Thai Nguyen
The only reason you would
want to stay in Thai Nguyen
was if there was a flood and
all the roads were
impassable. For those that
want to explore Thai Nguyen,
it just has the remains of a
citadel from the early
1800s, and a Museum with
exhibits of the ethnic
groups in the Northern
region. Thai Nguyen is also
an important player in
Vietnam’s steel industry
The trip to the Far North
Parts of the Far North are
particularly isolated and
difficult to visit. However,
this isolation adds to the
region’s beauty, as many
areas are still extremely
unspoiled, and distant from
the popular tourist trail to
reach Ba Be lakes in Bac Can
province is a challenge, but
one well worth pursuing. The
road between That Khe and
Lang Son, whose beauty of
plunging ravines riddled
with caves, hides a grim and
bloody past, is also worth
the effort to see. To the
North of Cao Bang is Pac Bo,
near the cave in which Ho
chi Minh lived upon first
returning to Vietnam from
China. The Far North of
Vietnam is home to numerous
tribes of ethnic minority
groups. They live in some of
the most isolated places,
subsisting through
traditional means. Some of
the tribes you may encounter
are the Tay, Nung, Zao,
H'mong, and the San Chi.
Farther afield in Ha Giang
province there is a variety
of hill tribes numbering
from several thousand
members to only a few
hundred people
This guide follows a path
beginning in Thai Nguyen, to
the North of Hanoi, and
heading North to Bac Can and
the Ba Be lakes before
moving Northwest to Cao
Bang. From there we head
South through Dong Khe and
That Khe to Lang Son, the
other main gateway between
China and Vietnam for
foreign visitors
Ba Be Lakes in Bac Kan
province
The road from Thai Nguyen to
Bac Kan is in pretty good
condition and passes through
some very scenic areas, esp.
the bowl-shaped tea hills.
Among all the regions
planting green tea for
domestic use and export in
Vietnam, Thai Nguyen offers
the best and sometime you
may mistake that the
Vietnamese is keen on
foreign products if they
mention about the excellent
"Thai tea". The only real sight
in Bac Kan is Ba Be Lakes,
230km from Hanoi and 80km to
the Northwest of Bac Kan
town. "Ba Be" means "three
seas", an ornate expression
which just means the three
big lakes. It's several
kilometer from Ba Be
Guesthouse to the Main
Wharf, from which you can
rent a boat and turn right
to row or run along the Nang
River. The river trip is a
marvel: there are a clear
flow and a muddy flow, which
(incredibly) do not mix, on
the same riverbed (!); and
you can either jump in the
clear water for a swim or
simply lye on the boat
contemplating the wonderful
untouched nature surrounding
with bamboo clusters, lianes
and flowers along the
riversides and watching the
fishermen in their piraguas
fishing aquatic products.
After 3km you will reach
Puong Cave, a mysterious
sight with twilightful
stalagtites and stalagmites,
which seems like the end of
the river. But if you
meander by boat some 300m
inside, the river will be
finally opened and you
escape from the cave. It
takes you an hour more to
reach Dau Dang Waterfall
that is quite sightworthy.
Reaching the lakes is going
upstream from Dau Dang,
turning right to a small
flow, then going ahead 1km
more. The Lake Zone, 8km
long and 3km wide, set in a
picturesque national park
and contain 3 lakes
surrounded by vertical rock
walls, from which many
currents fall down between
many kinds of creepers
cling, and a wild forest
where many species of birds
abound. If you have time,
you can also have another
visit to a village-on-stilt
by taking a boat from the
Main Wharf and turn left, go
for 4km till you reach the
small village's watering
place and get some
experience of a working day
of the farmer and fishermen
over here
Cao Bang town
Cao Bang town is in the
proximity of the Chinese
border which recently made
it a veritable boom town
with quite new flash
development. The only reason
to stop at Cao Bang is to
recharge your batteries for
a bit before reaching other
sightworthy points in the
neighbourhood, of which Ban
Gioc Waterfall is the best.
Located right on Quy Son
river which divides the two
countries, from where you
can either see and reach
China
Ban Gioc is a bone of border
contention. At over 90 km
from Cao Bang and more than
2 hours driving each way, it
worths a full day's outing
and looks spectacular in the
rainy season, i.e.
May to
September, but not so
exciting in the rest of the
year. Another attraction is
Pac Bo Cave, 54 km to the
Northwest of Cao Bang, also
next to the Chinese border.
It was the base of Ho Chi
Minh and his comrades after
he returned to Vietnam in
1941 after 30 years living
and acting in revolutionary
movements overseas to
encourage all supports for
the Vietnamese patriots
Lang Son
Lang Son is the chief town
of the province under the
same name, yet it mainly
serves the travelers as a
point to stop off on their
way to somewhere else. This
is a popular place to cross
to and from China, esp.
after the two countries
reopened the border. The
town still contains the
remains of a citadel built
in 18th century,
and there are numerous
hilltribe villages around
this area, particularly
those of the Tay, Nung and
Zao. The Vietnamese tourists
also stop here to visit
Buddhist pagodas built
inside Nhi Thanh and Tam
Thanh Caves, which are
believed to have echo twice
(Nhi Thanh) or three times
(Tam Thanh). Lang Son is
also famous for winter
fruits like peaches, pears,
plums and persimmons and for
grilled ducks and porks,
which evidently bear the
influence of Chinese
Guangdong cuisine
To cross to China from Lang
Son is passing over Dong
Dang bordergate which is 20
km from Lang son. If you are
entering Vietnam from here,
you MUST have the correct
entry point (Dong Dang)
marked on your visa,
otherwise you may be turned
away. This can create a
problem as you would have
already officially left
China
