Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary — Local services in Ninh Bình Province

tl;dr An amazing, kind, meaningful, beautiful and interesting place that can't be missed in Ninh Binh. Go early; take the in-depth tour; then enjoy a coffee or lunch at the inhouse café after!

We had a lot of wonderful experiences in Ninh Binh, but this was truly a highlight.

ABOUT: The bear sanctuary rescues bears from the inhumane bear bile trade, helps to treat and rehabilitate them, and introduces them into a semi-wild captivity where they are well cared for the rest of their lives. They are given nutritious food, lots of enrichment, play, and space, and companions if possible. Each bear even had a small swimming pool, hammock, playgrounds, and many bushes and trees to forage in. It's truly a paradise for these formerly abused bears, and wonderful to see them enjoying themselves free and uncaged.

TOUR: We opted for the most in depth tour at 250k VND each. This involved having a guide bring us through the staff areas at the bear sanctuary and screening some videos and a short film. The tour was both fun and informative whereby we got to see many bears up close, ask our lovely guide many questions, see where their food is prepared and the vet clinic, as well as many behind the scenes aspects of the sanctuary. The staff don't pressure you to take this tour (it's the most expensive), but I feel it would be a shame for fellow visitors to miss it. Our guide Ngen (sorry if I spelled her name wrong) was so patient and nice! Would suggest going at opening time (9am) to catch an early tour, as the bears have just been fed and are active at that time. The short 30-minute film shown at the end of the tour is also great.

Signages/education: There are many interesting and fun signs that educate visitors about not just the bears in the sanctuary but also the bear bile trade, medicinal plant alternatives to bear bile, different bear species of the world, etc.

Staff/Service: Extremely friendly, accommodating, and nice!

Food: They have a vegan café and bistro. I liked that the food was vegan; it's not bad; quite decent for the price.

Environmental consciousness: Amazingly well done, love that they are so consistent in their mission by not just giving these bears a good home but also encouraging plant based eating and...

The highlight of my trip to Vietnam, and absolutely worth a day trip from Hanoi. I've been supporting Four Paws for years but to see their work in action, rescuing bears in desperate need from the bear bile industry, is something truly moving and awe-inspiring. The sanctuary itself is incredible, with large enclosures tailored perfectly to meet the needs of the rescued bears, informative educational facilities and a lovely restaurant serving great-value vegetarian food and drink for visitors. The staff are so friendly, dedicated and passionate, with a clear love for the bears and the critical work they do.

There are a few options for how to spend your visit, ranging in price from 50K VND to 250K VND, with the latter package including a 45-minute guided sanctuary tour, a self-guided skywalk experience (there are information boards, videos and interactive activities throughout, as well as a gorgeous view over the enclosures and sanctuary) and viewing of a beautiful 30-minute film about the bears and sanctuary life in the air-conditioned presentation room.

If making the trip from Hanoi, I'd strongly advise taking advantage of the centre's recommended driving service, Quang Anh Limosine. I arranged my own means of transport on the way there, being a bus company to Ninh Binh and a taxi for the remainder of my journey, but used Quang Anh's transportation service on the way back to Hanoi. This was a much better option, not only being more efficient, faster and more well organised, but also much cheaper (200K VND, compared to the 750K VND I paid for the bus and taxi).

If you're in Northern Vietnam, don't miss the chance to visit and support the work of this wonderful sanctuary. I won't be forgetting the incredible impact my visit had upon me...

Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary. What can I say? This place far exceeded my expectations and every person that works here has a real passion and love for what they are doing.

From the moment we arrived everyone was so friendly and welcoming, all the tour options were presented with no pressure to buy anything. We went for the full sanctuary tour and at 250K per person it was worth every penny. Not only are you paying for a really excellent tour with a very passionate and knowledgeable guide, you are also helping to support the incredible work that is being done to help these beautiful animals and the ongoing expansion of the sanctuary.

These bears have all been rescued from a horrific and pitiful existence where they were kept in tiny steel cages to have their bile regularly extracted by horrendous methods. This sanctuary is giving them a second chance to live a normal life in a safe and loving environment. Every care is taken to ensure that they have a proper diet, stimulation and space to explore so that they can hopefully make a full recovery from the trauma they have suffered. I have to admit I spent a lot of time with tears in my eyes thinking about where these bears had come from and what this place and the people that run it mean for their future and that of other bears still to be rescued.

This is, by far, the most moving experience I have had in two months of travelling round Vietnam. If you are in Ninh Binh the Bear Sanctuary is a must see. Thank you to everyone involved...