Language
Cao Bằng
Green where Hà Giang is grey: jade rivers, rolling karst hills, Tày and Nùng villages and far fewer tourists. The star is Bản Giốc, a waterfall that drops in tiers across the whole width of a border river, with bamboo rafts that take you close enough to feel the spray. Around it: caves, mountain passes, and a mountain with a hole straight through it.
What’s there
Bản Giốc waterfall
About 300 m wide, in tiers, on the border river. A bamboo raft takes you to the foot of the falls.
Ngườm Ngao cave
A big limestone cave near the falls, with lit walkways.
Mắt Thần mountain
A mountain with a huge natural hole near the top, framed by rice fields.
Mã Phục pass
Switchbacks with views over the valley on the way to the falls.
Khuổi Ky stone village
A Tày village of stone stilt houses, about 400 years old.
Thang Hen lakes
A chain of jade-green mountain lakes linked underground.
Pác Bó
Hồ Chí Minh’s 1941 hideout, by a stream so clear it looks dyed.
Day by day
- The night beforeSleeper bus from Hà Nội around 9–10 pm, into Cao Bằng town at dawn. Breakfast.
- Day 1Mã Phục pass, Thang Hen lakes, Mắt Thần mountain, Khuổi Ky stone village. Homestay near the falls.
- Day 2Bản Giốc in the morning by bamboo raft, Ngườm Ngao cave, Pác Bó.
- Day 3Back to Hà Nội in daylight, or take the night bus on day 2 and save a day.
Short on time?
Two days with night buses both ways works. You see Bản Giốc and the cave, and not much else.
One more day?
Add Ba Bể lake: a boat on Vietnam’s biggest natural freshwater lake, a cave you float through and a night in a stilt house.
