Green mountains and blue water of Cao Bang

Cao Bang in the Vietnamese mind always belongs to a remote border region with majestic mountains, but few people know that this place also has a lake deep in the vast forest, covered by many overlapping mountain ranges.

Vietnam has many famous limestone mountain areas, which are World Heritage Sites such as Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, or Dong Van Karst Plateau – a place recognized by UNESCO as a Global Geopark. Cao Bang is also a limestone mountain area with many geological values, biodiversity and cultural and historical values. Those values of Cao Bang are becoming more widely known, especially when it was recognized as Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark at the end of 2015.

The name Cao Bang implies a flat land located in the middle of the remote highlands on the border of the Fatherland. The name “Cao Bang mountains and rivers” is believed by researchers to have been born with the appearance of the famous folk song “You come back to raise the children / So I can go and explore the mountains and rivers of Cao Bang”.

It was from the end of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century, when the Mac Dynasty abandoned the capital Thang Long and fled to Cao Bang to establish its own dynasty that lasted for more than 80 years here. The Mac Dynasty carried out a comprehensive policy of innovation in politics , economy, culture, religion, and ideology, as it had done in the lowlands. The open and liberal atmosphere of reform encouraged the young generation to go to Cao Bang to build a new homeland.

This sentiment has been popularized in a loving folk song and given this land the name “Cao Bang Mountains and Rivers” to recall a distant but “beautiful” place. Nowadays, although the roads to Cao Bang are very convenient, the dangerous roads through many steep passes are still a challenge for every tourist.

From Hanoi, following National Highway 3, you will have to travel nearly 300km to Cao Bang after crossing many mountains and at least 5 passes: Giang Pass, Gio Pass, Ngan Son Pass, Cao Bac Pass and Tai Ho Sin Pass. A large flat land surrounded by high mountain ranges called Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark is where visitors can freely explore the scenic spots and unique indigenous cultures.

Heritage Magazine