Cao Bang and Ban Gioc

March 4th – 5th – Day 10 & 11: After a good nights sleep at the Max Hotel in Cao Bang, we headed out to explore the area.

Our first stop was Pac Rang, a ethnic Nung Blacksmith Village known for its tools and knives. With rudimentary equipment they made such good knives. Although tempted, we did not buy a knife but we spent time admiring the workmanship.

Next stop Nguom Ngao Cave which was dug out by an underground river. We were told that locals used the cave to hide during the 1979 conflict with China. Although not as stunning as the Paradise Cave in Phong Nha it was still interesting. The lighting and path were both good for the most part, but then the path ended and Josie said the exit sign was pointing the wrong way. Josie then led the way up the rocks and we used her phone to light the way until we once again found the path. Safety is very loose in Vietnam so it is always an adventure.

Our last stop was the Ban Gioc Waterfall which is the largest waterfall in Vietnam, though not the highest. Its vertical drop is around 30m, but it has an impressive 300m span. One side of the falls is in China, and the other is in Vietnam. We could see no people on the China side. We found it interesting as Vietnam has closed its borders to China, but it seemed easy to cross over the river to Vietnam and we saw no police here watching the border.

When we left the waterfall we headed to Ba Be, our last stop on our 13 day loop before we head back to Hanoi.