If Ha Long, Co To, Yen Tu, Van Don are too famous for tourists coming to Quang Ninh province (Vietnam), and you want to change to a new place wilder, closer to nature destination, then Binh Lieu is the destination for you. Especially at the end of autumn and early winter, when all over Binh Lieu is dressed in the pure white clothes of reed flowers, blooming covering the mountains and hills.

When autumn comes, it’s not only the season of flowers, it’s not just love songs in the cold dew, it also brings with it the season of incredibly beautiful white reeds. If you have a romantic soul, adventurous feet and eyes that like to admire creation’s masterpieces, then pack your backpack and go!

1. Where is Binh Lieu ?

Binh Lieu is a mountainous region located in the Northeast, more than 108 km from the center of Ha Long city, Quang Ninh and nearly 300 km from Hanoi city. The North of Binh Lieu borders Ninh Minh district (China), the West borders Dinh Lap district – Lang Son, the East borders Hai Ha district and the South borders Tien Yen district and Dam Ha district (Quang Ninh).

2. When should go to Binh Lieu?

Located in the high mountains, Binh Lieu’s climate is quite cool in the summer. Binh Lieu is considered a “miniature Sapa” of Quang Ninh. However, winter temperatures are sometimes quite low, not unlike other high mountain areas. Therefore, you should come here at the following times:

– March and April: Vernicia montana flower season

– October-November: the season of reeds blooming and the "golden season" of of ripe rice terraces in the northern mountains.

– December: white Camellia sasanqua Thunb flower season

3. Transportations?

-✈️ Aircraft: Purchase, flight schedule, which people to fly to Van don (Quang Ninh) or Noi bai airport (Ha Noi) to m-✈️ Airplane: Depending on the flight schedule, people fly to Van Don airport (Quang Ninh) or Noi Bai airport (Hanoi) to travel. However, Van Don is very deserted. Even though the international airport is very beautiful, there is almost only 1 flight a day from HCM to VND in the morning. If the schedule is not flexible, you can fly to Noi Bai and then move the car to Binh Lieu

-🛵 Motorbike: You can ride a motorbike from Hanoi => Binh Lieu if you have enough time, health and skills. But often people will choose to rent a motorbike in Ha Long/Van Don to return to Binh Lieu. Or just rent a motorbike in Binh Lieu town to get to the milestones.

– 🚗 Car: anyone with a driver’s license can rent a car to drive around. Going by car saves time and health but is not as exciting as riding a motorbike.

4. Accommondation ( Where to stay?)

Binh Lieu is a district with many difficulties in the border area, so accommodation services have not yet been developed, mainly local people open their own homestays. The whole town has one big hotel, Binh Lieu Hotel, located right in the center of the district. However, some places with good homestays that I recommend to everyone are:

– Homestay Tuyet Chung in Binh Lieu town. The owner and his wife are teachers so they are very kind, the rooms are clean, there is hot and cold water. Rent motorbikes and book cars from BL to Hanoi for customers. The price is very affordable. There are private rooms and group rooms too.

– Hoa So Homestay

– Song Mooc Homestay

– Homestay A Dao

– Homestay Hoang San

– Some homestays in Hoanh Mo Depending on everyone’s schedule, you can choose the homestay accordingly. Because the travel distance between the milestones and the town is quite far.

Review schedule 3 days 2 nights: 🧚🧚🧚

👍Day 1: HCM – Van Don – Binh Lieu – Na Lang suspension bridge – Milestone 1297

– The plane lands at Van Don airport around noon, take a car/taxi to Tien Yen district for lunch (Diep Mui restaurant – Cau Khe Tien, Tien Yen, delicious-nutritious-cheap) and then go to Binh Lieu to check in homestay (Tuyet Chung) around 2pm. Take a rest and pick up your motorbike then go to milestone 1297 – a grass paradise to watch the sunset.

**Note No. 1: you must check the vehicle carefully (spoilers, brakes, tires, lights and glasses) because the road is very steep and has continuous ups and downs and passes. The road is remote and there are not many houses. Because I watched the sunset, it was already dark when I returned. And MUST FILL UP WITH GAS because the whole district has exactly 1 gas station, or near the homestay that sells retail gas. So everyone needs to prepare their motorbike carefully.

**Note No.2: don’t trust Google 100%, because it’s a border area, so most of the phone signals will be broken. Maybe I’m going the right way, but Goodle map gives me wrong information and instructions. Take another path (deserted trail and only for cows – I got lost so I’m sharing it with everyone)

– On the way to Milestone 1297, people will pass through the Na Lang suspension bridge (located close to the town so it’s easy to check in). Na Lang suspension bridge is the connection between Na Lang village and Binh Lieu town, shortening the distance and making it convenient for people. This palace can only ride motorbikes, not cars.

– From Na Lang suspension bridge, turn right and go about 5km, there will be a 4-way intersection and Co Nguyen grocery store (This place sells retail gasoline for 25k/liter). Everyone turns left to go on the road to Lang Son. As you go, you will see, there will be checkpoints with signs: turn left to Lang Son, turn right to Hoanh Mo. => Turn left! – At an altitude of more than 800 meters above sea level, milestone 1297 is actually in Lang Son, not Quang Ninh, but because it is closer from Binh Lieu, people often call it Binh Lieu reed paradise. This road is very beautiful, especially on both sides there are a lot of reeds growing, the closer to the milestone, the more reeds and mountains there are, under the sunlight it must be said to be super.

The border patrol road is paved quite beautifully and smoothly, with hills and mountains on both sides of the road interwoven continuously. There are quite steep slopes and continuous hairpin turns, but every turn is a scene that takes us from one surprise to another. On the border patrol there will be a few checkpoints. After declaring information to the border guards, I went straight to milestone 1297.

In the golden afternoon sunlight, the path of reed flowers and grass shimmers brilliantly. Riding a motorbike through these rows of reeds, listening to the rustling sound, listening to the cool wind passing through your fingers, smelling the smell of the plants is very comfortable and enjoyable. No one cares for or prunes the wild reed flowers, they freely proliferate everywhere, even in dangerous places like cliffs. The reed grass flowers look very fragile, can fade and fly away at any time, but their vitality is persistent and is present in most places. Reed grass is like the forest, like the mountains, wild and has a strong vitality. Reed flowers are a unique highlight for the border patrol route, making it more attractive than other routes in the Northeast.

From the area below the milestone to the milestone there is a distance of nearly 1km, so everyone remember to bring water to drink and remember to bring trash down!

– Below Milestone 1297 there is a border guard station. Everyone must stop to register and read the “3 No’s” regulation board:

+ No flycam

+ Do not throw trash

+ Do not stand/sit on the milestone. And there is a suggestion of 50.000VND for the border guards to clean up the trash ^^.

The road to the milestone is now easier than before. Stop by the paved pass road, just climb up the slope about 700 meters to get there. There are steps and sections with concrete. However, there are some sections that are quite steep so you still need to rest a bit to ensure your health.

Milestone 1297/4 belongs to Bac Xa commune (Dinh Lap district, Lang Son), bordering Vo Ngai commune (Binh Lieu district, Quang Ninh). Located near the border between Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces, you can come here from two directions.

Milestone 1297/4 is a small milestone in the group of 4 sub-milestones of milestone 1297. It is also located at the highest position, up to 1020.71 meters, 100m – 200m higher than the other 3 milestones. . Just walking makes me feel tired, so how hard did the people who carried every rock and sandbag up here to make roads and build milestones?

It’s hard to describe the feeling when standing on top of milestone 1297. In the distance are layers upon layers of undulating, overlapping green mountains. The warm smoke floating from the kitchens of small villages below the mountains makes the painting seem much more soulful and vital. As far as the eye can see, the border line seems to divide the picture into two halves, one side of Vietnam and the other of China. Standing high up in the windy cage, taking in all the majestic scenery of your country in your eyes, listening to the sounds of the mountains and forests, heaven and earth as if harmonizing as one.

Stand on the milestones and have a panoramic view of the mountains and forests. The cool weather, fresh air, admiring each historical milestone and admiring the majestic scenery of our homeland, Vietnam, is truly an indescribable feeling that everyone wants to experience once in their life.

After endlessly admiring the sunset, it was already dark when I returned. Luckily, on the way to the center of Binh Lieu town, a car behind me shined a light for my motorbike to get back to town because the road was extremely difficult. It was deserted and dark, with no lights or reflective signs. So everyone try to leave early for safety!

👍 Day 2: Milestone 1305 (welcoming dawn) – Golden Season in Luc Hon commune – Camping Cao Ly mountain (Loneliness mountain)

– To get a beautiful photo of the sunrise on milestone 1305 – the place known as “dinosaur spines” in Binh Lieu, you have to get up at 3am and start. Depart from the center of Binh Lieu Town => Hoanh Mo => Milestone 1305. The road is extremely bad at night. Luckily we hired a local tour guide to lead the way, otherwise we would have been really scared. Because I was driving a motorbike at night, I only knew how to go downhill and uphill all the time. I couldn’t stop the throttle for a moment. I always had to concentrate 100% for more than an hour to get to the bottom of the mountain. At 5am, the sky was foggy and there were almost no visitors, so the parking lot was quite empty.

+ Trekking luggage brings nothing but a pair of weak legs and a brave heart. Climb about 30 minutes and the sun gradually shines, the higher you go, the colder the wind becomes. First time experiencing the Northeast monsoon => So cool

+ If you have the strength and a guide, you should start the trek early, because going too late will be too crowded, and the rising sun will make you tired.

+ Trying to wake up early to be able to experience unforgettable moments that cannot be saved in photos is extremely worth it.

+ With nearly 2,000 steps, the road to milestone 1305 has many uphill sections, with mountain slopes on both sides. Some parts will give us the feeling of walking on a “dinosaur’s spine”, other parts will make us feel like enjoying the “terrifying” blowing Northeast winds. At times, the difficulty of the route can easily discourage you, but keep trying, the higher you go, you will take in the majestic landscape of the border region, the deep blue mountains stretching to the horizon.

After a long and challenging journey with the cold wind of late autumn, the higher we climbed, the colder and thinner we got. We were tired of the uphill slopes, but the majestic scenery appeared like a sedative.

Overcoming the conquering steps, overcoming the “Dinosaur Back” of Binh Lieu, milestone 1305 appears simply between two mountain ranges. The two words Vietnam engraved on the landmark give us a sacred feeling like this moment.

– Around 8:00 a.m., start trekking down the mountain to return to Hoanh Mo for breakfast, then run back to Khe O and Cao Thang villages to see the golden rice terraces. Those who like to paraglide can register in advance.

 After walking around the villages in Khe O and Cao Thang villages, I returned to the homestay to check out (but still sent my luggage back to the homestay), had lunch and rested a bit, then started running up Cao Ly mountain to In the evening, camp and sleep here. The road to Cao Ly has 2 routes/ways:

+ Route 1: going from Khe Van waterfall. This palace is under road construction so cars cannot go. The road is super empty and super beautiful but there are a lot of missed charges. When I went, I didn’t know so I just followed Google map so I just went, so on the road except for dump trucks transporting supplies and no one. This road is super beautiful, the first part goes into the residential area on both sides of the road where peach blossoms are blooming, the further you go and the higher you go, there are only deep abysses and pine trees that “smell” of nature’s breath and take an adventure with my crappy motorbike

+ Route 2: go from Hoanh Mo direction to Dong Van and then down to Cao Ly (This route is easier to go, everyone goes this route). So when I returned, I went to this palace because I would see the bright yellow Dong Van terraced fields, peacefully beautiful in the early sunlight, and most of the rice here is harvested later than in Khe O or Cao Thang village .

Let’s camp on the top of Cao Ly mountain once so that when night comes, despite the cold dew and drafts… gather around the fire, enjoy grilled meat, corn and potatoes, and sing loudly in the middle of the mountain.

– 4:30-5:00 am to move to the camping site, everyone just search on Google to find it. I booked a tour at Binh Lieu Camping, so I only came to pick up the tent, Camping took care of the rest of the services, including food and drinks.

+ There is a very refreshing Dao herbal bath here, 50.000VND/bucket after a long tiring journey will help us recover immediately.

Personally, this Cao Ly Mountain Camping is not as chill and beautiful as Magic Eye Mountain in Cao Bang province and is quite commercial. Because it is close to Ha Long and Hai Phong cities, many people go camping by car to take their families. At night, when they are “drunk”, every house turns on the loudspeaker and sings, each house has its own style of music, so everyone has their own style of music. If you get used to this atmosphere, you will find it very terrible. In addition, the temporary toilets are quite dirty, so you have to be mentally prepared for those new to camping.

+ In return for the above limitations, the food is delicious, getting up early in the morning to make a cup of noodles, a chill cup of coffee and watch the sunrise is fine as a change of pace. At night, the dew falls on the mountain and is very cold, so you need to wear warm clothes

After spending a night in the wind and lying in the dew, watching the sunrise on Cao Ly Mountain is a wonderful and worthy gift for those who “toss and turn all night without a good night’s sleep”.

👍 Day 3: Cao Ly – Dong Van terraced fields – Hoanh Mo border gate – Binh Lieu Phien Market – Hanoi – Leaving Cao Ly, I went to Binh Lieu town and passed through Dong Van and saw beautiful terraced rice fields along the road, so I stopped to admire the scenery and take a few photos.

– Continue riding the motorbike to Hoanh Mo and have breakfast at a local restaurant, then visit Hoanh Mo border gate. Hoanh Mo border gate is a border gate in Dong Mo village, Hoanh Mo commune, Binh Lieu district, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Hoanh Mo border gate is the end point of National Highway 18C, continuing through the spillway at Dong Mo beach on Dong Mo river, connecting to Dong Trung border gate in Phong Thanh port city, Guangxi province, China.

– From Hoanh Mo, I ran all the way to Binh Lieu town to get to the market in time. On the way, I will pass the rice fields in Luc Hon commune, this is a commune with a large rice area in Binh Lieu and a paragliding festival to watch. “golden rice season” Binh Lieu.

Binh Lieu town market is very rich in products. The fruit is super delicious and cheap, you should try persimmons here, very delicious, fragrant, crunchy and red. People can also try other specialty cakes such as “cooc mo”, “tài lồng ệp” cake, etc.

Knowing about Binh Lieu, in addition to the charming scenery that attracts travelers, the Binh Lieu people with their rich cultural identity are an extremely impressive feature, a valuable asset of this remote border land. Binh Lieu is a multi-ethnic district (over 96% are ethnic minorities), with 5 main ethnic groups: Tay ethnic group accounts for 58.4%, Dao ethnic group accounts for 25.6%, San Chi ethnic group accounts for 15%. .4%, Kinh ethnic group accounts for 3.7%, Chinese ethnic group accounts for 0.3%. Each ethnic group has its own cultural elements, creating a rich and diverse culture. The traditional cultural values ​​of the ethnic groups are preserved almost intact, such as the Then performance art of the Tay people, the Soong Co festival of the San Chi people, the Luc Na communal house festival or the San Co singing festival of the Dao people.

Binh Lieu owns many intangible cultural values ​​such as Luc Na communal house festivals, Wind Abstinence Festival, March Singing Festival, and Hoa Hoa festival.

– After exploring the Binh Lieu market and shopping for local specialties, I ran back to the homestay to return my motorbike and then return to Hanoi. (Limousine bus from Mong Cai to Hanoi, ticket price 450.000VND/person)

The cold cold of late autumn and early winter in the remote border region of Binh Lieu has made Southerners miss it forever. I have passed through many lands, but the border region of Binh Lieu still lingers in our minds with its endless white reed forests and steady milestones day and night, facing the wind and dew all our lives.

Closing the Binh Lieu journey to discover the beautiful, wild and satisfying🥰

Contact information for everyone:

1. Homestay Tuyet Chung (motorbike rental and limousine ticket booking): 0966 545 166

2. Camping Cao Ly: Ms. Linh (May Linh travel company) – 0961 818111

3. Local tour guide: Mr. Ha – 0839 221086

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