Jordan Vogt-Roberts, director of Hollywood movie 'Kong: Skull Island' sits on a small boat in Trang An Complex, Ninh Binh, May 2017. Photo by Vu Duc Phuong

 

Ninh Binh Province where Hollywood movie 'Kong: Skull Island' was filmed in 2016 is one of the 12 "coolest filming locations" in Asia, according to U.S. magazine Travel+Leisure.

 

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the US$190-million film was shot in the Trang An limestone complex, Van Long Lagoon and Tam Coc, where limestone karst mountains rise out of the waters.

 

Travel+Leisure said: "The Ninh Binh area is known as the inland cousin of Ha Long Bay. Scenically similar, though significantly smaller, it has far fewer visitors."

 

Situated around two hours from Hanoi, Ninh Binh was home to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu during the reign of the Dinh Dynasty (968-980) and was overlooked by foreign tourists for years until "Kong: Skull Island" was filmed there, giving it a global reputation.

 

Other Asian filming locations worth a visit according the magazine are Cambodia's Siem Reap, South Korea's Busan, India's Khempur, Thailand's Krabi Province, Singapore, Indonesia's Bali, the Maldives, and Japan's Tokyo.

 

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It's a great place to visit, hour or two train ride from Hanoi.

I hired a bicycle from a restaurant opposite the train station and cycled all around.