Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [332]
Hoang Nguyen 84 Tran Dang Ninh 025/387 4575. A mainstay for years thanks to its family-run atmosphere; it’s just south of the market, near the junction of Tran Dang Ninh and Le Loi. US$10 and under
Hoang Son Hai 57 Duong Tam Thanh 025/387 0199, nguyentienhung@yahoo.com. The grandest-looking hotel in town, though the rooms are overpriced for what you get. Head along Le Loi from the train station, and keep going straight after it hits Tran Dang Dinh. US$11–20
Van Xuan 147 Tran Dang Ninh 025/371 0440, thanh_loan_hotel@hn.vnn.vn. The city’s best choice by far – just north of the market, overlooking Phai Loan Lake – has attentive staff and a modern feel; the back rooms have good lake views. If it’s full, the Hoa Binh just down the road at No.127 is almost as good and a similar price. US$11–20
Yen Yen Mau Son Mountain, 30km east of Lang Son (025/387 4575). At the top of the mountain, just over 1000m high, this delightful guesthouse has excellent views over the valley, a decent restaurant and rooms with fireplaces. The surrounding hillsides are dotted with Dao villages set among orchards of peaches and pears: to get here, head east of town along Highway 4B and after about 14km turn along the road to Mau Son Mountain. US$10 and under
The far north | The northeast | Southeast to Lang Son | Lang Son |
The Town
The Ky Cung River splits Long Son in two, leaving the main bulk on the north side of the Ky Lua Bridge and the provincial offices to the south. Highway 1 is called Tran Dang Ninh as it passes through town, and it’s along here that you’ll find the town’s main attraction, bustling Ky Lua Market. Just east of the highway, this is well worth investigating, especially in the early morning when Tay, Nung and Dao women come to trade. From the market, walk a kilometre downhill to the river and take a quick look at the small temple, Den Ky Cung (daily 6am–6.30pm; free), tucked under the bridge on the north bank. Founded over 500 years ago, this temple is dedicated to Quan Tuan Tranh, an army officer of the border guard who is reputed to have slain hundreds of Chinese in battle before he himself fell. There’s nothing much to see inside apart from a photo of Uncle Ho visiting Lang Son in 1960. Following the road that branches off the highway at Den Ky Cung for about 500m will bring you round a bend in the river to the new, three-storey edifice of Dong Kinh Market, a temple to Chinese kitsch, where illuminated Buddhas sit in front of posters of Huangguoshu Falls, China’s highest waterfall. The broad boulevards south of the bridge are also worth exploring. The atmosphere is less frenetic than in the centre, and there are some interesting colonial buildings in the tree-lined backstreets. If the weather is good and you have time to spare, take a walk along Da Tuong in the southwest of town, which passes remnants of an ancient wall and heads on into a nearby labyrinth of karst hills. Also worth exploring are the nearby caves (daily 6am–6pm; 5000đ each). To get to them go 100m past the Hoang Son Hai where you will come to a junction. Turn left and continue for 200m to see the Nhi Thanh Cave, which follows the Ngoc Tuyen River underground and is worth a look. For the Tam Thanh Cave, which features series of nice rockpools and multi-coloured lighting displays, continue straight on at the junction for 200m. Past the ticket office, 150m further down the road, is a staircase that leads high above to the top of a rocky hill and to a cheesy garden equipped with fake bulls and deer, but has great views over the town.
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The far north | The northeast | Southeast to Lang Son | Lang Son | The Town |
Across the border to China
The majority of people taking this route into China travel by train, using one of the two weekly services direct from Hanoi to Beijing (see "Trains" for details). Note also that you can only board this train in Hanoi (and not at Dong Dang), though on the Chinese side it’s possible to disembark