Hang Mua lies in the fields south-west of Ninh Binh, between the city and the boat wharf of Tam Coc. Most visitors arrive one of three ways: on a day out from Hanoi, from a hotel in Ninh Binh, or from Tam Coc, the village of guesthouses around the boat wharf, close enough to walk.
From Hanoi
| From | To | By road | Straight line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi | Mua Cave ticket gate | 100.1 km | 89.2 km |
- By car or with a driver. 100.1 km by road from Hoan Kiem Lake to the gate. Leaving and entering Hanoi, allow for the city traffic.
- By train. Vietnam Railways trains from Hanoi station stop at Ninh Binh; times and tickets are on Vietnam Railways’ own site. From Ninh Binh station the gate is 5.5 km by road (below).
- By coach. Coaches run between Hanoi and Ninh Binh. We have not checked an operator’s timetable at the source, so we do not list one here.
- On a day tour. Many day tours from Hanoi combine the climb with a boat at Trang An or Tam Coc and a temple at Hoa Lu or Bai Dinh. mua-cave-ninh-binh.com compares the day tours from Hanoi that stop here.
From Ninh Binh and Tam Coc
| From | To | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ninh Binh railway station | Mua Cave ticket gate | 5.5 km by road |
| Tam Coc boat wharf | Mua Cave ticket gate | 3.5 km on foot or by bike, 4.4 km by road |
| Mua Cave ticket gate | Lying Dragon summit | 0.67 km on foot |
From Tam Coc on foot or by bike. The lanes from the boat wharf run north between the rice fields to the gate: 3.5 km on the flat, the same distance on foot or by bike.
From Tam Coc by car or motorbike. 4.4 km by road, round by the larger roads.
From Ninh Binh station. 5.5 km by road; a taxi from the station is the simplest way.
All distances on this page are routed along the mapped road and path network between the two points named; the straight-line figures are the distance between the same points on the map.
Where the gate is
The tourist area is at Khe Dau Ha village, in Hoa Lu ward of Ninh Binh province: the old Ninh Xuan commune, which was merged into Ninh Nhat in January 2025 and then into the new Hoa Lu ward in July 2025. Older guides and some maps still give the old commune and district names. The gate stands at the end of the lane, by the lotus pond; from there the stairway starts at the foot of the hill.
Combining the climb with the boats
| From the Mua Cave gate | By road | Straight line |
|---|---|---|
| Tam Coc boat wharf | 4.4 km | 1.6 km |
| Trang An boat wharf | 5.4 km | 3.2 km |
| Bich Dong pagoda | 7.2 km | 2.8 km |
| King Dinh Temple, Hoa Lu | 12.9 km | 6.9 km |
The Trang An boat area stopped its boats on 17 September 2026 in the floods; reports dated 20 September have them reopened from 13:00 on one temporary route, and we found no notice restoring its three usual routes up to 1 November 2026; check before you combine. See Tam Coc, Trang An, Bich Dong and Hoa Lu.