Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [331]
The speciality in many local restaurants is fish from the lake, and the best place to try it is at the National Park Guest House, where they serve whatever’s fresh on the day. The guesthouses in Cho Ra also serve food, though the kitchens close early, and there are a few com pho stalls around the only road junction in town. Snacks and drinks are available at the boat jetty by Ba Be Lake.
The far north | The northeast |
Southeast to Lang Son
At Cao Bang you join Highway 4, an ambitious road that was originally part of a French military network linking the isolated garrisons right across northern Vietnam’s empty mountain country. This road is more subject than many others in the north to falling into disrepair, and the 140km journey to Lang Son takes about four hours, depending on conditions. Beyond Dong Khe, a nondescript town roughly 40km out of Cao Bang, the virtually traffic-free road climbs through a gorge of sheer limestone cliffs before cresting the dramatic Dong Khe Pass. In 1950 this pass was the scene of a daring ambush in which the Viet Minh gained their first major victory over the French Expeditionary Force. In the ensuing panic, forts all along the border were abandoned, an estimated six thousand French troops were killed or captured, and the Viet Minh netted 950 machine guns, eight thousand rifles and a few hundred trucks.
That Khe lies exactly halfway between Cao Bang and Lang Son, and beyond here the road winds through Na Sam, an attractive town snuggled beneath a dramatic setting of outcrops. The villages in this area are inhabited by Nung and Tay; their bamboo rafts and huge wooden waterwheels, which form part of sophisticated irrigation works, grace the river that weaves along beside the road. Unfortunately this rural idyll comes to an abrupt end, as the speedy Highway 1 from Dong Dang brings you hurtling into Lang Son.
The far north | The northeast | Southeast to Lang Son |
Lang Son
For most people, LANG SON is just a meal stop or overnight rest on the journey through the northeast or en route to China, only 18km away to the north. With a fast highway now linking Lang Son to Hanoi, reasons to linger are even fewer, though the surrounding countryside does have an endearing quality in the form of endless karst outcrops studding the plain. Having acquired the status of a city, Lang Son has a self-important feel, and its booming economy is evident in new construction sites all over town. The few sights worth seeing include the Ky Lua Market, the Den Ky Cung Temple, the Tam Thanh and Nhi Thanh caves and huge colonial houses in the old town south of the river. At present no nearby tourist attractions are promoted, though the area round Mau Son Mountain, just east of town, is good hiking country. For the intrepid, Lang Son is the start of a little-travelled back road (Highway 4B) cutting across 100km of empty country to Tien Yen on the east coast, offering a route to (or from) Ha Long Bay.
The far north | The northeast | Southeast to Lang Son | Lang Son |
Arrival and information
Most of Lang Son’s facilities are found on the north bank of the river. There is no official tourist office, but hotel staff at the Van Xuan are helpful. The post office is located on Le Loi, a little further east. Next door to the post office, at 51 Le Loi, the Incombank changes US dollars and has an ATM. Most hotels also exchange dollars and yuan. There are also a couple of internet cafés along Le Loi towards the train station. Ngo Quyen branches off to the right from Le Loi, where about 100m along you’ll find the bus station, though most long-distance buses will drop you on Le Loi or Tran Dang Ninh, the town’s main north–south artery.
The far north | The northeast | Southeast to Lang Son | Lang Son |
Accommodation
Market forces have spawned new hotels and Lang Son is fairly well provisioned with inexpensive