Cao Bang, a fascinating tourist destination with important remnants histories from the revolutionary era in the S-shaped country-Vietnam. As Vietnam’s second UNESCO World Heritage site, with its green hills, towering mountains, peacful lakes, and stunning waterfalls as an impressionist painting. Cao Bang is offering some of the most pristine, unspoiled landscapes in Southeast Asia.

Hike through breathtaking landscapes, explore hidden caves and ancient villages, learn about historical places “See Lenin stream – Visit Pac Po cave” -Climb Ngoc Con mountain to admire the surprising beauty of the “green pearl” of the Northeast during the ripe rice season -Sail by the famous Ban Gioc waterfall, a world wonder -Camping 🏕 at Magic Eye Mountain for a wild night to be immersed in the four sides of the “endless plain” …will be an unforgettable experience when you come to Cao Bang, Vietnam.

1. WHERE IS CAO BANG?

Cao Bang is a mountainous province, the border is located in the Northeast region of our country, the North and Northeast border Guangxi (China) with a border line of over 333km long; The West borders the two provinces of Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang, the South borders the two provinces of Bac Kan and Lang Son. Cao Bang is a hidden jewel of North-East Vietnam, just 250 kilometers from Hanoi (around a 5-hour drive).

Cao Bang is famous for the Pac Bo historical relic site – where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked after 30 years of leaving to find a way to save the country. Cao Bang is also known for the image of majestic Ban Gioc Waterfall blending with the mountain and forest landscape, creating a charming landscape painting. In recent years, it is also famous for the icy Phja Oac-Phja Den peak in winter, or the vast and beautiful Nguyen Binh bamboo forest like in the movies.

Climbing Ngoc Con mountain one morning to admire the surprising beauty of the “green pearl” of the Northeast during the ripe rice season is a memorable experience in a lifetime. Or spend a night camping 🏕 at Thung Mountain (Magic Eye Mountain) to experience sleeping in a tent, surrounded by a vast green valley, lighting a campfire and singing, waking up to eat a hot cup of noodles and chilling with instant coffee. in the middle of the “endless plateau”.

2. WHEN SHOULD GO TO CAO BANG?

– Cao Bang climate is divided into 2 distinct seasons. The rainy season lasts from April to September and the dry season lasts from October to March of the following year.

– August – September: Ideal time to go “golden season hunting” and admire the beauty of Cao Bang in the ripe terraced rice field season.

– November – December: buckwheat flowers and wild sunflower cover the mountains and forests, creating a beautiful landscape picture.

-In late spring and early summer, the weather is neither too cold nor too hot. Traveling to Cao Bang at this time, you will see with your own eyes the apricot and plum forests laden with branches.

-You can also go “snow hunting” in Cao Bang in winter in Phja Oac-Phja Den national park.

3. MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION?

-✈️ Plane: From Ho Chi Minh City or other central and southern provinces of Vietnam, all fly to Hanoi to conveniently catch a bus to Cao Bang, except for neighboring provinces of Cao Bang.

-🛵 Motorbike: take a sleeper bus from Hanoi to Cao Bang and then rent a motorbike to roam around the world

-🚗 Car: anyone with a driver’s license can rent a car to drive around, the mountain pass is also easier to go in the Northwest. Going by car saves time and health but is not as exciting as riding a motorbike.

4. ACCOMMODATION/ WHERE TO STAY?

Depending on your schedule, you can choose a suitable and convenient place to stay because Cao Bang province is quite large to explore. – Cao Bang city: very developed, so there are many hotels and homestays, feel free to book on agoda.

– In Pac Po, I recommend everyone to stay at #Me Farmstay, this place is both beautiful, spacious, good service, just staying at the homestay experience is enough to experience both relaxation, farming, and cultural exploration ethnic people here.

– In the Trung Khanh area near Ban Gioc Waterfall: in this area, international tourism is very developed, so there are many homestays: if possible, rent in Khuoi Ky stone village, or in May Linh Homestay, Yen Nhi Homestay. Price and service are ok, clean, the ancient stone house is very unique.

Review schedule 5 days 4 nights🧚🧚🧚

*👍 Day 1: HCM City-Hanoi-Cao Bang City

– Depart at 6pm from Ho Chi Minh City to Noi Bai airport. In addition to the flight delay, the arrival time was nearly 10:00 p.m. You should choose to fly Vietnam Airlines to limit delays and include dinner on the plane (to save time). Choose a reputable sleeper bus company to pick you up near Noi Bai airport to avoid wasting time returning to the center of the capital. Some reputable sleeper bus brands for reference: Duc Long, Vinh Dung, Thanh Ly…

Because the sleeper bus cannot go straight to the airport, everyone must take a taxi to the highway intersection, heading to Lang Son (taxi price 200,000 VND).

– Get on the sleeper bus equipped with blankets and pillows, get some sleep and you will arrive in Cao Bang City early in the morning.

**✌️ Day 2: Cao Bang City – Phja Oac Mountain – Nguyen Binh Bamboo Forest – Khau Coc Tra Pass

– 5:00 am: The bus arrives in Cao Bang city (remember that this bus stops many places outside Cao Bang city, so you have to remind the bus operator that you will go to the city center), get off the bus station and move 🚶‍♂️ 🚶‍♀️About 5 minutes to Thao Nguyen motorbike rental place on 3/10 street _ there are a few dorm beds here so guests who arrive early can sleep and do personal hygiene (30.000VND/dorm).

– 7:00 a.m.: Depart for breakfast at the address: Banh Cuon Co Tam, No. 91 Kim Dong Street, Hop Giang Ward, Cao Bang City (next to Sunny Hotel). This dish is a must try everyone, eating it is very different from “banh cuon” (Vietnamese steamed rice rolls) in Ho Chi Minh City.😋

Cao Bang people consider “banh cuon” eaten with bone broth to be a “rare and hard to find” specialty. Instead of the usual dipping sauce mixed with fish sauce, Cao Bang banh cuon is eaten with bone broth, fragrant chili and bamboo shoots soaked in clausena indica Daizell (Oliv.), so it is also called “banh cuon soup”, to distinguish it with “banh cuon” from other regions. The cake is flexible, chewy and fragrant with the smell of rice grains.

– After finishing breakfast, stop to buy coffee ☕️ at the address: Tuyen cafe – 120 Thau street and then depart. Remember to fill the tank with gas before setting off.

PHJA OAC FM BROADCASTING STATION

-The first destination is the top of Phja Oac mountain, specifically the Phja Oac FM Broadcasting Station. A place where “in one hour there are up to 6 seasons” (according to the words of the men who fight day and night against thunder, lightning, and ice, keeping Voice of Vietnam’s FM waves always reaching the people). And I have experienced 4 seasons in one hour, but I have not seen rain or ice yet.

The road to Phja Oac is not too difficult but quite steep, the motorbike almost has to put it in 1st gear to go🤭🤭🤭. On both sides of the road up is old forest, covered with moss and old trees, making me miss the ancient Ta Xua forest. The surrounding area is covered with clouds and fog, making it impossible to see far away. Just turn on the motorbike lights and go by faith.

With a mountain peak 1,931m above sea level, 450m higher than the tourist town of Sa Pa, nearly 1,000m higher than the peak of Ba Vi or Tam Dao, that is enough for Phja Oac to be the roof of Cao Bang province and Northeast Vietnam.

This place’s location is quite high so it’s cold, so everyone should prepare warm clothes. My team was invited by the technicians of this FM Broadcasting Station to have a cup of hot tea, a few pieces of precious peanuts to sip, and even gave my friend a bottle of wind oil, so friendly and welcoming. Although the location is not very favorable, far from the city center, deserted, and living conditions are lacking in the countryside, the brothers are very nice and hospitable.

– Leaving Phja Oac, we headed towards Khau Coc Tra pass, along Highway 34 from Nguyen Binh district to Bao Lac district, bamboo trees were planted extensively along both sides of the road, on valleys and hillsides. Wherever the land is steep and hilly, bamboo trees can easily sprout and grow green.

NGUYEN BINH BAMBOO FOREST

Nguyen Binh bamboo forest has a total area of ​​over 30 hectares (the bamboo area is 20 hectares, the bamboo area is 10 hectares). It usually takes three years for the bamboo tree to mature and meet standards. At that time, local people will prune, harvest and plant additional seedlings.

Nguyen Binh district currently has 16 out of 17 communes and towns with bamboo growing areas, most of which are in the communes of Ca Thanh, Thanh Cong, Minh Tam, The Duc, Trieu Nguyen… A number of factories process and produce utensils from Bamboo materials in the area regularly organize bamboo purchasing from local people, to bring to market products that are popular with domestic and international customers, bamboo tables, chairs, bamboo mats and other types of household items. other uses. Thanks to that, the lives of people here are getting better and better.

The beauty of the bamboo forest here is only smaller in scale than Japan’s famous Arashiyama bamboo forest (16 km2 wide), but not inferior in beauty or wildness.

KHAU COC TRA PASS

– Khau Coc Tra Pass (also known as Me Pia Pass or 14-story pass…) is located in Xuan Truong commune (Bao Lac), 18 km from Bao Lac town along Highway 4A towards Ha Quang district. This is one of the most winding and tortuous mountain passes in the Northeast region. The pass is 2.5 km long, including 15 levels of winding slopes with sharp turns, rapid descent, and on both sides are towering mountains.

Khau Coc Tra Pass dates back to the French colonial period of Vietnam and was originally just a trail with a width of only about 40 cm. In 2009, construction started on the road and was completed in 2011 with a width of 5 m. The reason it is called the 15-storey pass is because from the foot of the pass to the top of the pass there are a total of 15 bends. To see the panoramic view of the 15-storey pass and get beautiful photos, you must climb the mountain to the top.

The trail up the mountain is about 1km long and takes 30 minutes to walk up. Starting at the foot of the mountain is Mrs. Nong Van Ngoan’s grocery store. People just search Google Map to go. For those who love mountain climbing, this route is not difficult but easy to go wrong. In the past, we used to hire Mrs. Ngoan or her grandchild to lead the way, but now there are locals drawing arrows so we can go without a guide.

– Because the mountain road was quite steep and slippery, by the time we got down the mountain, the sun was almost gone, so our group crossed the pass and walked in the night for more than 2 hours to reach Me Farmstay at 7pm. However, the road is not too difficult, just a bit dark and cold.

-We had booked dinner at the homestay in advance so it was quite convenient. After checking in to the room and showering, dinner was ready. Meals at Me farmstay are quite delicious, there are some Cao Bang specialties that you can try.

– One day of traveling all over the terrain: from low to high, from day to night, from running through smooth passes to tight passes, encountering potholes, it’s dark, no street lights, no reflective poles on the road.. . made everyone tired so they lay down and fell asleep immediately

***🤟 Day 3: Lenin Stream, Pac Po Cave – Kim Dong Tomb – Tra Linh – Thung Mountain (Magic Eye Mountain)

– The night before, we were tired so our team woke up late in the morning. After breakfast at the homestay, spend 2 hours around this beautiful homestay, experience bamboo rafting on the river, see the rose garden in the morning mist, play with the homestay’s puppies…everything goes by so well. peaceful.
Located between high mountains, there is a gentle Lenin stream flowing at the foot of the mountains. The landscape here is green and the air is fresh.

– 10:00 am: Depart to visit Pac Po relic area, 2km from Me farmstay.

PAC PO RELIC

Tickets to enter the Pac Po relic area 🎫 are 50,000 VND/person, separate motorbike tickets, there will be electric cars to take you all the way to Lenin Stream.

Pac Bo relic area is situated 52 kilometers north of the central of Cao Bang city and is the starting point of Ho Chi Minh Highway (km 0)

The first stop is Km0 Ho Chi Minh Road. The starting point of the route is at Pac Bo (Cao Bang province), the ending point is at Dat Mui (Ca Mau province), passing through 30 provinces and cities. This is a vital route running along the East of the country from North to South and has great economic, political and national security and defense significance.

Pac Bo is where President Ho Chi Minh took his first step back to his homeland after 30 years of traveling abroad for national salvation, in 1941, Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam across the border marker 108 in Pac Bo, from where he directly led the Vietnamese revolution. Pac Bo is closely associated with this historic period of the Vietnamese revolution and President Ho Chi Minh from 1941 to 1945.

During the days of living and working here, Uncle Ho’s footprints were everywhere. Lenin Stream is as clear as a winding silk strip at the foot of the majestic Karl Marx mountain.

Coc Bo Cave in Truong Ha commune, Ha Quang district, Cao Bang province is a famous cave located in the Pac Bo relic area. This is where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked after returning to the country on February 8, 1941. Coc Bo Cave in the Nung language means “watershed” located on the slopes of Karl Marx Mountain, near the flow of the river. Lenin stream. Because the inside of the cave was dark, damp, narrow, cold and located deep in a ravine, no one paid attention at that time, and the cave became an ideal shelter for Uncle Ho to carry out revolutionary activities.

LENIN STREAM

Lenin Stream is the source of Bang River. Bang River flows through Cao Bang city, then through Ta Lung border gate to China – now belonging to the Pac Bo historical site located in Truong Ha commune, Ha Quang district, 52 km north of Cao Bang city.

A gentle stream blue sapphires flow from tfrom the Pac Bo watershed is called Giang stream or Trung stream by local people.

– 1:00 p.m.: Return to the homestay for lunch and check out to move to Tra Linh to camp. On the way to Dung Mountain (God’s Eye Mountain) you will pass by Kim Dong Tomb. If you have time, you can stop by to light a stick of incense to commemorate the little hero.

– The road from Pac Po to Nui Thung Mountain (Angel Eye Mountain) must be said to be extremely stunning, it’s only difficult to take a shortcut on the pass, the rest you just pull the throttle, watching the vast golden rice paddy nestled between the two mountain ranges.

– 5:00 p.m.: Arrive at Nui Thung Mountain, I booked a camping tour in advance so they already set up tents for the team, everything is ready, just waiting for dinner to eat and chill.

NUI THUNG MOUNTAIN (ANGEL EYE MOUNTAIN)

Angel Eye Mountain, also known as Nui Thung Mountain, is a mountain with a unique shape in Cao Bang, located deep in the mountainous area and relatively far from the national highway as well as Cao Bang city. Danh village, Quoc Toan commune, Tra Linh district, Cao Bang province. And located in the complex of 36 Thang Hen lakes, is a prominent destination of Cao Bang Geopark.

This mountain is also known by another name is “mountain Puncture”, due to the external shape of the mountain at the very top there is a cave riddled circles as the ‘eye’ of the mountain with a diameter of more than 50m, and the mountain has an altitude of about more than 50 m above the lake this is the mountain that is considered ‘unique’ in Vietnam.

Camping🏕 is a subject only suitable for souls who “dream of mountains and rivers” because here, except for nature and friends, city amenities are completely absent. The tour tent is prepared with sleeping bags for each person so it is very warm, but late at night the dew is very thick and cold, so you must prepare a cold jacket and hat.

Sitting around the campfire at night, sipping a glass of corn wine, confiding in “strangers – acquaintances” about all sorts of worldly things, while the warm cup of wine gathered together to hum the song next to the guy’s guitar. tent next door, everything seems to have no distance in terms of space, people, culture…

Nightfall the fog covers everything, the bitter cold in a far away land, around the four-legged friends (horses, betel nuts, cows, dogs) walking around the tent eating grass, you will have an extremely interesting experience when camping at Dung mountain, Tra Linh, Cao Bang.

However, I caught a cold the night before and had to drive all day, so I had a fever and cold all night so I couldn’t chill with the team, so everyone should prepare carefully to stay warm and bring medicine.

*👈👉 Day 4: Tra Linh – Trung Khanh – Ban Gioc Waterfall

– Waking up in the morning, sipping instant noodles, sandwiches, a cup of hot ginger tea or coffee, watching the 4-legged animals: buffaloes, cows, dogs, and horses wandering around grazing, clouds floating lazily, warm yellow sunshine. Take a deep, fresh breath and feel the peace here.

– 9:00 am: say goodbye to the camping tour friends and leave Tra Linh to go to Trung Khanh to explore Ban Gioc waterfall, the way back is very beautiful, the sky is clear, white clouds are flying, the mountains are rolling, and below are fields. Rice ripened to golden yellow, wildflowers on the side of the road, it is difficult to describe the natural beauty and peace here.

Arriving in Trung Khanh just in time for noon, here is much busier than Pac Po, there are many bigger restaurants because tourists visit Ban Gioc with quite a lot of traffic every day. We stopped at Cay Khe Restaurant, the food was fresh, delicious, reasonably priced, the restaurant was spacious and airy, because the customer’s order was freshly cooked so it took a while.

-1pm: arrive at Ban Gioc and check in Yen Nhi Homestay, located opposite Khuoi Ky stone village in Ban Gioc. We ordered dinner and breakfast here so it was quite convenient.

BAN GIOC WATERFALL

– Because the long journey was quite tiring, our team rested until 4pm before leisurely going to Ban Gioc waterfall.

-Ticket to visit Ban Gioc waterfall is 45,000 VND/person, 3,000 VND/motorbike parking. You can rent ethnic costumes and vintage clothes for 100,000 VND/set.

Ban Gioc Waterfall is located in Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district, Cao Bang province, located on the flow of the Quay Son river, the eastern half of the right waterfall belongs to Chinese sovereignty in Duc Thien village, Thac Long town, Dai Tan district. , Sung Ta city. Quay Son River originates from China, flows into Vietnam at milestone 784 in Po Peo area, Ngoc Khe commune, Trung Khanh district. After falling at the foot of the waterfall, the river turns completely into Chinese territory.

Ban Gioc Waterfall, more than a place name, more than a landscape, that name aches a part of the Vietnamese people’s blood and flesh through many months of storms and sun and rain in the border region.

Milestone 836 has been placed on both sides of the waterfall, on the Vietnamese side is milestone 836 (2), on the Chinese side is milestone 836 (1). The demarcated border line runs from milestone 835 on Po Thoong dune, down to the middle of the main waterfall, then along the deepest flow of the Quay Son river. Ban Gioc Waterfall consists of 2 parts: High Waterfall is a secondary waterfall because of the small amount of water, Low Waterfall is the main waterfall located on the Vietnam-China border milestone. According to the 1999 treaty, the secondary waterfall belongs completely to Vietnam, the main waterfall is divided in two. The Chinese side owns half of the main waterfall on the north bank of the Quay Son river.

This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam and it is considered one of the 7 most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Every year this waterfall welcomes many domestic and foreign tourists to visit to admire and record the magnificence of this waterfall. When I arrived, there was a lot of water pouring in, surrounded by ripe golden rice, so Ban Gioc waterfall appeared extremely majestic.

The entire river surface at the foot of the waterfall becomes a common tourist area. Visitors from Vietnam or China can board rafts and float on the Quay Son river to see Ban Gioc waterfall from many corners.

Facing the waterfall that is splashing white foam across the sky, there is a feeling of sovereignty, a feeling of motherland, both as sacred as motherly love, and at the same time painfully loving the mountains and rivers of Vietnam through many generations of blood and bones. Border guards and people of the Cao Bang mountainous region have poured out to protect and preserve the gifts that nature has bestowed on this place.

– If you have more time, visit Truc Lam Phat Tich Pagoda and Ban Viet Lake. If anyone stays one more day, they must climb Ngoc Con Son to admire the beauty of the long stretch of Quay Son river.

After feasting your eyes on Ban Gioc waterfall, returning to Yen Nhi homestay just in time for dusk. After bathing and resting, you can enjoy a hot dinner under the brightly lit caves of this homestay, everything is quite good. From the homestay owner to the strange friends who came from a country thousands of miles away to visit our beautiful Vietnam.

*👋Day 5: Khuoi Ky Stone Village – Trung Khanh – Cao Bang City – Hanoi – HCM City

KHUOI KY- ANCIENT STONE VILLAGE

Khuoi Ky stone village is located near the provincial road No. 206, about 2km from Ban Gioc waterfall. From afar, visitors can see stilt houses which are made entirely of stone.

Khuoi Ky ancient stone village was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as “Typical traditional cultural village of ethnic minorities” in 2008. This is a good condition for locals to promote tourism development in Khuoi Ky.

-Get up early in the morning to visit Khuoi Ky stone village (opposite Yen Nhi homestay), in this hundred-year-old stone village there are many homestays of local people, imbued with national cultural identity, everyone can book a room to stay. in this area always, and together
Or book a room at Yen Nhi Homestay and then walk around the ancient village to explore. The village is not very big so walking around takes about 30 minutes – 1 hour to take photos.

Khuoi Ky ancient stone village (Trung Khanh, Cao Bang) is famous for its stilt houses made of stone, bringing the unique ancient beauty of the Northeast mountains and forests. The village has 14 Tay ethnic households living.
These stone stilt houses date from around 1594 – 1677, when the Mac dynasty went to Cao Bang to build a citadel for defense, stone stilt houses were built as “fortresses”.

– After visiting Khuoi Ky stone village, having breakfast, checking out, and then our team took the opportunity to run 🛵 back to Cao Bang city. The way back is quite gentle, the road is beautiful, easy to run, there is a lot of traffic density so be careful.

– After visiting Khuoi Ky stone village, having breakfast, checking out, and then our team took the opportunity to run 🛵 back to Cao Bang city. The way back is quite gentle, the road is beautiful, easy to run, there is a lot of traffic density so be careful. -11:00 a.m. Arrive in Cao Bang city, have lunch at the address: Chua Quyen heirloom pho – Cao Bang specialty, then stop by the market to buy some gifts and then return the motorbikelittle gift, then on paying your

-12:00: 🚎 Return to Noi Bai airport by sleeper bus

– Sleeper bus runs during the day will be much longer than at night, but the time is just right to catch the flight I have chosen (7pm). Sleeper buses only drop off passengers at the end of the highway, so people take buses or taxis to the airport. If you have plenty of time, you should take the bus with a fare of 8,000 VND/person. Arrive at the airport around 7pm, arrive in Ho Chi Minh City around 10pm.

– End of a good journey full of memories in the beautiful Northeast Vietnam – Cao Bang.

====== Some useful information for everyone:

1. 🚍Bus to Noi bai airport – Cao: Car no. 42 trip late last night and vice versa High – noi bai : Car Eight Meaning. Car beds. Or can put Shred of Spirit Travel the combo, they book a car for yourself always.

2. 🛵Motorcycle rental & booking camping tour Nui Thung Mountain: MR. Huy ~ sdt 0966322829 – car seats, hotel steppe old. Remember to check the car thoroughly, okay. Prices start from 100k-120k/day

3. 🏡Homestay in Pac Po_ Me farmstay: DT203, Truong Ha, Ha Quang district, Cao Bang. Contact: 094 898 13 91. Farmstay is beautiful and clean, but it resembles a house with wooden floors, so the soundproofing is quite close.

🏡 Hostel in Dam Thuy, (Ban Gioc waterfall)_ Yen Nhi Homes in Dam Thuy, Trung Khanh, Cao Bang. Phone number: 094 224 17 60. This accommodation has 2 facilities, 1 is in Khuoi Ky stone village (ancient stone house) specialized for large groups of about 10-15 people. And facility 2 is nearby with some steps, so the rooms are new and clean

HAVE A GREAT TRIP

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