We decided to walk in from Ninh Binh. About 7 ks. Google did warn 'real' ground conditions might be different to map so we walked down some narrow paths greeting locals in their yards and walking down flooded tracks with fish before us. No problems at Mua. Some paths were flooded and restaurants closed. Everyone friendly and 500 steps of varying size to pagoda and dragon. Great views from both. A good experience. I am in my 70s but some fitness is required. Nice guy, whom some had difficulties with, organised a taxi for us for 150k back to Ninh Binh. No tour needed. Good day. Nothing but a good experience.

Easy to reach via moped or bicycle, able to park at one of the local cafes leading up to entrance for a nominal fee...keep your ticket as you have to show when retrieving your bike!! Didn't do the cave, but did climb to the Dragon & well worth it! Take some water & non slip footwear, as steps uneven & varying in depth. Plan to descend before dusk, as dark & uneven in places! Views obviously dependant on weather. Didn't do Tam Coc river cruise which you look down on from the Dragon, preferred to do the superb Trang An one instead.

Nice place to visit in Ninh Binh if you want to see some great views. Come early, there are a lot of people walking up the 500 quite steep steps already 10.30 in the morning. Motorbike parking cost at the area is 10k.

Yes Google maps is a bit out on this one, follow the tour buses if lost.. However we really enjoyed making it to the top. We are very unfit, but made it ok( it's trickier coming down, than going up). Not too many people the day we went. A small shop half way up for a beer stop. I don't think the caves exist, we couldn't find them. Really it's called Dragon Mountain.500 steps. If arriving on a motorbike, just pay the small parking fee.

Literally. No kidding. After the beauty of the cave we naturally climbed up to the peak view points, the dragon, and the top Pagoda. What a stunning way! What a view! What a perfect excercise for our legs! We sat there on the top, looking down over the valley - beautiful is a small word to describe it. Now add the sense of achievement for climbing the whole thing - and you get a perfect experience, worthy of a nice relaxing break of coconut water :)

The cave itself is great but not the main attraction here, the viewpoints are. Climbing difficulty is medium to hard as it's quite steep with narrow step runs. However the amount of littering is shocking, and I blame the tour organisers as they tend to recommend giving lots of water bottles to tourists. And due to exhaustion, tourists tend to throw bottles down the cliffside instead of the nearest bins. Recommend coming in spring as the lotus field below would look exceptional as during winter the fields are all bare. Remember not to litter when visiting!

Added a visit here as we had spare time and we were passing close by. Five hundred steps sounds a lot but in cool weather and plenty of time it didn’t take too long. The steps are steep in places which made coming down worse than going up. We decided to stop at the viewing platform and didn’t climb the rest of the way because it was a grey and murky day so the views were very muted, not worth going higher to see nothing more.

This complex has a rice paddy boardwalk, the cave which has a Buddha in it, another small cave with a tiger statue in it and then a 500 step climb up the side of the mountain. There are two different paths you can chose about three quarters up. The one on the left takes you highest. The steps at the very top are mainly just rocks. It is a beautiful view. We took our time and rested as needed but lots of young people were going up fairly quickly.

As the other reviews have stated, watch out for all those charging to park. You don't need to park early so can drive right up to the entrance. Entry price was reasonable, we didn't visit the cave but the viewpoint was really amazing. Luckily wasn't too busy and is definitely worth a visit.

5 starts BUT do not go if you have ANY health issues: mobility/weight/heart, this is a strenuous climb up, also do not try to climb onto Dragon at top, precarious at best!!! Awesome views. Go very first thing in morning or 2.30pm, less crowds. Do NOT park outside of gates, locals will literally stand in front of you to intimidate you to park elsewhere, say No! firmly.