Located on the border of Vietnam and China, landmark 79 belongs to Mo Si San commune, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province. This is the highest milestone on the entire borderline of Vietnam.
The landmark made of marble was placed in the saddle of Khang Su Van mountain (Phan Lien San) on October 24, 2004, at an altitude of 2880m.
To conquer milestone 79, you must contact first and apply for a permit from the Border Guard Command of Lai Chau Province and then go to Vang Ma Chai border post 140km away from Sapa to complete necessary procedures.
Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province is a district with the most rugged mountain forests in the Northwest and milestone 79 is located in a wild and mysterious forest, so before starting the journey, our team contacted and asked the people. indigenous navigation.
The total distance to and from the border post up to the milestone was less than 20km but it took us 2 days and 1 night to cross, which shows how difficult the road is to go.
Passing through small streams and cardamom forest, bamboo forest, and large wooded forest covered with moss, we reached the shack for a night’s sleep and prepared for the next day to climb to milestone 79.
The weather in the mountains is constantly changing. The first day of the journey was hot but on that very night there was heavy rain and the second day as we went from the shack to milestone 79 it rained and foggy all day.
The 3-hour slope is a slope that locals climb for about 3 hours, climbers normally takes 4-5 hours. The road is slippery, the slope is high and standing up continuously. The terrain has a lot of rocky soil, we have to split up, do not climb together to avoid landslides.
The road from the pavilion to the landmark was the most difficult one with the steep and nearly endless slope and unfavorable weather making our trip much more difficult.
There were few people on the road to the landmark, so it was very dense, the porters going ahead had to use knives to cut the branches to pave the way for us to go. The terrain has a lot of rock and soil, we have to split up, do not climb together to avoid landslides.
After nearly 4h30 minutes of continuous climbing, the sacred milestone 79 appeared in the middle of the border of the country. Feeling burst of happiness because of overcoming extremely difficult journeys that many members of the delegation have never gone through.
At this time it started to rain and strong winds, the weather was quite cold with the temperature of about 5-6 degrees C, so after taking pictures with the landmark, we quickly climbed to the top of Khang Su Van, about 200 meters from the landmark. This is the 5th highest mountain in Vietnam.
Nothing is more wonderful than on the journey of conquering and discovering the beauty of the country, we have the opportunity to visit the sacred milestone 79, which is on a mission to preserve the territorial border and the sovereignty of the country. Follow Dân trí