Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [329]
Some tours from Hanoi include a visit to the cave on their itineraries, though it’s possible to go it alone. To get to Pac Bo from Cao Bang, head northwest across the Bang Giang River on the Ha Quang road until you see a signpost directing you off to the right. From this junction it’s another 4km to the entrance (currently no charge). Getting to the cave by public transport is not easy, as few buses ply the route between Cao Bang and Ha Quang; if you do take a bus, ask to be dropped off at the turning for Pac Bo, two hours from Cao Bang, where you can pick up a xe om for the last leg.
The far north | The northeast | Cao Bang and around |
Over the Ma Phuc Pass
If revolutionary relics aren’t your thing, take the road northeast towards Tra Linh and Quang Uyen and lose yourself among sugar-loaf scenery beyond the Ma Phuc Pass. The road from Cao Bang shoots straight up the valleyside and after a disappointing start you’re suddenly looking down on a tortured landscape of scarred limestone peaks and streamless valleys typical of karst scenery. The region is inhabited by Nung people who cultivate the valley floors and terraced lower slopes, living in distinctive wooden houses that are built partly on ground level and partly raised on stilts. Even if you don’t have time to explore further, views from the top of the pass – a mere 20km out of Cao Bang – more than repay the effort. Just before the top, the road splits: pick either direction for some great scenery but the right fork takes you to the only specific sight in the area, the Ban Gioc Falls, whose location exactly on the frontier with China made them a bone of contention during the border war. Several tour groups include the falls on their itinerary, but if you come here alone, hotels in Cao Bang such as the Huang Thom can arrange a permit for $10. Over 90km and two hours’ driving each way, Ban Gioc is really a full day’s outing; note that the falls are less than spectacular in the dry season.
The far north | The northeast |
Ba Be National Park
Vietnam’s largest natural lake, Ho Ba Be, forms the core of the delightful Ba Be National Park, a feast of limestone and tropical forest. The lake is 7km long, up to 30m deep and up to a kilometre wide. A few islands decorate the surface and the whole lot is enclosed by steep, densely wooded slopes, with some tall and ancient trees breaking out here and there into white limestone cliffs. The main attractions here are boat trips to visit caves, waterfalls and minority villages, with the added bonus of seeing at least a few of the 220 animal, 417 plant and 49 fish species recorded here. Bears, tigers and one of Vietnam’s rarest and most endangered primates, the Tonkin snub-nosed langur (Rhinopithecus avunculus), live in a few isolated communities on the fringes of the park, but nearer the lake there’s a good chance of spotting the more common macaque monkeys and garrulous, colourful flocks of parrots. Few people are around to disturb the wildlife and outside the months of July and August, when Hanoians take their holidays, you’ll usually find only a handful of tourists. What puts some people off Ba Be is difficulty of access by public transport, but if you join a tour from Hanoi or hire your own transport it becomes easier to justify, especially when combined with a visit to a minority market. Even then, though, a two-night stay is sufficient for most people.
The far north | The northeast | Ba Be National Park |
Getting there
The simplest way of getting to Ba Be National Park is to join a tour or arrange your own transport. Hanoi tour agencies(See "Tour agents") can help with vehicle hire or line up a full programme, either as a three-day excursion or as part of the Cao Bang–Lang Son circuit (4–5 days): total travelling time from Hanoi to Ba Be is around five to six hours.
From Cao Bang, Highway 3 climbs up to a high pass (800m), which marks the watershed between the Red River Valley to the south and