They were finally vanquished in the 10th century; see the boxed text. Any time the Chinese wanted to interfere in Vietnam's affairs, it was through the northeast that they approached. The last time was in 1979 to punish the Vietnamese for invading Cambodia . As well as invasions, this region has also witnessed an exodus during the late 1970s and early 1980s, as thousands of ethnic-Chinese and later thousands more Vietnamese took to the mountains or the seas to search for a better life in China, Hong Kong and beyond.
Northeast Vietnam Tourist Attractions
Ha Long Bay offers some 3,000 islands rising out of the East Vietnam Sea in the Gulf of Tonkin. This is listed as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in two times in 1994 for wonderful landscape and in 2000 for Geomorphology and in 2011 become one of New7Wonder.
Nhi Thanh and Tam Thanh are two large and beautiful caves just a few kilometres from the centre of Lang Son. In fact it's fair to say that they are now in the suburbs. Both are illuminated, which makes for easy exploration, and have Buddhist altars inside. Tam Thanh Cave is vast and seductive. There's an internal pool and a viewing point or natural 'window' offering a sweeping view of the surrounding rice fields. Just a few hundred metres up a stone staircase are the ruins of the Mac Dynasty Citadel. It's a lovely, deserted spot, with stunning views across the countryside. The Ngoc Tuyen River flows through Nhi Thanh Cave, 700m beyond Tam Thanh. The cave entrance has a series of carved poems written by the cave's discoverer a soldier called Ngo Thi San, in the 18th century. There's also a carved stone plaque commemorating an early French resident of Lang Son, complete with his silhouette in European clothing.
Tan Trao was the base of the Vietnamese revolution against the French in the 1940s. This area is 30km from Tuyen Quang Town.
Ba Be National Park with the elevation ranging from 150-m to 1098-m above the sea level, with the biggest lake in northeastern Vietnam and with untouched forests, it offers relaxing or adventurous tours and getaways.
Pac Po Cave was where Ho Chi Minh lived and conducted the war against the French in early 1940. The area has nice nature settings and you can learn a lot about this most revered man of Vietnam. Pac Po is 40km from Cao Bang Town.
Ban Gioc Waterfall cascading down the vast valley from green mountains. The waterfall is right on the border between Vietnam and China. Ban Gioc Waterfall is about 136 km far from Cao Bang. The road from Cao Bang Town to Ban Gioc offers stunning nature scenery.
Ba Be Lakes, Ba Be National Park is in Bac Kan province and was established in 1992 as Vietnam's eighth national park. It really is a babe: a beautiful region that covers more than 7000 hectares and boasts mountains high, rivers deep, waterfalls, plunging valleys, lakes and caves set amid towering peaks. The surrounding area is home to members of the Tay minority, who live in stilt homes. The park is a tropical-rainforest area with over 550 named plant species, and the govern ment subsidises the villagers not to cut down the trees. The 300 or so wildlife species in the forest include 65 (mostly rarely seen) mam-mals, 214 bird species, butterflies and other insects. Hunting is forbidden, but villagers are permitted to fish. The park is surrounded by steep mountains, up to 1554m in height. The 1939 MadrolleGuide to Indochina suggests travelling around Ba Be Lakes 'in a car, on horseback, or, for ladies in a chair', meaning, of course, a sedan chair Ba Be (Three Bays) is in fact three linked lakes, which have a total length of 8km and a width of about 400m. The deepest point in the lakes is 35m, and there are nearly 50 species of freshwater fish. Two of the lakes are separated by a 100m-wide strip of water called Be Kam, sandwiched between high walls of chalk rock. The Thac Dau Dang (Dau Dang or Ta Ken Waterfall) consists of a series of spectacular cascades between sheer walls of rock, and is accessible by boat and on foot during day trips. Just 200m below the rapids is a small Tay village called Hua Tang. Hang Puong (Puong Cave) is visited on day tours. It's about 30m high and 300m long, and completely passes through a mountain. A navigable river flows through the cave, making for an interesting boat trip.
Ha Giang: A highly mountainous region, situated in the Northeast, and first province has border line with China, Ha Giang is one of the poorest in Vietnam but rich in colourful minorities and many high rocky mountains, limestone formations and springs; the important mountains are the Cam and Mo Neo. The major rivers of the region are the Lô River (Hà Giang town is located on its left bank) and Mien River. Before 2010, it just known as with Khau Vai Love Market (only meets once a year, on the 27th day of the third lunar month) and Twin Mountain in Quang Ba, but nowaday, Dong Van Meo Vac Rocky Plateau was cognized by UNESCO as Karst Park that one of the most attractive destination for tourist.
Northeast Vietnam Travel and Tours
The North East of Vietnam is ideal for sightseeing relaxing tours, nature tours, culture tours, adventure tours such as trekking, hiking, mountain biking or white-water rafting...
From Hanoi, you can join Hanoi Package Tours on a relaxing tour, discovery tour or adventure tour of the North East of Vietnam for 3-8 days.
Accommodation
There are many hotels of poor facilities in different towns of the North East of Vietnam since there's a lack in the number of travelers in the region.
Staying with an ethnic family in their simple house is an option. Conditions are limited and poor, but the experience is just sensational and cozy. This is also the choice when taking a trekking adventure or biking adventure with Hanoi Package Tours.
Getting there and away
From Ha Noi to Thai Nguyen you can travel either by road or by train. The train is for the local and has hard-seat and open-air-conditioning only.
For other areas in the North East of Vietnam, the only choice for the tourists is by road. You can hire your own car or van for exploring this region completely in 4-5 days. Otherwise you can hop onto many local buses from My Dinh Bus Station which is 20km from Hanoi City Center.
Getting around
By foot: Trekking the mountains of the North East of Vietnam is quite a fun experience. Hanoi Package Tours offers up to 6 day trekking through different hill tribe villages of this area.
By Motorbike: You can hire a motorbike for the adventure in the North East of Vietnam or join Hanoi Package Tours for the unbeaten roads in this area. Some parts of the tour involve staying at local ethnic homes with very poor conditions.