Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [333]
Alternatively, you can use the road crossing known as the Huu Nghi (Friendship) border gate, which lies 18km north of Lang Son and 4km from Dong Dang at the end of Highway 1. If you’re travelling by local bus, your best bet is to overnight in Lang Son (See "Moving on from Hanoi") and then take a motorbike to the border gate. Otherwise, frequent minibuses shuttle between Lang Son’s Le Loi Street and Dong Dang (look for those marked “Tam Thanh” at the front), but you’ll then have to hop on a motorbike for the last leg.
The tiny Huu Nghi border gate is open between 7am and 6pm; there’s a walk of less than a kilometre between the two checkpoints. On the Chinese side, infrequent minibuses head to Pingxiang (15km) for the nearest accommodation: it’s also the nearest money exchange, so you’ll need to have got some yuan in Lang Son for the minibus fare. Note that China is one hour ahead of Vietnam.
However you cross the border, you must have a Chinese visa, available from the embassy in Hanoi (See "Listings").
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The far north | The northeast | Southeast to Lang Son | Lang Son |
Eating
There are few fancy places to eat in Lang Son, though the New Century, a large restaurant on Phai Loan Lake opposite the Ky Lua Market has an English menu and is extremely popular with the locals and Chinese visitors. Soup and rice stalls dot the area around the markets.
The far north |
Travel details
The far north | Travel details |
Trains
Dong Dang to: Hanoi (1 daily; 6hr 10min).
Lang Son to: Hanoi (1 daily; 5hr 40min).
Lao Cai to: Hanoi (5 daily; 8–10hr).
The far north | Travel details |
Buses
Bus stations are gradually becoming more organized, with ticket desks and scheduled departures. However, it is still almost impossible to give the frequency with which buses run because of the large number of private minibuses that ply more popular routes, and depart only when they have enough passengers to make the journey worthwhile. Journey times can also vary; figures below show the normal length of time you can expect to take by public bus.
Bac Ha to: Lao Cai (2hr).
Cao Bang to: Hanoi (7hr); Lang Son (4hr).
Dien Bien Phu to: Muong Lay (4hr); Son La (5hr); Sa Pa (10hr); Hanoi (12hr).
Cao Bang to: Hanoi (7hr); Lang Son (4hr).
Ha Giang to: Hanoi (6hr).
Lang Son to: Cao Bang (4hr); Hanoi (3hr).
Lao Cai to: Sa Pa (1hr 15min).
Mai Chau to: Hoa Binh (2hr).
Muong Lay to: Dien Bien Phu (4hr); Sa Pa (7hr).
Sa Pa to: Dien Bien Phu (10hr); Lao Cai (1hr 15min) Muong Lay (7hr).
Son La to: Dien Bien Phu (5hr); Hanoi (6–7hr); Hoa Binh (7hr), via the Mai Chau junction (5hr).
The far north | Travel details |
Flights
Dien Bien Phu to: Hanoi (2 daily; 1hr).
Contexts
History
Religion and beliefs
Vietnam’s ethnic minorities
Environmental issues
Music and theatre
Books
Vietnam in the movies
History
Vietnam as a unified state within its present geographical boundaries has only existed since the early nineteenth century. The national history, however, stretches back thousands of years to a legendary kingdom in the Red River Delta. From there the Viet people pushed relentlessly down the peninsula of Indochina on the “March to the South”, Nam Tien. The other compelling force, and a constant theme throughout its history, is Vietnam’s ultimately successful resistance to all foreign aggressors.
History |
The beginnings
The earliest evidence of human activity in Vietnam can be traced back to a Paleolithic culture that existed some five hundred thousand years ago. These hunter-gatherers slowly developed agricultural techniques, but the most important step came about 4000 years ago when farmers began to cultivate irrigated rice in the Red River Delta. The communal effort required to build and maintain the system of dykes and canals spawned a stable, highly organized society, held to be the original Vietnamese nation. This embryonic kingdom, Van Lang, emerged sometime around 2000 BC and was ruled over by the semi-mythological Hung kings from