Area: 1,386 sq km
Population: 839,900
Provincial capital: Ninh Binh

    Ninh Binh is 91km from Hanoi. Express train connections with Hanoi (Limited allocation of tickets) and regular bus connections with Hanoi’s South Bus Station.

    The best time for visiting Cuc Phuong National Forest is during the dry season, from December to April, when the hard forest rain accounting for 90% of the annual rainfall is over. Cuc Phuong National Forest is located 160 km south of Hanoi in Ninh Binh province. The park is conveniently located on the route to several tourist attractions including Bich Dong Pagoda, Hoa Lu, and Sam Son Beach. It was officially opened in 1960 as the first national park in Vietnam.

    Cuc Phuong National Forest is surrounded by several limestone cliffs, the highest being May Bac, meaning "silver cloud," with a height of 656 m. There are plenty of plants and mammals living in the park. The flora supports an estimated 2,000 different species and the fauna, 450 species, accounts for 38% of the national fauna. Thanks to the limestone terrain, Cuc Phuong National Forest counts multitudes of caves including Trang Khuyet Cave, Con Moong Cave, Pho Ma Cave, and Nguoi Xua Cave. Quen Voi, also part of the park, is where Nguyen Hue’s army was stationed before it made its surprise attack on Thanh Long and defeated Thanh enemies in the spring of 1789.

     Global environmental programs led by the UNDP, United Nations Development Program, and FFI, Flora and Fauna International, researched the distinguished primitiveness of the tropical forest and the monsoon influence on

Southeast Asia in Cuc Phuong National Forest.