Yellow season along the Ngo Dong River, a magnificent scene. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Duc

The week coincides with the rice fields along the Ngo Dong River, dotted between karst mountains inside the Tam Coc Tourism Complex, turning yellow, offering a magnificent view to tourists.

The week is part of the National Tourism Year 2020 being hosted by Ninh Binh.

According to Bui Thanh Dong, director of Ninh Binh's Tourism Department, the event was being organised at a suitable scale to accommodate tourists while preventing COVID-19.

“We have focused on promotions this season,” he said. “A special photography tour will be held for tourists and photographers.”

The week will also kick-off tourism activities in the locality after the pandemic to confirm Ninh Binh as a safe, friendly destination that warmly welcomes visitors, he said.

The rice has been planted by hundreds of locals in Ninh Hai Commune and is on the verge of ripening.

“This is the most impressive moment of local nature for tourists, especially photographers,” professional photographer Thong Nhat said.

“Photos of yellow rice mingled with the summer sunlight and the twinkling river capture an immense area in the middle of karst mountains,” he added.

The local tourism sector has launched a plan to ask tourism sites and travel agencies to enhance their service quality during the week, and asked the Tam Coc - Bich Dong Tourism Site to ensure healthcare facilities, face masks and antiseptic gel for visitors to prevent the pandemic.

“I hope the week will bring visitors new experiences and feelings in the Trang An Landscape Complex,” Dong said.

Tam Coc, inside the famed Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO-recognised heritage site, with karst mountains and rice fields, has been nicknamed the inland Ha Long Bay.

Nearby attractions include the Cuc Phuong National Park, Van Long Marshland Tourism Site and Phat Diem Stone Church.

Ninh Binh Province is more than 90km south of Hanoi.

Last year, the province received 7.6 million tourists, a 4.79 per cent year-on-year increase. Income from tourism in 2019 reached VND3.6 trillion (US$155 million).  VNS

Ninh Bình's river of rice

Spectacular fields of mature yellow rice line a river dotted with karst mountains, forming a natural painting in the northern province of Ninh Bình, some 90km south of the capital city Hanoi.  

Alluring Tam Coc in ripe rice season

A tourism week is taking place in Tam Coc, Ninh Binh province, aiming to promote tourism in the locality during the summer when rice fields turn bright yellow and look majestic, romantic and poetic.