Cao Bang Travel

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Cao Bang is during the dry season, from October to April. It’s worth noting that North Vietnam can get quite cold during the winter months, from November to February, so pack accordingly. Rainy season — from May to September in North Vietnam — can be beautiful, just be prepared for hot and humid weather.  

Check the below table for the general idea of Cao Bang weather throughout the year.

Cao Bang’s current weather and 7-day forecast

CAO BANG WEATHER

Here are top things to do in Cao Bang you must not miss.

Bản Giốc Waterfall

Located on the border between China and Vietnam, Bản Giốc is the fourth largest waterfall in the world. Measuring 300 meters wide, the falls are absolutely breathtaking in size. The vast area and range of different falls and pools within the park is captivating. Set in a striking valley and surrounded by lush jungle, Bản Giốc feels like a paradise of its own. 

TIP: The best time to visit is during the dry season from October to April. At the end of the dry season, a daily release of water from the dam-controlled Quây Sơn River takes place between 10:30am and 1:00pm, bringing the falls up to their full flow.  

Trúc Lâm Phật Tích Pagoda

A short but steep walk brings you to this traditional Vietnamese-style temple. The design of Trúc Lâm pagoda fits perfectly into the hillside. As you climb higher to the main temple area, a valley filled with karsts unfolds below. A stunning spot not far from  Bản Giốc Waterfalls, Trúc Lâm Pagoda can easily be visited in the same day.

Ngườm Ngao Cave

The Ngườm Ngao cave system has some of the most unique stalactite formations in Southeast Asia. As you step foot into the cave, the formations change with each new cavern. The entire cave system is 2,144 meters long, but local authorities have only opened 948 meters to visitors to preserve its natural beauty.

TIP: Don’t forget to bring drinking water for this trip: the one-kilometre walk can easily take an hour or more. 

Thang Hen Lake System

The Thang Hen Lakes are made up of 36 miniature lakes that are all connected through caves and underground passageways. In the rainy season, water levels rise to form a single lake, which meanders through a valley of karst peaks for over 300 kilometres. While the lake is picturesque, it’s the rock formations and scenes of daily life that make Thang Hen worth visiting. 

TIP: Hire a local guide to bring you to Tuyệt Tình Cốc, also known as The Mountains Eye. This single karst peak is home to a cave that runs through one side to the other, forming a giant hole in the mountain.  

Ethnic minority groups

Cao Bằng Province has over nine ethnic groups, which have lived in these valleys for centuries. The Tày, Nùng, Dao, and H’mong are some of the most well-known, and each minority has its own special crafts and way of living. To experience ethnic culture, visit a minority craft village with one of the local guides, or book an ethnic homestay during your trip.

Cao Bằng City

Anchored around the Sông Bằng River, Cao Bằng City has grown into a bustling centre of development. With a small but contemporary selection of hotels, shops, and restaurants, it’s the perfect base for exploring the rest of the province. You’ll find many northern specialities to try in town, such as Phở Chua (sour noodle soup) and Bánh Cuốn (steamed rice rolls). Cao Bang City also has several festivals which are unique to the region. 

Pác Bó Historical Complex

Pác Bó Historical Complex is a memorial and museum founded on the site where Hồ Chí Minh began his revolution. Here you can take a look at the cave where Ho Chi Minh lived in hiding, and the river where he fished and wrote poetry. This tasteful tribute to the life and work of Ho Chi Minh is an important pilgrimage spot for the Vietnamese.

Festivals and Events

Long Tong Festival

Long Tong Festival is one of the biggest Tay celebrations of the year. The festival takes place throughout many Tay villages in the north of Vietnam on the 4th day of the lunar year. The spring festival is a chance for the villagers to worship the god of agriculture and pray for prosperous crops in the upcoming year. People prepare offerings of food for the gods and then celebrate with a feast and lively traditional games.

Moi Me Trang Festival  

Another Tay festival, held in the Dong Khe region of Cao Bang is Moi Me Trang which means Mother Moon Festival. This is another spring festival which brings the local villagers together to celebrate and pray for prosperity. In particular, this festival is a chance to ask the moon for luck. The celebrations start with a beautiful ceremony of traditional singing and flower offerings which are followed by cultural activities and games. 

There are not many hotels in Cao Bang. In the city of Cao Bang, you can find the local hotels at a very reasonable rate of 10 to 20 USD per room per night.

It is highly recommended to book the hotels in advance. Here are some quality hotels in Cao Bang:

In the city center

Duc Trung Hotel

Address: No. 85, Be Van Dan Street

Phone number: 03853 026 424

Bang Giang Hotel

Address: No. 2 Kim Dong Street

Phone number: 026 431 3853

Hoang Anh Hotel

Address: No. 131, Kim Dong Street

Phone number: 03858 026 969

Anh Duong Hotel

Address: No. 78, Kim Dong Street

Phone number: 03858 026 467

Hoang Long Hotel

Address: No. 51 Kim Dong Street

Phone number: 03855 026 178

In Trung Khanh District

Le Hoan Guesthouse

Tel: 026.826221 / 0915425531

Thien Tai Guesthouse

Tel: 026.3826537

Dinh Van Guesthouse

Tel: 026.3602789

Near Ban Gioc Waterfall

Van Dinh 2 Guesthouse

Tel: 0263.82.80.82

1. Ants Egg Cakes

Referring to Cao Bang specialties. It is necessary to mention ant egg cakes. Every April, May every year, Tay people in Cao Bang province go to the forest together to find the black ant eggs to make cake. Ant Egg cake (Tay language called pieng ron) are made from sticky rice, ant eggs and young leaves of fig trees. Black ant eggs in Cao Bang forest are very thin, fat and high in protein.

2. Da Hien Vegetables

It’s also known as Bo Khai vegetables, Tay – Nung language are called Phjac Dien, often growing wild in the rocky areas. This is a very crunchy, easily broken tree. The constitution became a special vegetable of Cao Bang. In the spring and summer season, in the town areas as well as elsewhere. There is almost no party without stir-fried vegetables with beef, pork …

3. Khao Cake

If Thai Binh is known for Cay cakes, Thanh Hoa is famous for its green tea cake. But Khao cake is specialties of Cao Bang. With baking ingredients from glutinous rice flour combined with fatty, peanut or sesame meat as a filling, the pastry has a delicious smell, the cake is known as a rustic dish but contains a power.

4. Cao Bang Sticky Rice

You can only find a good filling in the northern mountainous areas of our country. Therefore, when traveling in Cao Bang, the dish that needs to be tested is dishes made from filling, in which the most delicious is sticky rice. When the weather reached autumn, relatives of Tay and Nung ethnic groups in the Northeast went to the forest to collect fillings. In autumn, going to the villages of the compatriots will have the opportunity to enjoy the sticky sticky rice dish (which is the same brand).

Getting to Cao Bang

There are some various bus companies providing bus services to Cao Bang both in the morning and in the evening.

Ticket price is about VND 160,000 – 200,000 dong and it takes about 6-8 hours to Cao Bang. When you arrive at the bus station in Cao Bang, you can hire a taxi or motorcycle to the destinations or take a bus.

From Hanoi: There are 3 bus stations the local bus go there daily.

• My Dinh bus station
• Gia Lam Bus Station
• Southern bus station

We recommend you check the latest bus schedule and price via rome2rio.com

Getting around Cao Bang

To Ban Gioc Waterfall

To get to Ban Gioc waterfall, you can catch a bus or go by motorbike. It is advisable to ask at the bus station or at the hotel for the bus timetable. Some can choose to rent a motorbike to be active in time and explore the fascinating places on the way.

To Ba Be National Park

It is about 130km from Cao Bang town to the park. You can ask the bus station or your hotel to buy a bus ticket to go to Phu Thong, then catch another bus to Cho Ra town, which is about 10km from the park. In there, you need to catch a motor taxi to Ba Be National Park. Apart from it, you can hire a motorbike to travel by yourself with a map tracking.