It’s clear that the economy in Ninh Binh depends on tourists. And these tourists are decidedly Western in a way that the Asian tourists in Hanoi are not. It’s clear that for a long time the tourists wanted Western food during their stay among the, frankly, so-gorgeous-you-want-to-cry mountain scenery of the region. And so the industrious people of Ninh Binh went about the business of putting burgers and pizza and spaghetti on the menu and advertising these dishes on tasteful signs along the road. It’s also clear that at some point the Western touristic ethos changed and now they want authentic local food. So now that’s on the menu too. Except that they didn’t really want authentic local food, not really—because honestly the dreaded bún dậu mắm tôm really is pretty intense and definitely an acquired taste—and so the industrious folks of Ninh Binh clearly made some adjustments to accommodate the Western tourists’ tastes because they really are the bread and butter around here. And so while the views are spectacular, the food in Ninh Binh is usually just okay whether you go with burgers, pizza, and spaghetti or the authentic local food.