A quick view of Cao Bang

Cao Bang is the province located in the Northeast region of Vietnam, bordered by China. This is a land of many majestic and impressive scenes as well as many important historical monuments and cultural destination. Even you want to wander around villages which are surrounded by fields, admire the beauty of rivers and mountains, see the waterfall or visit historical places or sacred temples, … Cao Bang can serve you all. Cao Bang is famous for vast cornfields and rice fields, jagged limestone mountains, the Quay Son river, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Nguom Ngao cave Cave, and various craft villages. Let’s take a closer look to these top 5 attractions in Cao Bang.

1. Ban Gioc Waterfall

Ban Gioc Waterfall seems to be the most popular destination in the top attractions in Cao Bang list but it is still an off-the-beaten-path attraction in Vietnam. With the height of 30 meters and width of nearly 300 meters, Ban Gioc become the widest waterfall in Vietnam and one of 4 biggest waterfalls on frontiers after Iguazu, Victoria, and Niagara. The falls are half in Vietnam and half in China as the Quay Son River forms the border between Vietnam and China. People come here to admire the majesty of the falls and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of this countryside. That beauty does not come from the falls only but also the beautiful jade-blue body of Quay Son river which is opposite to the falls but calm, peaceful and clear and the landscape of rice fields surrounded by hilly limestone mountains.

The best time to travel to Ban Gioc seems to be August to October. During these months, the falls are larger since they are fed by summer rain and the harvest is in full swing. Once you come to Ban Gioc, do not forget to take pictures of this majestic waterfall.

2.  Nguom Ngao Cave

The next attraction belonging to this list is Nguom Ngao Cave. Located 4 kilometers to the south of Ban Gioc Waterfall, Nguom Ngao Cave is one of the most spectacular cave systems in Vietnam. This astonishing cave is relative enormous with the length of 2144 meter and three entrances. Visiting the cave, you will be captivated by its wild beauty. Sparking seven-colored stalactites hanging down from high stone cliffs will absolutely dazzle you. It is said that the cave was formed about 300 million years ago. Over hundreds of millions of years, Mother Nature has created an amazing fairyland in Cao Bang. Without doubt, this is one of the must-see natural wonders in the province of Cao Bang.

3.  Phia Thap Villages – The incense making village

Top 5 attractions in Cao Bang also include cultural destinations which are craft villages in Quang Uyen district which is about 30 km away from Cao Bang to north-east. The most popular one is incense making village, Phia Thap village. The beautiful and serene village is surrounded by rice fields and massive limestone mountains. The job of making incense more or less contributes to bringing an adequate life for the people there. Incense is often sold the most at the end of the year, so on the days of the Lunar New Year, the atmosphere of this village is getting more bustling than ever. Phia Thap incense is entirely hand-made, from raw materials which are forest leaves bringing gentle fragrant. Spend several days at homestay here, watch local people making incense, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere will be an ideal choice for who are looking for a city break.

4.  Dia Tren Village – Paper Making Village

Dia Tren is a famous paper-making village, also in Quang Uyen. Paper production is not as developed as incense or forging products (partly due to the fact that the market for manual paper is not too strong), but traditional paper making is still maintained by many households in the village. It just takes about a dozen minutes by motorcycle from Phia Thap up to the village. Coming to the villages, local people will welcome you to watch them making paper. You will even have chances to do it by yourself, just need to watch and listen to the instruction carefully.

5.  Lan Tren, Lan Duoi Village – Basket Weaving Villages

The last name in this top 5 attractions in Cao Bang is basket weaving villages. Weaved baskets of local people in Lan Tren, Lan Duoi are very popular with customers by knitting style and quite wonderful and durable quality. The two famous weaving villages are located in Doai Khon commune of Quang Uyen district. The baskets are made for agricultural purposes, which is less useful for visitors coming from cities. However, watching the local people waving, lots of visitors have a crush on the beauty of the product, they are eager to buy some crates here as souvenirs. Traditional crafts not only improve local people’s life condition but also create traditional culture characteristic, forming the route for visitors to visit and explore in the district of Quang Uyen. You can see the suggestion for 4-day-3-night biking tour itinerary which focuses on visiting craft villages and Ban Gioc Waterfall here.