Ban Gioc Waterfall, Thang Hen Lake, Thung Mountain, and Lenin Stream are places not to be missed on the journey to discover Cao Bang.
Cao Bang is a northeastern mountainous province, bordered to the west by Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang, to the south by Bac Kan and Lang Son, and to the northeast by Guangxi province, China along a 333 km long border. The rugged terrain and rolling mountains create many beautiful tourist destinations for Cao Bang.
The two-day journey to Cao Bang was carried out by Thanh Tin and a group of friends from Ho Chi Minh City in September. Plan it with your friends, following the suggestion of Mr. Nguyen Duc Thinh, director of a Cao Bang travel company, with Typical destinations and convenient travel.
Day 1
Morning
The group had a simple breakfast with a typical local sticky rice dish, 10,000 VND per person. After that, Tinh chose to rent a motorbike to travel to tourist attractions because the group members were all young men in good health. A car rental 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, go straight, visitors will see a village located 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 and rich in traditional culture. This is one of the “worth a visit” community tourism destinations in the Northeast.
People in the village wake up every day before dawn, go to the forest to cut bamboo, split it, and sharpen it into small, evenly rounded sticks. Some people pick gourd tree leaves to dry and crush them to make glue, some people collect red bark, cycad or sawdust to make incense powder, and find rotten pine wood to grind into powder to make incense powder. create color. Finally, they dip the incense stick into the sticky substance, then roll it through a mixture of sawdust and agarwood four times.
Leaving the village, the group went straight to the main attraction of the journey, 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 during their trip to Cao Bang. The group arrived just after 11am.
“Because the daily water release from the upstream takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the flow of the waterfall is stronger then. I was suggested to come during this time frame. From September onwards, the rainy season begins, so the waterfall is full of water. The scene is full of life,” Tinh said.
Up to now, there has been no tour allowing Vietnamese tourists to visit China, so he only took photos and sailed on the Vietnamese side of the falls for nearly 2 hours. Entrance ticket 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 companies (from 1 to 3 days), visitors can visit Ban Gioc – Duc Thien waterfall for 5 hours, using a passport or travel document. If you go on this tour, you will have to spend a whole session here.
About 700 meters from Ban Gioc waterfall is Phat Tich Truc Lam Pagoda. The pagoda leans its back against Phia Nhan mountain. The road up is winding and winding. If you want to go to the temple, you should wear sneakers or flat shoes. From the pagoda grounds, visitors can see far away and admire the white waters of Ban Gioc waterfall.
Another option near Ban Gioc is Nguom Ngao cave, about 3 km from the waterfall. Nguom Ngao in Tay language means “tiger den”. Legend has it that, in the past, there were many fierce tigers living in the cave. They often went into the surrounding villages to capture livestock.
Coming to Nguom Ngao, visitors will admire the mysterious beauty of the system of stalactites and stalagmites. This cave is ranked among 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 pho for lunch at 50,000 VND per 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 mountains and forests. Plan to arrive here in the afternoon, but it is suggested that visitors should arrange their time and schedule early in the morning to avoid fatigue, after a day of traveling a lot. The road to the lake is quite rough. “The lake is most beautiful at the end of October because at this time many leaves turn red,” Tinh quoted local people.
Returning to the city in the afternoon, Tinh booked accommodation at Cao Bang Eco Homestay, about 1.5 km from the city center, room price for two people is 400,000 VND. This place has private rooms and dormitory rooms (accommodating up to 8 people). “This is a budget homestay, in addition there are many more comfortable 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 grilled chicken wings at Ho Diep restaurant under Bang Giang bridge, downtown Cao Bang. “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.
In addition to grilled chicken wings, other dishes in the city that visitors can choose include Cao Bang rice rolls (16 Hien Giang), Dung Lien 7-flavor roast duck (Old 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, and fragrant sticky rice noodles with a bit of crunch from fried sweet potato fibers. Suggestion: Sour Pho Quyen on Ly Thuong Kiet Street.
After that, everyone moved to Pac Bo, a national revolutionary historical relic 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 containing the cave “Karma”. Lenin Stream is the source of the Bang River, flowing through Cao Bang city and then through Ta Lung to China. Visitors can walk from outside the door to the center of the tourist area to leisurely enjoy the scenery here.
In addition to its historical significance, Lenin stream has a beautiful landscape, the outstanding feature is the clear and blue water, the bottom of which can be seen. If you don’t come here on Tet holidays, you will enjoy a peaceful, deserted and absolutely relaxing space. “This place is like a mini Jiuzhaigou. Unfortunately, it was raining the day I arrived so I couldn’t take many photos,” Tinh said.
Clear blue water. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Lenin Stream. Photo: Thanh Tinh
The stream is the source of the Bang River. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Clear blue water. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Lenin Stream. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Lunch at the tourist area has many local dishes. I advise tourists to eat right here with bamboo-tube rice, rice rolls, grilled meat with octopus and lemon, and black sticky rice.
Afternoon
From Pac Bo, follow road DT210, to Thang Hen lake and Dung mountain, in Quoc Toan commune, Quang Hoa district. If coming from the city center, visitors move in the direction of National Highway 3 for about 28 km, then turn left and go straight to Thang Hen Lake eco-tourism area. From here, visitors travel about 4 km along the pass to reach the lake. This destination can also be visited when tourists return from Ban Gioc waterfall, follow National Highway 3 for about 60 km and then turn right onto DT205.
The picturesque beauty of Thang Hen Lake appeared to fascinate two Saigon boys. Dark clouds surround the mountain when it rains, making the scene more mysterious.
Then the two went to Dung Mountain, also known as God’s Eye Mountain, about 12 km from the lake. The mountain is known as “great love cup” in Tra Linh district. The scenery here is enchanting because the rolling rocky mountains are interspersed with lush green grass. You and your friends will continue to watch the last light of the day through the hole until dusk.
“Be careful because the road to the mountain is quite difficult to find and can get muddy in the rainy season. Coming here, the easiest means of transportation is a 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.
Dung Mountain. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Dung Mountain. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Dung Mountain. Photo: Thanh Tinh
Around 6:00 p.m., Tinh returned to the city. After having dinner with a 7-flavor duck dish that had not yet been tried the day before, Tinh and his friend boarded the bus back to Hanoi.
It is said that the above schedule can change the destination on the first and second days to be flexible and suitable to the needs and actual travel. In addition, due to time constraints, Tinh has not been to some suggested places such as the Lung Phan bamboo forest “as beautiful as the set of the movie Thap Face Ambush ” or the chestnut garden in Chongqing.
The best time to go to 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-December, you will see fields of buckwheat flowers and wild sunflowers blooming, but at that time the weather starts to get cold. In March-April, visitors coming here will get lost in fruitful plum and apricot gardens.
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)