Ban Gioc Waterfall, Thang Hen Lake, Thung Mountain, and Lenin Stream are places not to be missed on your journey to explore Cao Bang.
Cao Bang is a mountainous province in the Northeast, bordering Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang to the west, Bac Kan and Lang Son to the south, and Guangxi province, China to the northeast along a 333 km long border. The rugged terrain and rugged mountains create many beautiful tourist attractions for Cao Bang.
Thanh Tin and a group of friends from Ho Chi Minh City made a two-day trip to Cao Bang in September. Tinh and his friends planned the trip themselves, following suggestions from Nguyen Duc Thinh, director of a Cao Bang travel company, with typical and convenient destinations.
Day 1
Morning
The group had a simple breakfast of local sticky rice with canarium fruit, 10,000 VND per person. After that, Tinh chose to rent a motorbike to travel to the tourist attractions because the members of the group were all young men in good health. A motorbike costs 150,000 VND per day. However, tourists traveling by car will not encounter any difficulties.
The first destination on the journey is Phia Thap incense village, about 35 km from the city center, on the way to Trung Khanh district. From National Highway 3, going straight, visitors will see a village on the right side of the road, at the foot of Pha Hung mountain (To mountain) in Quoc Dan commune, Quang Uyen district. Phia Thap village is peaceful, imbued with traditional culture. This is one of the "worth visiting" community tourism destinations in the Northeast region.
A corner of Phia Thap village. Photo: Thanh Tinh
The villagers wake up every day before dawn, go to the forest to cut bamboo, split it, and shave it into small, round sticks. Some people go to collect the leaves of the Bau Nhat tree, dry them, and grind them into small pieces to make adhesive. Some people go to collect the bark of the Nghien Do tree, the May Khao tree, or sawdust to make incense powder, and find rotten pine wood to crush into powder to create color. Finally, they dip the incense sticks into the adhesive, then roll them through the mixture of sawdust and agarwood four times.
Leaving the village, the group headed straight to the main attraction of the trip, Ban Gioc Waterfall, about 90 km from Cao Bang city center, in Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district, close to the Vietnam - China border. This is a place that almost no tourist misses on their trip to Cao Bang. The group arrived at around 11am.
"Because the daily water discharge from upstream takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the waterfall's flow is stronger at that time. I was advised to come during this time frame. September onwards is the start of the rainy season, so the waterfall is full of water and the scene is full of life," Tinh said.
Ban Gioc Waterfall usually pours water beautifully at noon. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Time: Up to now, there has been no tour allowing Vietnamese tourists to visit China, so he only took pictures and took a boat ride at the waterfall on the Vietnamese side for nearly 2 hours. The entrance fee to the tourist area is 40,000 VND per person. Renting a boat near the waterfall is 50,000 VND per person.
From September 15, if you register in advance with travel agencies (1 to 3 days), you can visit Ban Gioc - Duc Thien waterfall for 5 hours, using your passport or travel document. If you join this tour, you will have to spend a whole day here.
About 700 meters from Ban Gioc waterfall is Truc Lam Phat Tich Pagoda. The pagoda leans against Phia Nhan mountain. The road up is winding and tortuous. To reach the pagoda, you should wear sneakers or flat shoes. From the pagoda grounds, visitors can look far away and admire the white streams of Ban Gioc waterfall.
View of Truc Lam Phat Tich Pagoda. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Another option near Ban Gioc is Nguom Ngao Cave, about 3 km from the waterfall. Nguom Ngao in the Tay language means "tiger's cave". Legend has it that in the past, there were many fierce tigers living in the cave, which often entered the surrounding villages to catch livestock.
Nguom Ngao Cave in Gun village, Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district. Photo: Minh Duc
Coming to Nguom Ngao, visitors will admire the mysterious beauty of the stalactite and stalagmite system. This cave is ranked as the most beautiful in Vietnam. The tour path in the cave is about 2 km long, entering through Nguom Lom gate and exiting through Nguom Ngao gate.
Noon and afternoon
Leaving the waterfall area, Tinh's group went to Trung Khanh town, had lunch of pho for 50,000 VND a bowl and rested.
Ban Viet Lake is the next destination in the early afternoon. The lake is 18 km from Ban Gioc waterfall, in Phong Chau commune. This is a 5-hectare artificial lake, located in the middle of the mountains and forests. We plan to arrive here in the afternoon, but we suggest that visitors arrange their time and schedule early in the morning to avoid fatigue after a day of traveling. The road to the lake is quite bumpy. "The lake is most beautiful around the end of October because many leaves turn red at this time," Tinh quoted a local as saying.
Returning to the city in the afternoon, Tinh booked a stay at Cao Bang Eco Homestay, about 1.5 km from the city center, the price for a room for two is 400,000 VND. This place has private rooms and dormitories (accommodating up to 8 people). "This is a budget homestay, besides there are many more convenient accommodations such as 2-3 star hotels," Tinh said.
Some suggested homestays and hotels: Muong Thanh Luxury Hotel, Minh Anh Hotel, Highlands Hotel Cao Bang, Tuong Van Legends Hotel, Mina Homestay, prices from 300,000 VND to 1.2 million VND per night.
For dinner, Tinh tried the grilled chicken legs and wings at Ho Diep restaurant under Bang Giang bridge, in the center of Cao Bang city. "Each large, thick leg and wing is marinated until golden brown and then grilled over charcoal, creating a dish that cannot be found anywhere else," Tinh commented.
Grilled chicken feet, a recommended dish in Cao Bang. Photo: Thanh Tinh
In addition to grilled chicken wings, other dishes in the city that visitors can choose from include Cao Bang rice rolls (16 Hien Giang), Dung Lien 7-flavor roasted duck (Old National Highway 3, De Tham). Snacks include chestnuts and ant egg cakes.
Day 2
Morning and noon
The group's breakfast on the second day was sour pho, rich in the flavor of fried pork belly, roasted duck, sweet and sour sauce, fragrant and soft pho noodles with a little crunchiness from fried sweet potato noodles. Suggestion: Quyen sour pho on Ly Thuong Kiet street.
Sour Pho in Cao Bang. Photo: Thanh Tinh
After that, everyone moved to Pac Bo, a national revolutionary historical site in Truong Ha commune, Ha Quang district, about 50 km from the city center.
Since 1941, President Ho Chi Minh has lived and worked here, in Coc Bo cave, naming the stream in front of the cave "Lenin" and the mountain with the cave "Kac Marx". Lenin stream is the source of Bang river, flowing through Cao Bang city and then through Ta Lung to China. Visitors can walk from the gate to the center of the tourist area to leisurely enjoy the scenery here.
In addition to its historical significance, Lenin Stream has beautiful scenery, with the most notable feature being its clear, blue water, where you can see the bottom. If you don't come here on a holiday, you will enjoy a peaceful, deserted and absolutely relaxing space. "This place is like a mini Jiuzhaigou. It's a pity that it rained the day I arrived, so I couldn't take many photos," Tinh said.
Lunch at the tourist area has many local dishes. Tinh recommends visitors to eat right here with bamboo rice, rice rolls, smoked meat with Cham Cheo and lemon, and black canarium sticky rice.
Afternoon
From Pac Bo, travel along DT210 to Thang Hen Lake and Thung Mountain, in Quoc Toan Commune, Quang Hoa District. If you go from the city center, travel along QL3 for about 28 km, then turn left and go straight to Thang Hen Lake Eco-tourism Area. From here, travel about 4 km on the pass to reach the lake. This destination can also be visited when traveling from Ban Gioc Waterfall, following QL3 for about 60 km and then turning right onto DT205.
A corner of Thang Hen Lake. Photo: Thanh Tinh
The picturesque beauty of Thang Hen Lake enchanted the two Saigon boys. The dark clouds surrounding the mountain as it turned to rain added to the mysteriousness of the scene.
Then the two of them went to Thung Mountain, also known as Mat Than Mountain, about 12 km from the lake. The mountain is known as "Tuyet Tinh Coc" in Tra Linh district. The scenery here is captivating because the rocky mountains are interspersed with lush green grass. Tinh and his friend watched the last light of the day through the hole until dusk.
"Please note that the road to the mountain is quite difficult to find, and can be muddy during the rainy season. The easiest way to get here is by motorbike," Tinh said. Along the way, visitors will pass Ma Phuc Pass, one of the most famous and beautiful passes in Cao Bang with winding roads.
At around 6pm, Tinh returned to the city. After having dinner with the 7-flavor duck dish that he hadn't had time to try the day before, Tinh and his friend got on the bus back to Hanoi.
Tinh said that the above schedule can change the destination on the first and second days to be flexible, suitable for the needs and travel reality. In addition, due to limited time, Tinh has not been able to visit some suggested places such as Lung Phan bamboo forest "as beautiful as the set of House of Flying Daggers " or the chestnut garden in Trung Khanh.
The best time to visit Cao Bang is around September and October because at this time the weather is in autumn, the air is fresh and cool, but sometimes it will rain. If you come to Cao Bang in November and December, you will see fields of buckwheat flowers and wild sunflowers blooming, but the weather starts to get cold then. In March and April, visitors will get lost in plum and apricot gardens full of fruit.
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