Cao Bang, The Poetry of Vietnam. Considered a poetry of the nature, Cao Bang is a really nice landscape in the minds of the Vietnamese so far!
Cao Bang is a mountainous province and home to many ethnic minorities.
We, the Vietnamese does not only love this land for its Northern boundary location but also for its lovely and charming beauty where the sky, the land and people seem to be merged into one another like a melody lasting forever.
Additionally, it’s a lot of majestic mountains or yellow rice paddy fields spreading up to the horizon or bombax ceiba flowers blooming red with unforgettable memory that will surely keep your steps here! Once you’ve been here, you’ll love Cao Bang right at the first sight!
Cao Bang Trip
Ban Gioc Waterfall (Thác Bản Giốc)
Ban Gioc Waterfall (Thác Bản Giốc) which looks like smooth hairs of a fairy waving from the sky to this nice place is also one of the world most spectacular waterfalls.
Ban Gioc Waterfall located on the Chinese Vietnamese border where Quây Sơn River cascades over towering limestone cliffs.
If you want to get close to the waterfall, get on bamboo rafts at the cost of $5/pax.
It is really worth for one of the most photographed waterfalls in the world.
Nearby, the Nguom Ngao Cave is filled with stalactites and rock formations.
And you will also need a police permit if you’re a foreign passport holder. Off course, you can purchase that at the police station nearby after showing your passport.
The Historical Area of Pac Bo
Pac Bo (Source Mouth in local) is a small village to the West, next to the provincial capital of Cao Bang and 3 km away from Vietnamese and Chinese Border.
Pac Bo in local dialect means “starting point of a river”, this place was the real starting point of the Vietnamese revolution.
The village was closely related to Ho Chi Minh’s historical efforts and the revolution later under his name (1941-1945).
You can visit Pac Bo Cave, Bo Bam Cave, the newly-built Ho Chi Minh Museum, Lenin Stream, Karl Marx Mountain, Co Rac Ground and Khuoi Nam. They are all on the Northwest of Cao Bang.
Specially Lenin Stream (Suối Lê Nin) at the foot of the Karl Marx Mountain.
You should see this beauty in Autumn or in Spring as you wish and see the fish and pebbles swimming in the clean and transparent water here.
There is a cave nearby this village named Pac Bo Cave (Hang Pác Bó) once used as a shelter by the Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. President Ho lived here after returning from 30 years of exile.
Here is one of the most historical sites of the Vietnamese Communism. The cave is in the beautiful location surounded by evergreen forests.
Pac Bo was closely related to Ho Chi Minh’s historical efforts and the revolution later under his name (1941-1945). You can broaden your knowledge of Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh) here.
And this is the Tomb of Brother Kim Đồng (1929–1943). As a Vietnamese, he fought against the French in 1939 when he was 10-year-old only.
Brother Kim Dong was killed young so the Vietnamese call him “Brother Kim Đồng”. He is a real hero in our mind.
How to get to Cao Bang?
Cao Bang is located 276 km to the North of Hanoi. You can drive here for 4 hours following National Road No.3. Or from Hanoi (My Dinh Bus Station), you can take Hung Thanh busline to get here, too. It takes seven hours at about $7-15/pax.
There is an hourly bus link between Cao Bang and the waterfall from 5.30 am to 6 pm. It takes 2 hours for a distance of 85 km at around $4/pax. Or you can drive yourself also for about one hour and a half.
The distance from Cao Bang to Pac Bo is 52 km and it takes you one hour’s drive, too.
Where to stay in Cao Bang?
The provincial capital of Cao Bang has a mild climate and does not look very nice. An unpleasant city around the banks of Bang Giang River. But this city can be used as a central point to travel to other rural areas. Bang Giang hotel is a good recommendation I should say.
If you want, you can stay at the rural region guest houses, too. The only other choice next to Ban Gioc Waterfall in operation currently is Saigon Ban Gioc Resort.
Finally,
Cao Bang is one of the most beautiful regions in Vietnam but the most beauty of that is located around the Bang Giang River where are quite far from the central city. If you feel yourself a rugged traveller, come to see Cao Bang , The Northern Beauty of Vietnam.
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