Cao Bang is a mountainous province in the Northeast, bordering China. The terrain is rugged but the nature is beautiful, with mountains, cave systems and lakes… therefore, the beauty of Cao Bang is enhanced many times over.
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What’s the best time to visit Cao Bang?
From August to September is the beautiful season of Cao Bang when waterfalls full of clear water, many terraced fields are ripe and golden.
The rainy season is from June to September, the water flows, creating white foam. The dry season is from October to May of the following year, the weather is colder, the water flows gently, clear.
If you want to see the waterfall combined with ripening, you can go in October. To experience the wild sunflower or buckwheat season, you should go in November and December. March is the pear blossom season.
Early mornings and evenings in the mountainous areas of Cao Bang are chilly, with temperatures dropping to 15-16 degrees Celsius. If you travel by motorbike, remember to wear warm clothes and bring a raincoat.
Transportation to and in Cao Bang
Cao Bang is about 280 km from Hanoi. From Hanoi to Cao Bang City, there are bus companies such as Thanh Ly, Khanh Hoan, 42… at My Dinh, Giap Bat, Gia Lam bus stations. Tickets for one person are about 200,000 – 300,000 VND. Travel time is about 6 – 7 hours.
When you arrive in the city, you can find motorbike rental locations. The price is about 200,000 VND per day, not including gas. Remember to fill up the tank because there are not many gas stations on the road.
Tourist attractions in Cao Bang
A 3-day, 2-night itinerary is enough for visitors to visit historical sites and scenic spots in Cao Bang.
Pac Bo Historical Area
From Cao Bang city, visitors drive 55 km towards Ha Quang district, bordering China. This is where the Trung and Mang River meet. Suitably, Pac Bo means, “mouth of the source”. With an area of over 500 hectares, this place is divided into many relic clusters associated with President Ho Chi Minh’s daily life. Among them, Coc Bo cave, Lenin stream, milestone 108, Karl Mark Mountain, and Gooc Mu rice field are the most famous destinations.
After passing through the entrance gate, visitors will see milestone No.0 of the Ho Chi Minh road extending from North to South, opposite is the President Ho Chi Minh memorial area. To reach Lenin stream and Karl Marx mountain, which were named by President Ho Chi Minh, you will walk through Pac Bo village.
Follow the clear water and head towards the source to Coc Bo cave, where in 1941 President Ho Chi Minh, upon returning from 30 years aboard, established his residence and worked on Vietnam’s revolutionary course.
The entrance fee to Pac Bo Pac Bo Historical Area is 25,000 VND per person. If using an electric car, visitors pay an additional 20,000 VND per person.
Ban Gioc Waterfall
Ban Gioc is the probably the most beautiful and imposing waterfall in Vietnam. It’s situated in Dam Thuy Commune, Trung Khanh District, near the Sino-Vietnamese border, about 85km from Cao Bang an dit takes 4 hours by car to go there.
Water flowing from the Quay Son River cascades over the rocks produce water droplet columns that can seen in the distance. In the middle of the fall is a rock landing covered by trees that divides the stream into three currents and creates a thin mist that cool down the temperature. At the foot of the waterfall is a large river tat is calm as glass, surrounded by many precious flowers.
The entrance fee is 45,000 VND per person. There is also a night art light show, take place at about 19pm. The program usually lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Phat Tich Truc Lam Pagoda
The pagoda is only a short distance from Ban Gioc Waterfall. From here, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the waterfall and majestic mountains and forests.
This is one of the first pagodas in the Northeast region of Vietnam. Leaning against Phia Nham Mountain, Phat Tich Truc Lam Pagoda was built on a 3-hectare campus. The pagoda is divided into many areas such as the Three-Gate, Tam Bao, statue garden, shrine, etc. The entire pagoda is designed in the traditional architectural style of Vietnam with familiar materials such as ironwood, bricks and tiles, etc.
The best time to visit the pagoda is early morning and late afternoon when this place enters the moment of dawn or dusk. Therefore, this place is not only a famous spiritual tourist destination but also an ideal coordinate for sightseeing in Cao Bang.
Khuoi Ky Ancient Stone Village
The ancient stone village is located about 3 km from Ban Gioc waterfall, nearly 100 km from the center of Cao Bang city. Khuoi Ky village has 14 Tay ethnic households living in stone stilt houses that have existed for hundreds of years.
These stone stilt houses date back to around 1594 – 1677, when the Mac dynasty came to Cao Bang to build a citadel to protect the country.
Not only houses, stones are found everywhere in Khuoi Ky village, from fences, stoves, mills to dams. Therefore, Khuoi Ky is often called the “ancient stone village” in Cao Bang.
Nguom Ngao Cave
Nguom Ngao Cave is located right next to Khuoi Ky village. In the Tay language, Nguom Ngao means “Tiger Cave”. This is a large cave with a length of more than 2,100 m and many branches that have not been explored.
Nguom Ngao has 3 main entrances: Nguom Lom, Nguom Ngao and Ban Thuon. Entering Nguom Ngao cave, you will be overwhelmed by the majestic natural scenery in this cave. Stalactites with unique shapes and eye-catching colors “grow” in every corner.
In particular, the temperature inside the cave is quite ideal, cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Inside the cave, there are also small streams flowing, extremely pleasant to the ears. Entrance fee is 45,000 VND.
Thang Hen Lake
Also located in Tra Linh district, Thang Hen Lake is one of the most famous in Cao Bang. The lake is part of a complex of 36 natural lakes located at an altitude of nearly 1,700m and connected through an underground cave system. Of which, Thang Hen Lake has the largest area and also attracts the most visitors.
The lake has lozenge shaped with length of 500m, its wide is 100m. Across the lake, there is a large cave from which a small stream flows. Specially, the water in Thang Hen lake rise up and down 2 times a day. In flood season while other lakes bear red-water, the water in Thang Hen still be clear and blue. Surrounding the lake are primeval forests and blooming wildflowers
Mat Than Mountain
About 39 km from the city, Mat Than Mountain is located in the Thang Hen Lake complex of Cao Bang Geopark. In the Tay language, the mountain is called Phja Piót, meaning a mountain with a hole. Locals often call it Thung (a hole) Mountain and tourists are gradually getting used to this name.
Surrounding the mountain is a large valley with long stretches of green grass, a wild, peaceful and quiet landscape with herds of horses leisurely grazing.
The turn to the mountain is a bit difficult to find, visitors should ask the locals in advance to avoid getting lost. On the way to the mountain, visitors will pass Ma Phuc Pass, a beautiful scenic spot when traveling by motorbike.
Phia Oac Mountain
Cao Bang has many mountain peaks over 1,000 m above sea level, of which Phia Oac is 1,931 m high, the second highest mountain peak in the province (Phia Da mountain in Son Lap commune, Bao Lac is the highest with 1,987 m).
The cloudy season in Phia Oac lasts from December to March of the following year, especially in February, thick clouds appear over the forest in the early morning or at sunset. When the temperature drops lower, frost can appear on the top of this mountain.
Ma Phuc Pass
Ma Phuc is the most beautiful pass in Cao Bang that makes travel enthusiasts amazed by the majesty of nature. The pass is located in Tra Linh district and is about 3.5 km long and 700m high (above sea level). As the name suggests, Ma Phuc Pass across the limestone mountain and the valley, creating an image similar to a horse.
The pass is among the most dangerous roads in Vietnam. The most beautiful time to visit this place is early winter (buckwheat flower season) and spring (rice and corn planting season). Not only does it have majestic mountains, Ma Phuc Pass also “welcomes” you with a traditional market and local cuisine such as 7-flavor roasted duck, Che Lam cake, Khao cake…
Cao Bang specialties
When you come here, don’t forget to enjoy specialties such as roasted duck, pho with roasted pork, stir-fried bees with bamboo shoots, braised pork belly, chicken or pork leg stewed with chestnuts, five-color sticky rice… Rolled cake is also a dish you can easily find throughout the city, priced at about 25,000 VND.
Pho chua is a Cao Bang specialty. The pho noodles are chewy, eaten with beautifully deep-fried pork belly, thinly sliced pork liver, fried pork stomach, and roasted duck. The dish also has crispy fried taro. This is a large, soft, and sweet type of taro that is only found in Bac Kan and Cao Bang. The indispensable flavor is honey leaves, peanuts, basil, coriander, cucumber…
Tram Huong is a famous local fish in Ban Gioc waterfall, sold a lot in Trung Khanh market. Clean the fresh fish, stuff it with onions, dill, chili… inside, wrap it in banana leaves and put it on the charcoal grill. When cooked, the fish gives off a fragrant aroma.
Duck chao cake, is sold a lot in winter, from November to February of the following year. The cake looks quite similar to salty fried cake but the filling is made from duck meat.
Chestnuts are a delicacy not to be missed, but only available seasonally. Cao Bang people have a unique way of eating chestnuts: boil them, dry roast them, peel off the shell and take out the kernel. The kernel is pounded into powder, mixed well with green rice cake. The dish is attractive with the fragrant taste of green rice, the rich taste of chestnuts.
In particular, the easiest to find as a gift while explore Cao Bang is smoked meat. Pork marinated with spices, ginger, and honey is then smoked over charcoal and sugarcane, giving the meat a bright red color and aroma.
Source: collected by An
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