Lotus blooming season in Ninh Binh

From May to July every year, lotus ponds in Ninh Binh enter full bloom. In recent years, a lotus pond inside Mua cave tourist site in Ninh Xuan commune of Hoa Lu district has become the most capitvating in the province. It is an impressive giant lotus pond with romantic heart-shaped wooden walkway. The lotus pond here is surrounded by limestone mountains and paddy fields.

The pure beauty of lotuses amazes tourists during summer days. The local landscape is beautified with a large lotus pond with pink, white bulb in full bloom, offering a romantic scene for guests.

During the lotus blooming season, a large number of visitor flock to Mua cave to enjoy the beauty with their own eyes, take a deep breath to feel lotus aroma fragrance and take photos.

Pham Thi Ly, a representative of the Mua cave tourist site management board, said the lotus pond covers a total area of nearly five hectares. In 2019, Japanese-originated and other lotus varieties have been cultivated inside the area in a bid to create gorgeous nature for visitors.

During the lotus blooming season, Mua cave has received around 700-1,000 tourists a day, much higher than normal days.

In recent years, local residents have planted lotuses for developing tourism and improving their livelihoods. Lotus flowers are usually used for decorative purpose, while lotus bulbs, seeds, roots and leave are commonly used to make food or drinks. Some lotus products have recognised as OCOP products. These could be sold as souvenirs and contributed to improving livelihoods for local residents as well.