Hoa Lu Ancient Town

Last updated: October 2026

Hoa Lu Ancient Town (Phố cổ Hoa Lư, also sold as Hoa Lu Old Town or Hoa Lu Old Quarter) is a free walking area of tiled roofs, red lanterns and stone bridges around Ky Lan Lake in central Ninh Binh. Despite the name, it's new. It opened on 27 January 2022, and it was built to look like a 10th-century Dai Viet town, not restored from one.

It's also the only real night-time option in the Ninh Binh area. Trang An, Tam Coc and Mua Cave all close in the late afternoon, and the villages around them go quiet early. If you're staying the night, this is where you go for dinner and a walk.

I've lost count of how many times I've been here: with friends, with family, and with travelers I advise when I have time to show them around. It's a completely different atmosphere from a boat ride in Trang An. By day Ninh Binh is about the river and the karsts; in the evening this is where the life is. Just know that it gets really crowded on weekends and holidays.

My honest take: Hoa Lu Ancient Town in short

• It's a modern replica built for tourists. Go for the lanterns and the atmosphere, not for history.
• Come after dark. In daytime there's little reason to be here.
• Entry is free. You only pay for food, drinks and the optional boat.
• One to two hours is plenty. It's an evening add-on, not a half-day trip.
• The boat on the lake costs 100,000 to 150,000 VND per person. Pleasant, short, skippable.
• Weekend evenings get packed. Go on a weekday if you can.
• It is NOT the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, the real 10th-century site 14 km away. Plenty of visitors (and taxi drivers) mix them up.
• My verdict: if you're staying the night in Ninh Binh, don't miss it.

Not the ancient capital: which Hoa Lu is which?

This trips up a lot of people, so let's get it out of the way. Ninh Binh has two places with "Hoa Lu" in the name:

If you book a Grab, type "Phố cổ Hoa Lư" so you end up in the right one.

What to see and do

1. Walk the lantern streets around Ky Lan Lake

This is the main event. The quarter is laid out around a lake under Ky Lan Mountain, with rows of curved-roof shophouses, wooden doors, bridges and a lot of lanterns. Once they're lit the whole place turns gold and the reflections on the lake are what you see in everyone's photos.

There's a craft and souvenir section and a "Ninh Binh xin chào" wall with greetings in different languages, which is a favorite photo stop for Vietnamese visitors.

Our honest take: It's beautiful at night. If you've already been to Hoi An, you'll recognize the feeling: lanterns, water and old-style shopfronts. This is a smaller, newer version of that look, so don't expect real old houses or families living upstairs. It's still a lovely walk.

2. Tu An Tower in the middle of the lake

The tower sitting out on Ky Lan Lake is the most photographed thing here, especially lit up at night. It's built in a Buddhist style, and the stone bridges let you walk out for a closer look. It's new, so don't treat it as a heritage monument, but it's where the best night photos come from.

3. Ky Lan Pagoda (the Silver Pagoda) and the hill view

At the foot of Ky Lan Mountain is the Ky Lan pagoda tower, locally called Chùa Bạc (Silver Pagoda). It's 27 m tall with three tiers of curved roofs and is built entirely of red granite. Steps lead up the small hill behind the quarter to a little temple with a bell at the top, and from there you look down over the lake and lanterns. It's a short, easy climb.

This is a working religious site, so cover shoulders and knees if you go inside.

I haven't done the climb myself yet, so that's one for my next visit.

4. A boat ride on the lake

Small wooden boats leave from the jetty on Ky Lan Lake and loop past the tower and bridges. You can also float a paper flower lantern (hoa đăng) on the water. Expect to pay 100,000 to 150,000 VND per person (about $4 to $6 at roughly 26,300 VND to the dollar in October 2026), depending on the boat type.

Our honest take: I paid 100,000 VND the last time I went. It's beautiful out on the water, and the cool breeze off the lake is the best part on a warm evening, but the ride is short. Nice if you have kids or want the lantern-floating photo; not a must. The views from the bank are almost as good.

5. Weekend shows at the water pavilion

On weekends there are cultural performances at the water pavilion (thủy đình) on the lake: water puppetry, and traditional folk singing styles such as chèo, hát xẩm and hát then. The main performance slot is roughly 8:45pm to 9:45pm. The quarter also hosts bigger one-off concerts and fireworks nights; in July 2026, for example, it staged an evening show where part of the audience watched from boats.

The best shows I've seen here were on public holidays, when the crowds are biggest too. On an ordinary weekend, shows aren't guaranteed, so treat them as a bonus.

6. Eat and drink by the water

There's a food area by the lake plus cafes and street-food stalls around the edge. The choice is wide: Vietnamese dishes, hotpot, and Western food like pizza and burgers if someone in your group has had enough noodles. The food is OK, nothing special, and it costs a bit more than elsewhere in town because you're paying for the setting. A drink at a lakeside cafe while the lanterns come on is the easy win.

Is Hoa Lu Ancient Town worth visiting?

Yes, if you're spending a night in Ninh Binh. It costs nothing to get in, it's 15 minutes from wherever you're staying, and there's simply nowhere else in the area to spend an evening. An hour of walking under the lanterns, a look at the tower and dinner by the lake is a good end to a day on the river.

Skip it if you're on a day trip from Hanoi and heading back before dark, or if you hate crowds and you're there on a Saturday night. And if you came to Ninh Binh for history, put that time into the real Hoa Lu Ancient Capital in Truong Yen instead.

For me, it's the place to rest after a long day on a boat trip or climbing the steps at Mua Cave. Sitting by Ky Lan Lake with a drink in the evening, watching the lanterns, is a good way to end a day in Ninh Binh.

I'd stay in Tam Coc, not next to the old town. Tam Coc is a quiet village among the rice fields and karsts, so after an evening of lanterns and crowds you go back to a tranquil night. The old town is only about 15 minutes away by Grab. Staying in the city center puts the lanterns within walking distance, but it's a regular provincial town otherwise, and you'd need a car or Grab every day to reach the scenery.

For specific places to stay in Tam Coc, see the Ninh Binh section of our Vietnam hotel guide.