When should you go to Ban Gioc?

From the end of November to the beginning of April the management board says the water is very low and asks you to come between 10:30 and 15:30. June to September is the fuller water, with heat and rain. A dry-season dam release is described between 10:30 and 13:00.

Can you see Pac Bo and the falls in one day?

Do not plan them as one afternoon. Pac Bo is about 55 km north on provincial road 203. Ban Gioc is more than 80 km east. Give each road its own day, and sleep in Dam Thuy if the falls are the morning.

Cao Bang travel guide: Ban Gioc waterfall

Cao Bang

A mountain province on the northern border, home to the wide Ban Gioc waterfall and limestone valleys. See the falls and the nearby Nguom Ngao cave, visit Pac Bo and the high Phia Oac forest, and eat sour pho and roast duck in town. Allow two or three nights; it suits road-trippers who like big landscapes.

●●●●○ Worth a special trip from Hanoi for Ban Gioc and one other road

Roads Oct–Apr; falls Jun–Sep Photography Mountains Caves War history

Photo: jankgo · CC BY 2.0

Time2–3 nights for the falls and one other road

Get thereBus from My Dinh. Vietnam Tourism: about 280 km and about eight hours. redBus: about 282 km, operator times from 4 hours 30 minutes to 8 hours 7 minutes, listed average 5 hours 49 minutes. Easybook: about 240 km and 6 to 7 hours. No flight and no train on the pages read. Road time: Check on arrival.

Best monthsOctober to April for the roads

You come for the wide cascade on the Quay Son, limestone around the river, and a morning that starts at the falls. Ban Gioc sits in Dam Thuy, more than 80 km east of Cao Bang city. Sleep once in the city, or in the valley, so the falls are a morning.

Stay if the border falls and one other road are the trip. Go to Ha Giang if you wanted the limestone loop instead. Pac Bo is about 55 km north on provincial road 203. Phia Oac is a day west, a national park whose summit is 1,935 m. They are not the same afternoon as the falls.

The bus from Hanoi is the way in. The mistake is spending the only daylight in town, or pairing Ban Gioc with Pac Bo because both names fit on one map.

Common questions

How long is the bus from Hanoi?: Vietnam Tourism says about 280 km and about eight hours. redBus prints about 282 km, with operator times from 4 hours 30 minutes to 8 hours 7 minutes and a listed average of 5 hours 49 minutes. Easybook quotes about 240 km and 6 to 7 hours.
When should you go to Ban Gioc?: From the end of November to the beginning of April the management board says the water is very low and asks you to come between 10:30 and 15:30. June to September is the fuller water, with heat and rain. A dry-season dam release is described between 10:30 and 13:00.
Can you see Pac Bo and the falls in one day?: Do not plan them as one afternoon. Pac Bo is about 55 km north on provincial road 203. Ban Gioc is more than 80 km east. Give each road its own day, and sleep in Dam Thuy if the falls are the morning.

Top attractions in Cao Bang

Ban Gioc Waterfall Thác Bản Giốc

Stand on the Vietnam bank of Ban Gioc and look across the wide cascade on the Quay Son.

5.0 ★★★★★ Editor

Same day as the cave and the pagoda · Check on arrival

Nguom Ngao Cave Động Ngườm Ngao

Walk the lit passage at Nguom Ngao, the cave about 4 km from Ban Gioc.

4.0 ★★★★☆ Editor

Check on arrival · Check on arrival

Truc Lam Ban Gioc Pagoda Chùa Phật Tích Trúc Lâm Bản Giốc

Climb to Truc Lam Ban Gioc on Phia Nhan and look out over the Quay Son valley.

4.0 ★★★★☆ Editor

A short, steep walk · Check on arrival

Pac Bo Pác Bó

Walk Coc Bo cave and the Lenin stream at Pac Bo, about 55 km north of Cao Bang city.

4.0 ★★★★☆ Editor

Half a day from the city, including the drive · Check on arrival

Phia Oac–Phia Den National Park Vườn quốc gia Phja Oắc – Phja Đén

Drive up into the moss and elfin forest of Phia Oac, west of Cao Bang city.

4.0 ★★★★☆ Editor

A full day from the city · Check on arrival

Side trips from Cao Bang

Ha Giang

A mountain province in Vietnam’s far north, famous for a four-day road loop over high passes.

Hanoi

Vietnam’s capital, with a busy Old Quarter, lakes, temples, museums and famous street food.

Cao Bang by interest

Dining and F&B

The border falls

The lit cave

Pac Bo

Phia Oac

Shopping

Getting there and around

No flight and no train run Hanoi to Cao Bang on the desks read for this page. Day and overnight buses leave My Dinh. An operator yard lists night buses from My Dinh and Gia Lam and gives its own address on National Highway 3. That is an operator page, so confirm the yard on arrival. Hire a car or a motorbike in the city for the geopark roads. Confirm in town whether a local bus runs to the falls or to Pac Bo.