Debating whether Thung Ui is worth experiencing at this time

According to the management board of Thung Ui tourist area, in 8 days (from February 17 to February 25), this destination welcomed 70,000 visitors, the largest number was on the 3rd day of Tet with 15,000 visitors. Many tourists have to line up for an hour to wait to enter the relic site during Tet.

The inner Ngoc Lake wharf area is always crowded with waiting customers. The cluster of historical monuments at Kinh Thien Dai Dai, associated with the heaven-sacrifice ceremony during the Dinh, Early Le and Ly dynasties, is almost full of tourists on the first days of the new year.

Before opening to welcome visitors on the first day of Tet, Thung Ui tourist area – located in the core area of ​​the Trang An World Cultural and Natural Heritage Complex – was promoted as having an ancient and poetic valley landscape, featuring many beautiful photography angles. Travel agencies also forecast that Thung Ui will become an emerging destination, attracting visitors in the near future.

However, after the actual experience at the beginning of the year, tourists left many mixed opinions about this destination. Many people think that the current time is not suitable to visit because the tourist area is still being completed, others think that the trip is worth it thanks to new discoveries.

Xuan Nguyen, a tourist from Hanoi, came to Thung Ui on the 3rd day of Tet and said that the location was partially completed. The space is neat and clean, but the landscape is still quite empty, not many check-in points.

“The ticket price is 300,000 VND per person (including the tram), which I think is high compared to Trang An,” Ms. Xuan said.

According to Ms. Xuan, from the parking lot, visitors do not need to buy a 50,000 VND tram ticket or rent a motorbike taxi because they walk nearly 300 meters to enter the first gate – Dia Mon. Traveling by closed tram can make guests lose their sense of the surrounding natural atmosphere.

“If you choose a place in Ninh Binh today, Trang An is still better. Maybe you should wait a while longer for Thung Ui,” Ms. Xuan concluded.

Hoang Oanh, in Hanoi, said that staff at the tourist area mainly work seasonally during Tet. Their lack of experience makes support activities chaotic, and customers have difficulty asking for information and instructions.

In addition, according to Ms. Oanh, the entrance ticket is a paper ticket with a check-in code. Guests must keep the ticket throughout the journey and must return it when they leave. In case of loss, customers must wait for processing procedures. Meanwhile, at other tourist destinations, guests only need to swipe their ticket once.

“I find it unnecessary. This affects the experience, is inconvenient and uncomfortable,” said Ms. Oanh. She advises visitors to just buy a 150,000 VND ticket to visit Thung Ui, because spending an additional 150,000 VND to take a boat on Ngoc Lake “is the same as not going”.

Many comments shared by visitors are shared by the site administrator Vietnamese Entertainment Forum compiled and posted on the 3rd day of Tet with the content “Thung Ui is like an ancient picture in the heart of Trang An, where Kinh Thien Dan and Ngoc Lake reflect the history of Dai Viet. But behind the series of million-view photos is the reality that is still being completed, the landscape and miniatures still lack diversity, making many people disappointed.”

Besides, many opinions say that Thung Ui is a new destination to visit. “New tourist area, not much dust and smoke is a plus point,” said Mr. Manh Hung, Hanoi.

This tourist said that when he came to Thung Ui, he consulted information, went to each temple to burn incense, admire the scenery and read notes on historical relics and statues.

“Coming to Thung Ui means returning to history and understanding a lot more about this land. Three hours here I feel is not redundant and not boring at all,” he said.

Bao Chinh, from Thai Nguyen, said that some people praise and some people criticize depending on their feelings, but for her, Thung Ui is a beautiful check-in spot with ao dai and ancient costumes. This place is located in the core area of ​​Trang An, harmoniously combining pristine natural landscapes, green lakes and ancient temples, bringing a solemn and new space to visitors.

According to Mr. Do Viet Hung, Director of Sao Mai Tourism Company, Thung Ui is a new destination that many tourists are interested in. When planning the Ninh Binh tour program, the company clearly stated information about this place. Currently, many tourist groups booking tours choose to visit Thung Ui because most want to have a new experience. Visitors are mainly from Hanoi and the Northern provinces, going to the New Year’s celebration combined with sightseeing.

A representative of Sing Tour said that the one-day tour combining the ancient capitals of Hoa Lu and Thung Ui is gaining interest from many customers. Package cost from Hanoi is about 900,000 VND, including 6-7 guests per tour. Many people have booked in advance this weekend.

In response to the multidimensional feedback from tourists, Ms. Phuong Ha, media representative of the Management Board of Bai Dinh Pagoda – Thung Ui, said that the tourist area has completed more than 80% of the items, providing many experiences for tourists, only the accommodation area has not yet been put into operation. During the recent Tet holiday, the number of visitors increased dramatically, leading to overload and some services could not meet expectations.

“Experiencing many inconveniences at first is inevitable. The management board receives comments to improve services such as green landscape and auxiliary items,” said Ms. Ha.

Kinh Thien Dai Dai is located in the 270-hectare Moc Hoan valley (also known as Thung Ui), in the core Trang An heritage area in Tay Hoa Lu ward, nearly 3 km from Bai Dinh pagoda.

According to documents from the tourist area’s management board, this is an architectural-spiritual space organized according to the ancient Eastern philosophy of the Three Tai Tai: Heaven – Earth – People. The core point of this philosophy is that humans play a central role, standing between Heaven and Earth, acting as a bridge for the universe to operate in harmony. This is not just an architectural arrangement, but a profound philosophical statement of the ancients.

Thung Ui is not a place chosen at random. Ancient people believed that this was a mountainous area – converging waters, deep space, stillness and isolation. Therefore, Kinh Thien Thung Ui Altar is considered a place where Heaven blesses the nation, Saints protect the mountains and rivers, and Buddha witnesses that people’s hearts are good.