Cao Bang is a province located in northeastern Vietnam. Renowned for its stunning natural beauty, characterized by lush green mountains, winding rivers, and cascading waterfalls. Along with a diverse culture of different ethnic minority groups that present a variety of languages, traditions, and customs. Though it is a well-known tourist location, there is a lack of infrastructure and most of the locations are in very rural areas. This is a helpful guide to visiting some of the most enchanting wonder that Cao Bang, Vietnam has to offer!
How to Get to Cao Bang
Exploring Vietnam is most often done via taking buses, trains, or flying across the country. For our visit to the northern area, we flew to Hanoi and then took a bus to Cao Bang. We highly recommend utilizing 12GO, Rome2Rio, and Expedia.
When taking buses in Vietnam, there is something called a sleeper bus. It has two-threes rows double stacked that are lay back seats. Some are nicer than others. If you are expecting a nicer bus, check the reviews. Often they will utilize ‘VIP’ in the title of the company rather than to describe a type of bus. They generally offer blankets and periodically stop. Expect it to take longer than stated for they stop often. Bring motion sickness medicine as well. The roads are very curvy.
It is also important to note there is very little to do inside the town of Cao Bang. Most of the activities are outside of the town. It is recommended to book a day or two in advance to ensure you have a place. It is generally very cheap for a nice room.
Exploring Cao Bang, Vietnam
As previously mentioned, most of the activities are outside of town. At your accommodation, it is generally possible to ask about hiring a driver for the day. This is highly recommended for this area. You will want to be in a car and it is best to have someone who knows the roads well. We requested to be picked up at 5 am and had the driver for over 8 hours. It helps if you have a list of places you are interested in going to provide to the driver.
Ban Gioc Waterfall
Many tourists primarily visit Cao Bang to go to the Ban Gioc waterfall and it is 100% worth the trip. It is a multi level waterfall that borders Vietnam and China. Rainy/monsoon season is in June, July, and August. This is when the water flows the heaviest. When visiting from the Vietnam side, the waterfall area opens at 7 am. It is a two hour drive from Cao Bang, hence the starting at 5 am. If you are quick enough, you’ll be the first people on the Vietnam side to go into the gate. The workers actually had to open the gate for us due to being early and first.
On the lake area of the falls, many boats are perched and available for a ride to get closer to the falls. It is 50K Dong per person. Expect to see boats and many people already out from the China side. After your boat ride, walk along the path to see the baby falls and the beauty of the area.
Due to being the boundary line with China, bring your passport just in case. We had no incidence but have heard of others. For this same reason we did not fly our drone. Others have posted drone shots but we do not know if it is legal in this area.
Nguom Ngao Cave
For itinerary purposes, the next stop is an amazing cave. If you have chosen to arrive early, once again you will likely be the only people there. We had a slight miscommunication at the entrance and ended up paying $8 per person to go on the cave tour. This was the more expensive tour and they provide helmets, flashlights and booties to protect the cave floor. With a guide, it takes roughly two hours with some small river crossings and a raftboat ride inside the cave. The guide gave us a history and answered many questions.
The $3 option means no guide or gear and only visiting the first big room. We passed a great many people on our way out doing so. It is highly recommended to do the full tour if you have time!
Other Stops Close By
If you have the time, the Chùa Phật Tích Trúc Lâm Bản Giốc is also located right by the waterfall. We chose to skip this one. It is a large temple and pagoda. It comes highly recommended by many others.
Close by is also where you can complete the Me Pja pass. It is a 14 storey mountain pass that provides stunning views. Due to not having phone service, we mixed up our locations and accidentally missed this one. Let your driver know ahead of time if this is on your list. Here is an article that discusses more info for this stop.
Angel Eye and Than Hen Lake
The Nui Thung mountain goes by multiple names including angel eye. It is a large mountain with a hole straight through the center. The inside of this hole is actually a cave. The surrounding area has stunning vegetation and 36 lakes that interconnect. The closest one is the Than Hen lake. During rainy season the lake is very large. In dry season, the lake completely disappears. According to other sources, there is also a waterfall in this area. We visited during dry season and there was a great lack of water.
General Recommendations for Cao Bang, Vietnam
Visiting northern Vietnam is an absolute trip. Every where you look is beautiful green landscapes and rural towns. Hiring a driver is an absolute must due to the curvy roads and how far out many of the locations are from town. Expect almost no phone service everywhere. Have a map and list of locations downloaded off-line ahead of time.
If visiting in the winter months, prepare for very cold weather. Wear plenty of layers including hats and gloves. This portion of our trip required no hiking so sneakers were perfect. Two days of exploring the area would be ideal to ensure plenty of time for photos and extra stops. One day feels a bit crammed but is feasible if needed.
Overall we loved visiting this area! Let us know all about your trip in the comments below!
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