Returning to the Northern mountains after 2 years, Minh Phung spent 5 days and 5 nights roaming the Ha Giang – Cao Bang route on a motorbike to enjoy the natural beauty of this place.
Returning to the Northern mountains after 2 years, Minh Phung spent 5 days and 5 nights roaming the Ha Giang – Cao Bang route on a motorbike to enjoy the natural beauty of this place.
Minh Phung (HCMC)
Occupation: Programmer
Taking advantage of his free time, Minh Phung booked a flight ticket to Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi at the end of March, ready for the Ha Giang – Cao Bang trip that had been planned for a long time but was delayed many times due to the epidemic.
Phung said that the distance between Ha Giang and Cao Bang is about 220 km, not too far, so he chose to travel during the trip by motorbike to take the initiative in the schedule and see the majestic mountains.
Trip weather
Male tourists said that the end of March and April is not the best season to enjoy these two tourist destinations. However, because of the work schedule, Phung still decided to return to Ha Giang this season.
“The weather during the trip was quite bad, the temperature was low with drizzling rain. In return, I went in the right season when the rice flowers in Ha Giang were in full bloom,” said Phung.
According to the male tourist’s experience, the weather in the two localities is almost the same. The best time to explore Ha Giang and Cao Bang is around September-October. It’s not too cold, nor too hot. Across the road only a bright yellow of ripe rice, Ban Gioc waterfall (Cao Bang) is also in the beautiful water season.
Schedule
Minh Phung took a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. From Noi Bai airport, Phung took a bus going straight to Ha Giang city.
“Even though I booked the car early, I still had to stay in the last bed, the ceiling was low, it was not very comfortable,” Phung shared.
Getting off at the center of Ha Giang city, Phung rented a motorbike to travel the whole way. Rent is 180,000 VND/day. Male tourists return the car at Cao Bang and pay an additional fee of 500,000 VND, delivering the car at the inter-provincial bus station. From Cao Bang, Phung will book a limousine back to Noi Bai, priced at 350,000 VND/person.
Day 1 : Ha Giang City – Dong Van (120 km), stay at Men’s homestay
Day 2 : Dong Van – Bao Lac (80 km), stay at Bao Lac homestay
Day 3 : Bao Lac – Lenin Stream – Cao Bang City (140 km), stay at Jodevi homestay
Day 4 : Cao Bang City – Than Hen Lake – Ban Gioc Waterfall – Back to Cao Bang City (160 km), stay at Jodevi homestay
Day 5 :
– Morning: Cao Bang city – Tung Mountain (60 km)
– Afternoon: Return motorbike, return to Noi Bai.
Back to Ha Giang
Talking about the land of Ha Giang with many memories, Minh Phung shared that it is a place he always wants to return to without thinking.
“The first time I came to Ha Giang 2 years ago, it was one of the most beautiful trips in my life. I crossed many passes and roamed the rocky plateau, but my heart always wanted to come back. This time, I came back. I want to feel a true Ha Giang, enjoy the real beauty of the rocky plateau”, Minh Phung expressed.
The second time to Ha Giang, Phung did not visit familiar places such as Lung Cu, Nho Que river or Quan Ba heaven gate anymore. Instead, male tourists drive to explore strange destinations, few tourists pay attention.
The first place is a white cliff, hidden behind green grass mountains. Phung shared that to get to the cliff, you need to go through a trail nearly 20 km from the center of Dong Van. This site is located on the mountain slopes facing Nho Que river, below is Ma Pi Leng pass.
To move to the white cliffs, the only way is to travel by motorbike to A Pao cafe, running through the craggy Wind Pass. “From here, if the handlebars are hard, you can continue by motorbike, you don’t have to walk 7-8 km to get there,” Phung shared.
The next place is Pho Bang town. Phung came here when it was already dark, so he didn’t feel much of the scenery here. In Phung’s imagination, this place is a town that retains the pristine features of the Northeast mountainous region, which is beautiful in spring.
“Currently, this place is still beautiful, but it is no longer pristine like before, there are high-rise buildings and more traffic,” Phung said.
Near Pho Bang, there is also Lao Xa village, Thien Huong ancient village, but because of the close schedule, Minh Phung had to skip these two places.
3 days driving in Cao Bang
On the morning of the third day of the trip, Phung drove from Bao Lac town (Ha Giang) to Cao Bang. The first place male tourists come to on this road is the Me Pia pass. In order to see the 14-story arc, Phung said it was a bit difficult to move. From the top of the pass, visitors have to walk 30-45 minutes to get to the panoramic viewpoint, Phung shared his experience.
The climb is not easy, the whole slope is slippery. “If you want to experience this place, you should wear climbing shoes, it will be less tiring to walk. It is not recommended to go in the rain,” the male tourist said.
On the same day, Phung went to another famous place in Cao Bang, the Lenin stream, 50 km north of the city center. “The watercolor here is clear, perhaps there are no beautiful words to describe its purity and clarity,” Phung said.
On the fourth day of the trip, Phung continued to ride a motorbike to Ban Gioc waterfall, a familiar place in the Northeast mountainous region. The ticket price here is 45,000 VND/person, boat ticket to the foot of the waterfall is 50,000 VND/person. “The day we went there was no boat, so it was a bit of a pity,” the male tourist said.
Minh Phung skipped Nguom Ngao cave because of the time difference. Nguom Ngao cave and Ban Gioc waterfall are close to each other, but the time difference is nearly 1 hour.
“When I was at Ban Gioc waterfall, I looked at my phone and it was 16:00, so I decided to go home because I was afraid of the dark, I didn’t go to Nguom Ngao cave. When I drove for a while, I looked back and saw that it was 15:00, the time in these two places was different, so Everyone pay attention,” Phung shared.
On the last morning of the trip, Phung stopped at Mat Than Mountain. This place is also known as Tung Mountain. Phung rated this as the most beautiful place in Cao Bang. Traveling from the city center to here takes about 30 minutes, but the road is not very easy to go.
“At first, I thought the road was beautiful, but the road was like wading in the field. When I arrived, it was drizzling and the road was slippery. Arriving at Mat Than mountain that day was a challenge for me no less”, Phung expressed.
The trip needs physical strength
Minh Phung said that he is not the type of person who likes to travel and relax. Instead, he often chooses trips to be immersed in nature, to climb mountains, to drive to admire the scenery on the road.
According to the experience of male tourists, to have long-distance car trips, health and fitness are indispensable conditions.
During the trip, Phung often returned to his place of stay early after hours of sightseeing. This helps avoid the risk of driving in the dark on steep, difficult roads. “Many places I drive through 4-5 km to have a house. Unlucky luck may damage the car in the middle of the road,” Phung said.
When driving, you should combine asking local people for directions, because many places pass without waves, not to mention many road sections the map may indicate wrong.
The next note is the issue of choosing to rent a motorbike. Phung shared that he needed to choose a car with new tires, front and rear brakes still working well, and check the lights and rearview mirror before starting. It is best to test drive a few laps to see if it is suitable for the convenience of exchanging with the lessor, the male tourist instructs.
During the 5-day journey, Phung wakes up very early every morning so as not to miss any beautiful moments along the way. In return, 700 km of driving through difficult roads is the experience of youth watching majestic nature with a free and adventurous soul.