Mua Cave, also known as Hang Múa, is one of the must-see tourist attractions in Ninh Binh. It’s a unique location to admire the breathtaking views of the natural landscape of Tam Coc and Trang An from above.
Another highlight of Mua Cave is the 500 steep stone steps to the top of the mountain, designed to resemble the Great Wall of China. From the mountaintop, you can enjoy the panoramic view of Ngo Dong River, the limestone karts, and the rice fields.
Every summer, the lotus ponds around Mua Cave bloom simultaneously, creating a vibrant scene. This is a popular check-in spot for thousands of domestic and international tourists.
If you want to visit the best hiking and viewpoint in Ninh Binh, you must check out Hang Mua. It’s located very close to Tam Coc, which is the tourist town of Ninh Binh, making it a popular place to visit to visitors.
In this article, I will share with you everything about Hang Mua Cave in Ninh Binh. These include how to find its location, how to get there, entrance ticket, opening hour, the hike to the 500 stone steps, the viewpoints, the lotus lake, and how long to spend at Mua Cave.
Hang Mua is a must-visit attraction in Ninh Binh, but it’s not for everyone. You need to hike up the steep stairs, so if you don’t like hiking, you should skip this one because hiking is the only way to reach the viewpoints in Hang Mua.
Why does it have the name Hang Múa?
“Hang” means Cave and “Múa” means Dancing. The name Hang Mua is believed to originate from a legend about King Tran Thai Tong returning to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital (now Ninh Binh) to build Thai Vi Temple in the 13th century.
The King often came to the cave in a bell-shaped mountain to enjoy the singing and the dance. The name of Hang Múa refers to a network of mountains and rivers around this cave.
This Place is called “Mua Cave”, but don’t expect to see an impressive cave here. There is actually a small Tiger Cave at the bottom of mountains, but nothing special compared to other caves in Trang An and Tam Coc. The real star of the complex is not the cave, it’s the viewpoints, the scenery, and the hike to the top.
Mua Cave Location
Mua Cave is located inside the Hang Múa Ecolodge Complex, in the Khe Ha residential group, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh. It’s mid-way between two other popular areas in Ninh Binh, which are Tam Coc Boat ride and Trang An Boat Ride.
Mua Cave is around 4 km North of Tam Coc, and 4km South of Trang An, and 7km West of Hoa Lu Old Town and Ninh Binh City Center.
The exact location of the entrance to Mua Cave Viewpoint is at 20.23091198893707, 105.93757476480025. The ticket counter is located in this area. You can search for “Mua Cave Ticket Information Office” or “Hang Múa Ecolodge” to get to the right entrance.
There are many places such as restaurants, cafes, and accommodations marked as Hang Múa, or Mua Cave around the real Hang Mua Viewpoint. I put “Hang Múa” on Google Maps and it redirected me to the wrong place at the back of the mountain.
There were several other people who got the wrong address like me. It was still a good experience though because it’s a good excuse to get lost and explore different corners of Tam Coc on the bicycle and a scooter. The scenery is stunning everywhere you go.
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How to get to Mua Cave?
Mua Cave is centrally located between the two popular areas of Tam Coc, and Trang An, so it’s easily accessible from these places by walking, cycling, riding a scooter, or taking riding share series such as Grab/ GreenSM taxi and motorbike.
Walking to Mua Cave
There are dozens of homestays, hotels, and guest houses around Hang Mua Cave. So if you stay in this area, you can easily walk to Hang Mua.There is also lovely accommodation within the Hang Mua complex, so you can choose to stay here to visit the viewpoint whenever you want without paying for entrance ticket.
Cycling to Mua Cave
Cycling is a popular activity for both locals and tourists in Tam Coc. You can easily rent a bicycle at your hotel and at many bike rental agents in Tam Coc for 50k VND a day to explore the area. Many hotels offer free use of bicycles for their guests.
Riding a bicycle is usually safer than a scooter, and allows you to go into the small dirt path that some people can struggle to get past while riding a scooter.
Riding a scooter to Mua Cave
I rented a scooter to explore Tam Coc and Hang Mua. I rented it from my hotel for 150k per day, but you can also rent from many travel shops along the main road in Tam Coc. If your hotel doesn’t offer bike rental services, you can ask them to find a good place for you to rent one.
There are two ways to get to Mua Cave from Tam Coc, via the highway DT491 and the small road along Sao Khe River. I recommend avoiding the highway because it’s always busy with traffic and trucks. The scooter ride from either Tam Coc or Trang An to Mua Cave is around 10-15 minutes.
Using Grab and GreenSM taxi/ motorbike
You can use Grab and GreenSM ride share services in Tam Coc and Ninh Binh. While I rented a scooter to explore, I used these services to travel between my hotel in Tam Coc and Ninh Binh train station. I also saw people using these services in popular areas such as Trang An, Tam Coc, and Hoa Lu Old Town.
The Grab and GreenSM car ride from Tam Coc to Hang Mua Cave is around 60k-80k VND per ride while the motorbike ride is around 30k VND.
The distance from Trang An to Hang Mua is similar to the distance from Tam Coc, so it’s also 60-80k VND for the taxi ride from Trang An to Mua Cave.
Here are the cost, duration, and distance from Tam Coc, Trang An, Hoa Lu Old Town, and Hoa Lu Ancient Capital to Hang Mua Cave by Grab/GreenSM taxi and motorbike:
| Tam Coc to Hang Mua | Trang An to Hang Mua | Hoa Lu Ancient Capital to Hang Mua | Hoa Lu Old Town to Hang Mua | |
| Distance | 4.5 km | 5.4 km | 9 km | 7 km |
| Duration | 10-15 minutes | 12-15 minutes | 20 minutes | 15-20 minutes |
| Taxi Price | 60k-80k VND | 70k-90k VND | 115k-130k VND | 90k-100k VND |
| Motobike Price | 25k-40k VND | 30k-50k VND | 40k-50k VND | 40k VND |
See more: How to get to & get around Tam Coc
Mua Cave Entrance Fee
The entrance ticket to Mua Cave is 150k per adult (1m and above). Children under 1m have free entrance to Hang Mua. You can easily buy a ticket onsite at the entrance. I visited the place around 3pm on Tuesday and there was no queue at the ticket booth.
The parking is right outside of the entrance area. It’s stated free parking on Google Maps, but it’s actually paid parking. They charged 5k VND for a bicycle and 10k VND for scooter parking.
There are many parking signs on the road to Mua Cave, the owners along the way might try to stop and navigate you to their parking. You can park at their place but make sure to ask the price first, as from my experience, Tam Coc is known for its overcharging parking fee at some popular tourist attractions.
Mua Cave Opening and Closing Hours
Mua Cave is open everyday from 6am in the morning to 7pm in the afternoon. If you can wake up early, you can choose the early hour to see the sunset, avoid the heat, and the crowd. The late afternoon is also a good time to see the sunset and avoid the heat of midday.
That said, you can visit Hang Mua at any time that is convenient for you. You can visit it after taking a boat ride on either Tam Coc or Trang An. You can also combine a visit to Hang Mua with other nearby attractions like Thai Vi temple, Bich Dong Temple, and Linh Coc temple with its Fairy Cave.
I visited Hang Mua at around 3pm in June (hot summer month in Ninh Binh), and it was still very hot and humid.
The Mua Cave 2 Viewpoints
There are two viewpoints to climb up at Mua Cave. The main viewpoint is the Lying Dragon viewpoint, and the other viewpoint is the lower viewpoint with a small temple on top.
It takes around 15-20 minutes to hike from the bottom of the stairs to the small temple viewpoint and around 20-25 minutes to hike from the bottom to the head to the dragon viewpoint area.
These two viewpoints share the same first 10 minute hiking path from the bottom to the small Convenience Store. The right path near the convenience store leads to the small temple viewpoint, and the left path leads to the dragon viewpoint.
Mua Cave Small Temple Viewpoint
The small temple viewpoint is around a 5 minute hike up from the convenience store. It has a view toward Trang An area. You can see rice fields, the local houses, the limestone mountains, rivers, the lotus lake from the small temple viewpoint. From here, you also have sweeping views of the opposite mountain and the lying dragon.
While you can have perfect photos and views from every corner of the viewing platform, the area right at the Small Temple was quite busy because everyone wanted to have a photo with its temple and surrounding views.
Mua Cave Lying Dragon Viewpoint (Big Temple Viewpoint)
The Dragon Viewpoint is around 10-15 minutes hike up from the convenient store. There are a couple of viewpoint platforms with benches to sit and rest before reaching the dragon sculpture.
The first Viewpoint on the Dragon side at Mua Cave
The first viewpoint platform is around 3-5 minutes walk up from the shop. You can have a close view to the lotus point, the small temples in the next mountains, and Ngo Dong River.
The second Viewpoint on the Dragon side at Mua Cave
The second viewpoint platform is around 3-5 minutes hike up from the first Viewpoint. It was less crowded than the first viewpoint and had wider views of the Ngo Dong river, Ca Cave, the rice field, and endless limestone mountains. You can see people taking Tam Coc Boat Ride along the Ngo Dong River and entering the Ca Cave with wider views compared to the 1st viewpoint.
The Temple and Dragon Statue Viewpoint
To the top of the main Hang Mua mountain is the White Lady Buddha (Guan Yin statue) and the dragon statue. It has sweeping views of the natural landscape on both Trang An and Tam Coc side. Because it is higher than the Small Temple Viewpoint, you’ll see everything from the Small Temple side, as well as the Ngo Dong River side.
Most people will stop at the Lady Buddha because it’s where the stairs stop. Some people manage to get to the head of the Dragon to take photos. If you are an adventurous person, you can continue climbing the rock to get to the tail area of the Dragon.
The Temple has a root and flat area to sit and enjoy the view. You can stop your journey here if you don’t want to continue the exploration to the dragon tail.
Climbing to the Dragon Statue Tail at Mua Cave
There are two ways to climb up to the Dragon statue from the temple. One path is on the right side of the dragon head with the safety chain and concrete column around it. Another path is on the left side with a small hole between two big rocks. I used the right side the way up to the dragon and the left side on the way back down.
The climb to the tail is not for people who fear the high. You will need to scramble over the rocks, using the safety chain and concrete dragon for support. The rocks can be very slippery, so be careful and watch out for jagged and sharp stones.
There will generally be a queue at the dragon head. The tail area is less crowded because not many people make it there because of the height and safety.
It wasn’t too busy at the time during my visit, I reached the tail and enjoyed the space and the view for myself within 15 minutes.
Hiking the 500 stone steps in Hang Mua
The peak of the lying dragon mountain is 142m high. There are around 486 stone steps from the bottom to the top at the Dragon Statue and White Lady Buddha. The stairs are steep and uneven. They carved stairs through the natural rocks.
The stairs are steep but it’s doable for everyone. At a fast pace with little rest along the way, you can reach the summit within a 20 minutes hike and quicker on the way down. But you can take rest as long as you want.
On a hot day, you will sweat. The heat can slow down your hiking as well as the crowd. So, you can consider visiting in the early hours to have the best of everything. It’s also recommended to bring good walking shoes, a hat, and water with you on the hike.
The start of the stone steps the Tiger Cave. It’s a small cave that you can have a quick look at. There is a tiger statue and an altar inside the cave. A few steps up from the tiger cave is the dragon statue on the left side of the stairs.
The stairs are built around the limestone mountain, so one side of the stairs is the mountains and the other side is the walls that are designed to resemble the great wall in China. The stairs to the main peak are wider while the one to the Small Temple Viewpoint is very narrow and winding. Both are steeper toward the top.
The lotus lake in Mua Cave
There is a huge lotus lake at the base of Mua Cave Mountain that offers a peaceful atmosphere and photo opportunities. The lotus blooming season is in Summer from May to July. I visited Hang Mua in June and had a great experience seeing the lotus blooming in Ninh Binh.
The 1ha lotus lake is surrounded by the stunning landscape of the rice fields and the striking limestone karts, creating beautiful scenery. There are wooden broadwalks and nicely decorated areas on the lake for you to take photos.
Local People like to wear traditional clothes such as Ao Dai to come here to take photos in the blooming season. There are professional photo services at the site too. The shop inside the complex also sells lotus products such as lotus tea that you can consider buying.
You can check the lotus pond before the hike or after the hike, but I recommend checking the viewpoint first then use the lotus pond as the rest stop at the end.
How long do you spend at Mua Cave?
I spend around 2 hours at Mua Cave, and believe that it’s a good amount of time to explore this complex. I did a lot of rest along the hike and spent around 20 minutes at the tail of the Dragon.
The hike from the bottom to the main peak at the Dragon statue is around 20-30 minutes. If you are fit, you probably need 15 minutes to go to the top without stopping much along the way.
It took me 10 minutes to reach half of the trail where the shop/ convenience store is located. From the shop, it took me another 10 minutes to the Dragon Peak and another 5 minutes to the Small Temple viewpoint.
There is the time for taking photos and enjoying the views at each point. I also recommend spending at least 10-15 minutes walking on the wooden boardwalk and exploring the lotus lake.
Overall, depending on your physical levels, heat levels, and the crowds, it generally takes 1.5 hours to half a day to explore the Mua Cave complex.
Facilities in Mua Cave
There is a parking area right outside of the entrance area. The ticket is 5k VND for a bicycle and 10k VND for a scooter.
The souvenir shop is located right next to the ticket booth, before the ticket control area. The shop sells souvenirs such as traditional Vietnamese hats, organic herbal products such as brush teeth, soap, shampoo, and shower. If you don’t bring your hat, you can buy a hat at the stop. It’s stylish for taking photos but also covers you very well from the sun.
The area between the ticket checkpoint and the beginning of the stairs has a couple of nice restaurants/bars and cafes. You can have a meal and a cup of coffee here with stunning views of the lotus lake.
There is a small shop mid way of the hike to the top of Lying Dragon Mountain where you can buy water, soft drinks, and snacks.
The ground of Mua Cave is home to several beautiful bungalows. I can consider staying here if you want a tranquil atmosphere while still being close to Tam Coc and Trang An.
See more:
- Should You Take Trang An or Tam Coc Boat Ride?
- One Day in Ninh Binh (Tam Coc) Itinerary
- Should you visit Bai Dinh Pagoda?
- Hoa Lu Ancient Capital vs Old Town
Visiting Hang Mua Cave is a must when in Ninh Binh and Tam Coc if you enjoy breathtaking scenery and hiking to the best viewpoint of Tam Coc.