Boats float by rice fields on the Ngo Dong River in Ninh Binh province, Vietnam

© Jeremy Woodhouse/Getty Image

Paddling through paddy fields

We’re peering down the winding Ngo Dong River at a group of boats meandering through rice paddy fields. This is the Ninh Binh province in Vietnam, about 60 miles south of Hanoi. On these two-hour tours by traditional Vietnamese rowing boat, visitors wend their way between limestone karst peaks, through grottoes, and past workers harvesting rice in the fields, their wide-brimmed hats shielding them from the sun.

Perhaps the most spectacular time to take this river cruise is around harvest time in late May and early June when the paddy fields are awash in a golden glow with a backdrop of bright green hillsides. But don’t be surprised if the person rowing your boat moves the oars from hands to feet. It’s traditional here for rowers to take a break and let their legs take over.