Why Go? Northeast Vietnam's top ticket is Halong Bay, and while visiting the
World Heritage site is an essential experience, the region also showcases craggy
...
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Northeast Vietnam Why Go? Ba Be National Park ....... 89 Con Son & Den Kiep Bac ..........................91 Haiphong .........................91 Halong Bay ..................... 94 Halong City..................... 98 Cat Ba Island .................. 99 Bai Tu Long Bay ............ 108 Mong Cai & the Chinese Border ............110 Lang Son ........................111 Cao Bang ....................... 112 Ban Gioc Waterfall & Nguom Ngao Cave ........ 115
Best Places to Eat
Northeast Vietnam’s top ticket is Halong Bay, and while visiting the World Heritage site is an essential experience, the region also showcases craggy limestone peaks, tropical forests, caves, waterfalls and historic sights. To the south of Halong Bay is Cat Ba, a verdant island renowned for its hiking, biking, sailing and world-class rock climbing. To the east, Bai Tu Long Bay continues nature’s spectacular show all the way to the Chinese border, and Quan Lan Island is emerging as a destination for pioneering travellers. Looming above the coast, the karst connection continues into Cao Bang province, and the brooding mountains are one of Vietnam’s most idiosyncratic landscapes. With Sapa and northwest Vietnam firmly on the tourist map, head northeast instead to explore remote backroads and the sublime lakes of Ba Be National Park. China-bound travellers can access two important border crossings at Mong Cai and Dong Dang.
When to Go
»
Big Man Restaurant (p93)
»
BKK (p93)
°C/°F Temp
»
Bamboo Café (p105)
40/104
32/800
»
Vien Duong (p106)
30/86
24/600
20/68
16/400
Best Places to Stay »
Monaco Hotel (p92)
Nam Cat Island Resort (p105)
Halong City Rainfall inches/mm
8/200
10/50
0
0/32 J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
» »
Whisper of Nature (p105)
» Suoi Goi Cat Ba Resort (p105)
Feb–Apr The weather is often cool and drizzly, with fog making Halong Bay visibility low.
Jun & Jul Peak season for Vietnamese tourists; busy on Cat Ba Island, especially on weekends.
May–Sep The region is impacted by tropical storms, which may disrupt Halong Bay tours.
88 History
through the northeast. The most recent occurrence was in a 1979 attempt to punish the Vietnamese for their occupation of Cambodia (p112). Thousands of ethnic Chinese also fled from this region in the 1970s and ’80s. More than three decades on, border trade is surging ahead and Chinese tourists flock to the region during summer.
Dominated by the Red River basin and the sea, the fertile northeast is the cradle of Vietnamese civilisation. Until very recently, Vietnam has had challenging relations with the neighbouring Chinese. China occupied the country in the 2nd century BC, and were not vanquished until the 10th century. Any time the Chinese wanted to advance upon Vietnam’s affairs, they could do so
Tra Linh
Na Giang Thang Hen Lake
ver g Ri
n Na Cho Ra
m Gaiver R
3
Cao Bang
0 0
Ban Gioc Waterfall
Trung Khanh
40 km 20 miles
CHINA
Quang Yen
GUANGXI
Na Phac
Ba Be National Park
To Nanning (20km)
BAC KAN 4A
Bac Kan Pingxiang
2
2
Phuong Hoang THAI Cave NGUYEN
Lang Son
1B
LANG SON
Red Rive
r
Dongxing
r 136
Bac Giang
Luc Nam
21A
QUANG NINH
Tra Co Beach Vin Thuc Island
Tien Yen
Den Kiep Bac Con Son Pagoda
BAC NINH
Hai Duong HAI Haiphong DUONG
Pagoda
HOA BINH
Mong Cai
BAC GIANG
16
Ba Vi HANOI Mountain Ha Dong 5 (1287m) 6 HA TAY HUNG Hoa Binh YEN Perfume
12A
4B
ve
Tam Dao Hill Station Vinh Yen HANOI
Friendship Pass
1
Thai Nguyen
Nui Coc Reservoir VINH PHUC
Dong Dang
Ri
NORTHE AST VIETNAM B A B E N AT I O N A L PA R K
Hang Pac Bo
CAO BANG
HA NAM 1
18
Halong City
Cat Ba Island
HAIPHONG THAI BINH Thai Binh
Cai Rong
Van Don Island (Dao Cai Bau) Co To Island
(Dao Co To) Cam Pha Bai Tu Long Halong Quan Lan Island Bay (Dao Canh Cuoc)
Lan Ha Bay
Gulf of Tonkin
Northeast Highlights 1 Escape Halong Bay’s
(p94) tourist buzz by gently kayaking into hidden lagoons and grottoes
2 Hike, bike and climb
your way around the great outdoors in Cat Ba Island’s (p101) fascinating national park
3 Explore Lan Ha Bay (p100), an emerging area of gorgeous islands and beaches with superb rock climbing and sailing
5 Board a boat to glide through lakes and rivers, and spend the night with a local Tay family in Ba Be National Park (p89)
4 Pioneer your own route around the off-the-beatenpath islands of Bai Tu Long Bay (p108)
6 Check out the crazy karst scenery of Cao Bang (p112), and the province’s waterfalls, caves, lakes and historic sights
