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THE
NORTHEAST
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The trip to the
Far North |
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Parts of the
Far North are particularly isolated and difficult to visit.
However, this isolation adds to the region's beauty as many
areas are still extremely unspoiled and distant from the popular
tourist trails. To reach Ba Be lakes in Bac Can province is a
challenge but one well worth pursuing. The road between That Khe
and Lang Son, whose beautiful plunging ravines and is riddled
with caves, hides a grim and bloody past and is also worth the
effort to visit. To the North of Cao Bang is Pac Bo which is
very near the cave in which Ho chi Minh lived when he first
returned from China. The Far North of Vietnam is also the home
of numerous ethnic minority tribes. They live in some of the
most isolated places while subsisting through traditional means.
Some of the tribes you may encounter on a visit to the Far North
are the Tay, Nung, Zao, H'mong, and the San Chi tribes. Farther
away in Ha Giang province, there are a variety of hill tribes
numbering from several thousand members to only a few hundred
people.
This trip to
the Far North follows an itinerary which begins in Thai Nguyen,
to the North of Hanoi, then heads North to Bac Can and the Ba Be
lakes before moving Northwest to Cao Bang. From there the
itinerary heads in a Southern direction through Dong Khe and
That Khe to Lang Son, the other main gateway between China and
Vietnam open to foreign visitors. |
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See also |
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Hanoi
& surroundings
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Halong & Catba island
The Northeast |
Sapa & the Northwest|
DMZ |
Hue |
Hoian |
Danang
Coastline |
Central Highlands
|
Saigon & the Mekong Delta
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Ba Be Lakes in Bac Kan province |
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The road from
Thai Nguyen to Bac Kan is in pretty good condition and meanders
through some very scenic areas, especially the bowl-shaped tea
hills. Amongst all of the regions where you can find green tea
plants for domestic use and export in Vietnam, Thai Nguyen is
the best. The tea from that region is called "Thai tea" and
sometimes visitors to Vietnam think that the people of Vietnam
prefer foreign tea as they keep talking about the excellent
"Thai tea".
The best place
to visit in Bac Kan is Ba Be Lakes. It is situated 230km from
Hanoi and 80km to the Northwest of Bac Kan town. "Ba Be" means
"three seas", an ornate _expression when one considers that in
this context it means the three big lakes. There are several
kilometer between the Ba Be Guesthouse and the Main Wharf. There
you can rent a boat and row along the Nang River. The river trip
is a marvel. There are two flows on the river as you proceed; a
clear flow of water and a muddy flow of water, which incredibly
do not mix. You can either jump in the clear water for a swim or
simply lay in the boat and contemplate the wonderful untouched
surrounding landscape with its bamboo clusters, lianes and
flowers along the riverbed. You can also watch the fishermen in
their piraguas. After 3km you will reach Puong Cave, a
mysterious sight with twilightful stalactites and stalagmites,
which seems to signify that you are at the end of the river. But
if you proceed by boat some 300m inside the cave, you will open
once more unto the river as you move out and away from the cave.
From that point it will take you an hour or so to reach Dau Dang
Waterfall that is quite spectacular and worth a visit. To reach
the lakes you must go upstream from Dau Dang, turning right then
proceed for another 1km.. The Lake Zone is 8km long and 3km
wide. It is set in a picturesque national park and made up of
three lakes surrounded by vertical walls of rock, from which
many water currents fall into the lakes with all sorts of
creepers clinging to the walls and a wild forest where many
species of birds abound.
If you have
time, you can also visit a village-on-stilts. Take a boat at the
Main Wharf and turn left this time. Go for 4km till you reach
the small village's watering place and there you will be able to
experience a typical working day of farmers and fishermen from
the village |
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See also |
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Hanoi
& surroundings
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Halong & Catba island
The Northeast |
Sapa & the Northwest|
DMZ |
Hue |
Hoian |
Danang
Coastline |
Central Highlands
|
Saigon & the Mekong Delta
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Cao Bang town |
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Cao
Bang town is in the proximity of the Chinese border which
recently made it a veritable boom town with quite new flash development. The only reason to stop at Cao Bang is to recharge
your batteries for a bit before reaching other sightworthy
points in the neighbourhood, of which Ban Gioc Waterfall is the
best. Located right on Quy Son river which divides the two
countries, from where you can either see and reach China,
Ban Gioc is a bone of border contention. At over 90 km from Cao Bang
and more than 2 hours driving each way, it worths a full day's
outing and looks spectacular in the rainy season, i.e. May to
September, but not so exciting in the rest of the year. Another
attraction is Pac Bo Cave, 54 km to the Northwest of Cao Bang,
also next to the Chinese border. It was the base of Ho Chi Minh
and his comrades after he returned to Vietnam in 1941 after 30
years living and acting in revolutionary movements overseas to
encourage all supports for the Vietnamese patriots.
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See also |
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Hanoi
& surroundings
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Halong & Catba island
The Northeast |
Sapa & the Northwest|
DMZ |
Hue |
Hoian |
Danang
Coastline |
Central Highlands
|
Saigon & the Mekong Delta
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Lang Son
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Lang Son is the chief town of the province under
the same name, yet it mainly serves the travelers as a point to
stop off on their way to somewhere else. This is a popular place
to cross to and from China, esp. after the two countries
reopened the border. The town still contains the remains of a
citadel built in 18th century, and there are numerous
hilltribe villages around this area, particularly those of the
Tay, Nung and Zao. The Vietnamese tourists also stop here to
visit Buddhist pagodas built inside Nhi Thanh and Tam Thanh
Caves, which are believed to have echo twice (Nhi Thanh) or
three times (Tam Thanh). Lang Son is also famous for winter
fruits like peaches, pears, plums and persimmons and for grilled
ducks and porks, which evidently bear the influence of Chinese
Guangdong cuisine.
To cross to China from Lang Son is passing over Dong Dang
bordergate which is 20 km from Lang son. If you are entering
Vietnam from here, you MUST have the correct entry point (Dong
Dang) marked on your visa, otherwise you may be turned away.
This can create a problem as you would have already officially
left China. |
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See also |
|
Hanoi
& surroundings
|
Halong & Catba island
The Northeast |
Sapa & the Northwest|
DMZ |
Hue |
Hoian |
Danang
Coastline |
Central Highlands
|
Saigon & the Mekong Delta
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