1000 turtles from 20 of Vietnam's 25 native species. This includes an-

CONSERVATION CENTRE