Aboriginal village in Trang An, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
Have you watched the reboot version of the King Kong franchise – Kong: Skull Island (2017)?
Vietnam was proudly one of the selected filming locations for this movie.
The Blockbuster Kong: Skull Island was shot in various famous destinations in Vietnam, such as Ha Long Bay, Quang Binh Province, and Ninh Binh was one of the chosen places in this list.
This article will show you the Kong: Skull Island filming location in Trang An, Ninh Binh, Vietnam, with a complete guide to the native village.
Are you ready to discover the Aboriginal village in the movie?
Background of Skull Island Vietnam
If you haven’t watched the movie yet, you can check out the details here on IMDb.
When the Kong: Skull Island crew finished filming in Vietnam, they left and cleaned up all the scene-setting.
Even though they left nothing back, the government took the chance and restored the filming location to attract domestic and foreign tourists.
The plan works out, and this place becomes one of the must-visit when you get to Vietnam.
How to get to Skull Island Trang An?
The Kong: Skull Island movie was filmed in Trang An, a scenic area near Ninh Bình, Vietnam.
Trang An Tour from Hanoi
Price: $24
The easiest way to visit the Skull island movie film set in Trang An is by booking a one-day tour to Trang An from Hanoi.
As a tour includes convenient roundtrip transfers from Hanoi, you won’t need to bother about getting from Hanoi to Ninh Binh and taking a taxi to Trang An, which can be costly if you travel solo.
Also, by taking a Trang An tour, you will get an excellent opportunity to visit Bai Dinh temple, one of the largest temples in Vietnam.
Inclusive Of:
- English speaking guide
- Lunch
- Boat trip cruise
- Sightseeing fees during guided time
- Hotel pick up and drop off at the Old Quarter
- Insurance provided by the operator
Not Inclusive Of:
- Personal expenses
- Electric minibus ($1.2 per person/way). This bus’s route runs within the Bai Dinh Pagoda area.
DIY Trang An Guide
Price: 300,000 VND (2-way buses) + 200,000 VND (boat ticket) + Taxi
Alternatively, you can also take a train or bus from Hanoi to Ninh Binh.
The train will only drop you off at Ninh Binh train station, and then you will need to take a taxi or rent a motorbike to get to Trang An, which is approximately 6 km away.
If you take a bus to Ninh Binh from Hanoi, you will be able to choose the drop-off location at Trang An boat terminal.
Please read Hanoi to Ninh Binh Travel Guide for more information.
How much is the ticket for Trang An boat rides?
At the boat terminal, you can purchase your boat ticket.
The ticket costs 200,000 VND for Vietnamese (4 people per boat) and 400,000 VND for foreigners (2 people per boat).
Comparing the price, it costs more if you travel to Trang An on your own. Therefore, I would suggest choosing Trang An Day tour if you only intend to visit Ninh Binh in 1 day.
Read more: Top things to do in Ninh Binh.
Note:
You must choose the 2nd Tour, which includes the Aboriginal village. If you select the first route, you can only see the caves and some temples.
You will get a 3-hour-boat-tour around Trang An and free time visiting the village. You can enjoy the view and explore this film set in 3 hours with a boat-rider.
What to pack?
- Camera: A good camera is a MUST! The scenery is impressive so that you will miss a lot without a camera.
- Hat: Vietnamese weather is hot and humid, so sitting under the sun for 3 hours without a hat is not a good idea.
- Water
- Some snacks: You can buy in some area, but there is not many places or restaurants around.
- Comfortable shoes: You need to walk around a lot, so it’s better to wear something comfortable.
- Small cash: It will be a nice gesture to tip the boat riders around 50,000 VND ~ 100,000 VND. They work hard to provide the service, so they deserve with all that rowling. Also, they cannot work every day, and they have to clean up the area for free when they’re not working. So, a bit of tip is necessary in this case.
How about a life jacket? Do you need to bring one? No, you don’t have to because they will provide you.
The path
You will follow this path to the village.
Discover the boat
Do you remember this place in the movie? Let’s discover!
Skull Island Village
Here you are! You make it to the village!
The people
Be careful. They may catch you!
I’m just kidding!
They were super friendly when I was there. Those people acted in the movie, so the government offered them a job at this place. They will be happy to take some pictures with you, so don’t hesitate to ask them ;)
It’s time to say goodbye~~~
Please note that this place is no longer available in 2020.
Wow, it looks magical! And there is not a lot people around, how cool is that! :)
There were not many people during my visit. It’s a great place to escape tourists, right?
This is so cool, I’m going to Vietnam soon and this could be something we should plan during our trip! Thanks!
You should definitely visit here. It’s one of my favorite places in Vietnam :)
I love visiting filming locations, it’s so interesting :) The journey you take to get to this one, in particular, looks beautiful, what a great way to explore!
I’m happy to hear that. Thank you for stopping by, Miranda :)
It is so exciting to visit a particular place where a movie has been shot. I remember how Vietnam’s skull island got famous after the shoot location was promoted. People love to visit such places. Movies have a great role to play in promoting tourism of a place. Thanks for taking me on a virtual trip to Skull Island, I am yet to see Kong: Skull Island .
Thank you for your sweet comment, Manjulika. It’s true that after the movie, the location became famous and attracts lots of tourists from all over the world.
I haven’t watched the Kong movies yet – but did see some other parts of where it was filmed near Tam Coc and Halong Bay. Great post!
Actually I just realised I did go to Trang Ang, but didn’t see all of this you saw, I think I did the other circuit – feeling dissapointed now :-(
I think so too :(
Another circuit does not include this village though, only caves and mountains…
Wow! I’ve never seen a village as gorgeous and lush as this one. Also I haven’t seen the movie that was filmed here yet but I want to now. Man I’m dying of wanderlust now haha.
Thank you, April. You should watch the movie! It’s really nice ;)
I didn’t watch the movie, but I did see the trailer so I’m familiar with this location! That’s so cool you were able to visit in-person. It looks breathtaking, so much lush greenery. I can’t believe how cheap the tour to see the location was, $8?! Insane.
Yeah, it was just $8 for the whole trip! I hope you can visit this place in the future.
I like that they removed all signs of the filming because it looks just so pristine. But it’s also kinda cool that they set it up again for film enthusiasts. It’s pretty fascinating. I hope I can go visit one day.
I think so as well. Hope you can go there soon. I’m sure that you will love this place :)
Absolutely breathtaking! I always see pictures and think they are beautiful, but I bet it’s 100x better in person.
Thank you, Leah. The place is way more beautiful in real life ^^