With the winter bringing a biting cold to the north, it is the perfect time to take a dip in the hot springs of Kenh Ga hamlet in Ninh Binh province
After two hours driving through frenetic traffic on a dusty highway, I am glad to find some peace and quiet in the small and rather idyllic village of Kenh Ga in Ninh Binh province.
There’s nothing but clean
fresh air to fill your lungs and tranquil sounds that go easy on your
ears. We should all be thankful for the countryside.
I clamber into a bamboo punt and my guide, a 13-year old girl called Giang, pushes her foot against the shore and we float off.
As we follow the course of the river, the sun light envelops the
countryside in a wonderful golden hue. No surprise that it’s called
Hoang Long (Golden Dragon) river.
Across the countryside I can see women planting rice while men fish along the river banks. I can hear the church bell ringing in the distance and the sounds of children laughing as they play in Kenh Ga hamlet. I can smell the thick, sweet fragrance of rice coming from the flooded paddy fields.
As pleasurable as it is to kick back and just enjoy the sights and
sounds, I have a reason to be floating up this particular river – I am
on my way to try the Kenh Ga hot, salt water springs.
Located on banks of the
Hoang Long river, the main spring is called Vung Soi which means
‘Boiling pool’. Though its not quite boiling. The water here has a
stable temperature of 53 degrees and is rich in minerals and salts
which are considered to be very good for your health.
The hot spring was originally discovered in 1940 by a French research
team. In the past the water was exclusively used by Vietnamese to treat
wounded or sick soldiers.
Word eventually got out that the waters had a purifying or medicinal power and in the 1960s thousands of people flocked to the area to bottle the water as if it were a kind of cure-all.
As a result, the water source lost its purity and ironically would have had little effect on people’s health, if not a negative impact.
The hot spring was under the control of the army until the year of 2003
but it now belongs to Ninh Binh provincial tourism board, who plan to
use the springs to lure visitors to the area.
A new tourist area has
already been built by Viet Thai Tourism and Commerce Joint Stock
company and after my 15 minute-float down the river, I jump on shore at
the Kenh Ga resort where you can find indoor hot spring pools,
whirlpool bathtubs as well as good old fashioned hot tubs.
The resort sadly fails to live up to the surroundings. As opposed to
the impressive setting it’s a rather insipid affair. It features a
wooden stilt-house, a thatched roof restaurant, swimming-pool and a
green three-storey hotel, but nothing is worth writing home about.
But I’m only here for a long, hot soak so I set off to wash my troubles
away and plunge into a whirlpool bathtub (designed with Spanish
technology, so I’m told). After 10 minutes soaking in the
40-degree-water, I jump into a pool of cool water. For those of you
with children, there’s also a less-dramatic (temperature wise) kids
tub.
If you’re looking for a little more privacy, you can also choose a private bathing area. There are 20 such facilities with pine tubs, which can be filled with herbal bathing water.
There is a massage area but currently this service is not up to scratch, while a mud bath area is now under construction.
After my soak in the hot tub, I head off dreamily towards the Van Trinh
cave, which is located about three kilometres away from the resort, but
don’t worry, you don’t have to walk as you can go by boat! Van Trinh is
the largest cave in Ninh Binh province. It spans a whopping 3,500sqm
inside Mo Mountain and is filled with an impressive range of
stalactites.
Not that I’m up for too
much exploration. In fact after the soak in the hot tub, all I can
think about is dropping off into a deep and dreamless sleep.
To get there: Kenh Ga is in Gia Thinh commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh
Binh province, 90km south of Hanoi. You can take Highway No.1A out of
Hanoi for 80km to the Gian Khau T-junction, then turn right on road
No.477 and drive for 10km to the Post Office of Thi Tran Me, then turn
left and drive alongside Hoang Long river for another 2km until you
reach Dong Chua Port in Kenh Ga Hamlet. After a 15-minute boat trip
you’re at Kenh Ga resort. You can't miss it! It’s VND400,000 for a twin
room or VND80,000 per person for a bed in the stilt house.
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