Ban Gioc Waterfall: An Illustrated Guide

Chinese travellers, Ban Gioc FallsBan Gioc Waterfall is one of Vietnam’s most impressive natural sights. Located in the northeastern province of Cao Bang, the falls are 30 metres high and 300 metres across, making Ban Gioc the widest – but not the highest – waterfall in the country. The falls occur on the Quay Son River, a beautiful jade-blue body of water, flowing through a pastoral landscape of rice fields and bamboo groves, surrounded by limestone pinnacles. At Ban Gioc, the Quay Son River forms the border between Vietnam and China; consequently the falls are half in Vietnam and half in China. Both countries have bamboo rafts that punt visitors around the base of the falls for better views of the cascade; you can literally shake hands with Chinese tourists on the other rafts. Ban Gioc Waterfall is 350km from Hanoi. It’s reached via a good national highway to Cao Bang City, and then several recently upgraded provincial roads, leading through fantastic countryside to the falls. It’s now easier than ever to visit Ban Gioc, but still very few people – especially foreign travellers – make it here. A perfect destination if you’re on a motorbike road trip around northern Vietnam, or an independent traveller looking to get off the beaten track, this waterfall is a favourite destination of mine. Below is my illustrated guide to Ban Gioc Waterfall and my map of the area. Travel North Vietnam

Before reaching Ban Gioc Falls, the Quay Son River ambles through a sumptuous valley, studded with limestone karsts. I warm to this gentle landscape, and it’s been one of my favourite corners of the country ever since I first visited the area in 2009.

Quay Son River Valley, Cao Bang Province

The best time to visit the falls is from September to October, when the summer rains that feed the waterfall are less frequent and harvest is in full swing. Farming techniques can’t have changed much here in centuries; save for some mechanized rice threshers, most of the work is done by hand. One piece of ‘technology’ you’ll see along the banks of the river is the bamboo water wheel. This attractive, medieval-looking device scoops up water from the river, carries it up to the level of the fields, and drops it into earth gutters, which channel the water into the fields to irrigate the crops. It’s a hypnotic, peaceful and timeless sight. Vietnam Mekong river cruise

Bamboo water wheel on the Quay Son River

The serenity of this valley is dramatically broken when the Quay Son River reaches a 300 metre-wide limestone ledge, and drops sharply down several terraces, creating Ban Gioc Waterfall. Some brave (or foolhardy) fishermen stand in precarious positions, casting their lines into the cascade.

The cascade, Ban Gioc Waterfall

Because the falls are located right on the Chinese border, foreign travellers used to require a special permit to visit the area. But today (2014) you can just turn up and buy a ticket (20,000vnđ [$1]) at the kiosk without any documents at all, before walking down a gravel path to the waterfall. The path threads through rice fields, over wooden bridges above gurgling creeks, and onto an exposed grassy bank at the bottom of the falls. The wide, white cascade is fringed with foliage and framed by sharp tooth-like limestone mountains, which are partly obscured by drifting clouds of vapour from all the spray generated by the waterfall. Halong Paradise Cruise

Ban Gioc Waterfall: An Illustrated Guide

Ban Gioc Falls from the ticket kiosk

On the Chinese side of the river there’s a hotel on the hill, but the Vietnamese side has yet to see any significant development. A resort, run by Saigon Tourist, is under construction by the ticket entrance, but won’t be completed for some time. For now, the only tourist infrastructure here are a few unattractive wooden shacks covered by blue tarpaulins, selling snacks and trinkets. Almost all visitors to Ban Gioc stay in one of the dozens of good-value hotels in Cao Bang City, 90km west of the falls. However, there are two local guest houses (nhà nghỉ in Vietnamese) on either side of the road, about two kilometres before reaching the falls. Dinh Van II Hotel (Tel: 0263 602 789) and Nha Nghi Tung Duong (Tel: 0915 660 688) both offer basic but clean and inexpensive accommodation for a night at around 200-300.000vnđ ($10-15). There are also a couple of nhà nghỉ in Trung Khanh, the nearest town to Ban Gioc Falls, 25km to the west. This is a good option for intrepid travellers as Trung Khanh is a dusty, rustic border town with a wild west edge. There are several crumbling pastel-coloured shophouses and an interesting daily market with various imported goods from China. You’re guaranteed to be the only foreign traveller in town. Quang Uyen, a town halfway between Cao Bang and Ban Gioc Falls, also has a good guest house, called Duy Huong Hotel on Hoa Trung Street (Tel: 0266 266 888) for around 250,000vnđ ($12) a night. (For more about nhà nghỉ click HERE).

Shophouse in Trung Khanh town

There are lots of beautiful spots around the base of the falls on which to sit and take in the spectacle. Find a place on a pebbly beach or grassy bank, perch on a boulder in a stream or lay in the curving trunk of a tropical tree, and gaze in awe at one of Vietnam’s most romantic sights.

Taking in it

Bamboo rafts (50,000vnđ [$2.50] per person) punt visitors closer to the cascade for better views. The ‘ride’ lasts about 10 minutes and you’ll definitely get wet. In some areas signs in Vietnamese read ‘No Swimming!’ But it’s difficult to resist taking a plunge in one of the blue pools of water, especially around the smaller falls to the left of the central waterfall. There’s no one there to stop you bathing, and I’ve never encountered any resistance. But, of course, you should be very careful; stick to the placid rock pools and stay well away from the main cascade.

Punting on bamboo rafts

There’s a treacherous path leading up through jungle to the first and second tiers of the falls. Not for the faint-hearted – or for those without proper footwear – this track climbs steeply among vines and roots to several gorgeous pools of blue running water. Tread carefully because the rocks are slippery and soon you’ll reach the edge of a ledge, from where the water drops straight down into a giant limestone bowl below.

View from the 'treacherous path'

It’s possible to wander further and higher up the side of the falls for even more spectacular views of the deluge from above. It’s an ‘awesome’ sight – in the true sense of the word – but be extremely careful, and don’t even think about attempting it if it’s been raining. There are no handrails so if you slip there’s nothing to hold onto except exposed roots. You can find the start of the path behind the milestone marking the Vietnamese border, which is located over a rickety wooden bridge.

View from the top of the path

Considering the waterfall’s proximity to China – and the frosty ancient and recent history between the two countries – the atmosphere at Ban Gioc is very relaxed. Official presence on either side of the falls is minimal and, as seen in the photo below, Vietnamese floating vendors often approach Chinese rafts to sell their wares to Chinese tourists.

A Vietnamese floating vendor approaches a raft of Chinese tourists

It’s easy to forget that this province was one of several points along the Vietnamese border where, in February 1979, Chinese forces entered Vietnam under the orders of Deng Xiaoping. There were many reasons for the invasion, but ultimately it was an extension of tensions between the Soviet Union and China (Vietnam having signed a treaty with the USSR in 1978). Thousands of Vietnamese and Chinese were killed and, when the Chinese army departed (or retreated, depending on whose version of events you believe), they laid waste to the land they had briefly occupied. Along the road that follows the border just beyond the falls, there are memorial shrines dedicated to local Vietnamese who died during the 1979 war. Border disputes continued into the 1980s, and included the historic Nam Quan Gate, an ancient gateway between the two countries, which ultimately ended up on the Chinese side. The photo below shows a border marker on the Vietnamese side of the Quay Son River; just 20 metres away, across the river, is China. At some points along this road, the distance between the two countries is as little as 5 metres.

Hoi An The Old city

Hoi An is a quant, unique town that you want to linger on while backpacking through South East Asia. It’s lovingly preserved Old Town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, where you can soak up the surrounds by simply walking or cycling the streets. Along the streets of the historic centre are speakers which play soft instrumental music, that literally feels like you are in a movie. Hoi An is full of vibrance and Vietnamese culture, a must see stop on your backpacking adventure of Vietnam.

Once the sun sets Hoi An is set alive with nightly events. Music and dance performances often take place along the riverfront where people release floating candles as well wishes into the Thu Bon River – a magic site to see. Shopping continues as you cross the bridge over to An Hoi island filled with night time markets.

The best way to get around Hoi An is by stretching your legs and exploring by foot, especially through the old town. Cycling is another great way to explore and get to near by beaches.

Hoi An’s beaches

Top up your tan with a short pedal out of Hoi An to laze over cheap beer and sunsets. Two nearby beaches; An Bang Beach or Cua Dai Beach are located 3-5km out of the city that vary in tourist numbers. Travel Halong bay Vietnam

Hub of Tailor Made Clothing

Hailing as the capital of tailor made clothing in South East Asia, Hoi An is famous for its custom made clothing. Temptations will be running high to get measured up and take home a spanking new outfit from a new suit to dresses, blazers and more. Scattered across the city are countless tailor made clothing shops producing quality made to order items within 24 hours at a reasonable price. Allow yourself time for fittings to come away looking extra sharp. Vietnam Mekong river tours

Hoi An & The Old city

Local Cuisine

Hoi An is a real haven for those people with a sweet tooth and interest in scoring secret recipes of local vietnamese cuisine. Thanks to the French influence of the town, you can find delicious cakes and pastries on every street corner. The lively local markets are a taste of organic living, with crops being grown in the surrounding farming countryside. Tea is serious business in Vietnam in particular Hoi An. It’s not just the flavorsome drink, but it comes with a whole ceremony and practice.

Visit the ruins of My Son Ruins of the Cham dynasty

Hidden in a valley surrounded by mountains one hour bus ride out of Hoi An lies the ruins of My Son of the Cham Dynasty. The impressive Hindu structures of My Son now recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site were badly damaged during the Vietnam War, still standing as a sight to see when in Hoi An.

Getting to Hoi An

Getting to Hoi An from Northern Vietnam is a breeze. Our backpacker dedicated Boomerang Bus Vietnam departs from Hanoi Backpackers Hostel and travels south to Hoi An as the last stop on route. The Boomerang Bus Vietnam covers many insanely stunning locations as stops between Hanoi and Hoi An. Another option is to get on a Top Gear Motorbike Tour that departs from our Hue Backpackers Hostel zipping over the renowned High Van Pass.

Mui Ne Sand & Water

A friend of mine once commented, “So you live on a houseboat?” “Yeah, kinda… It’s an ocean of sand under us. It’s a sand dune beach.”

When you live in Mui Ne, you become more and more aware of living in a sea of change. Development, politics, tourism… but especially the environment. Everyone talks about the “microclimate” here, but we all keep trying to figure out what that really means. In Muine, we live on sand. Wet sand, dry sand, clean sand… dusty sand. We buy and sell it. We shovel it. We suck it up and spit it out with machines. We love it so much and when it goes, we miss it. Like an old and endearing friend, it always comes back. South Vietnam tours

Fifty kilometers inland sand seems to tip out of the mountains and in a sluice between the rocky points of the Cham towers to the southwest, and the peninsula that holds the town of Muine to the east and north, this sand pours into the south China Sea (called The East Sea in Vietnam). Wind picks up sand, grains at a time, and takes them up towards the mountains again. From the mountains to the sea, it’s a big sluice. We live on a fifty kilometer deep beach. Dragon Pearl Junk Halong

The sand gets hot and creates a “heat draught” that pulls air off the ocean and makes Muine one of the best and most predictable wind sport spots in the world. Even as sand inland gets hot, the wind from the sea keeps the temperature near perfect along the coast. If the temperature drops for some reason, the warm air over the sand dunes seems to fall back towards the sea keeping it perfect. The heat creates a bubble and a lot of the stormy weather that comes to the south of Vietnam just seems to wrap around us. We often sit in the sun during the rainy season watching dramatic storms over the ocean. Often when we drive to Phan Thiet, a line of water on the highway shows where the rain begins and motorcycles are pulled over to put on their raincoats. Overall, we have the dryest and best weather in Vietnam. BASSAC CRUISE

Mui Ne Sand & Water

The sand under us swirls and stretches and flows. There are days each year when a person sitting on a deck chair at Joe’s Café will be looking eye to eye with someone walking on the beach while at another time the beach will have disappeared completely and the ocean laps or crashes our patios and walls. The beach sometimes will go for a couple hundred meters out at low tide, at others it is gone completely. When you enter the sea, you might be able to walk through the shallow seas for a couple hundred meters or you might find yourself over your head in just a few meters. Where’s the beach? You’re on top of it. Nature thinks it just put it here and will pick it up later. We’re squaters to nature. We’re not going anywhere! Let the great contest and cooperation continue!

White sand dominates and what we call the “White Sand Dunes” is a special place and ecosystem. People stop at the “Red Sand Dunes” as well and the hike up the “Fairy Stream” is a must as a mixture of sands is cut by flowing water Grand Canyon style. Red sand we associate with iron ore. Black sand is heavier than white sand and is associated with titanium and titanium mining. Black sand stays out of sight until you walk on the white beaches, your feet sink in and a bit sticks to your feet.

One of the other great benefits to our microclimate is the currents that for most of the year keep all trash away and our beach pristine and water clear. There is no rip current here to take you out making our beach safer than many, but you might get a couple resorts further than you thought in a hurry as it takes you down the beach.

Phan Thiet beach and sanddune

It’s so confusing because even as the beach, the actual sand, will go up or down a couple meters in an hour, it’s hard to remember what it was like. People brag or lament. We hear about global warming, changes in rainfall, cutting down the mangroves in the Mekong, development… greening of the sanddunes with farms and golfcourses… we hear about the factories and watch long peirs, jetties or holding walls go out into the sea to control sand. We debate the designs of our seawalls and watch some fail. We think of the sand going up and down the coast and sometimes in and out of the sea, but of course it’s moving vertically as well as we build and change the ground water table.

I often think of a glass of water stirred and dropping a little blue ink in to watch it swirl up and down and around. I think the sand is doing that below us and around us. But of course that isn’t perfect either… sand when dry is solid or dusty, sand wet is even harder until it gets wet enough, and then it liquifies.

One thing is for sure, we love our microclimate. We love the heavily touristed winter months when wind and weather are perfect and people choose us instead of chilly Natrang and Danang. We love the rainy seasons when it rains- but rarely and we love how the air still has that after rain freshness. We love our beach and pine for it when it is gone. We live in constant change.

Do I need a visa to travel to Vietnam

Vietnam Visa Requirements

For any traveler a trip planning should start not from booking a flight ticket or arranging a hotel, but from checking the visa policy of the country he would like to visit. Some nationalities can enter the territory of Vietnam without visa. But for majority of the countries it is required. The visitors can obtain a visa from one of the Vietnamese diplomatic missions or via agency on arrival. Also a passport valid for at least 6 months is necessary. Check the policy before you start travelling to avoid problems on the Vietnamese border. Southern Vietnam with extension to Cambodia 10 days

Visa Exemption
Currently 17 nationalities can visit Vietnam without visa for different time periods. In 2014 it was proposed to allow citizens of European Union, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan to enter the country without visa as well. But in September 2014 this proposal was rejected. Vietnamese government extended the list of the visa exemption countries only for Australia, France, Germany, India and the UK. SONG XANH CRUISE

List of the countries that do not require a visa to Vietnam (with a duration of staying): Image Cruise
Brunei (14 days)
Cambodia (30 days)
Denmark (15 days)
Finland (15 days)
Indonesia (30 days)
Japan (15 days)
Kyrgyzstan (30 days)
Laos (30 days)
Malaysia (30 days)
Myanmar (14 days)
Norway (15 days)
Philippines (21 days)
Russia (15 days)
Singapore (30 days)
South Korea (15 days)
Sweden (15 days)
Thailand (30 days)

Do I need a visa to travel to Vietnam

Visit to Phú Quốc Island
Phu Quoc is designated as a Special Economic Zone and the Vietnamese government are allowing tourists to stay on the island for up to 30 days without requiring a Vietnam Visa. To be able to enter Phu Quoc without visa you should arrive to the island from any other foreign country and land at Phu Quoc International Airport. If you are transiting from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, then you must board your flight to Phu Quoc from the international terminal in order to receive your exemption. Also it is possible to come to the island by a cruise ship sailing from the other international ports. However, if you are planning to continue your trip around the country, then visa obtaining is required.

Visa on-arrival
In order to get your visa on arrival, first of all, you should receive an approval letter. First of all, you  have to fill in the Online Application Form and pay the service fee. Normally, within 2-3 working days you will get your Visa approval letter issued and stamped by the Vietnamese Immigration Department. The same document will be sent to Vietnam Immigration checkpoints at the international airports, wo when you arrive, the documents will be prepared for you. With the approval letter you can obtain a visa at airports in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang for a maximum stay up to 3 months.

Types and cost
The fee depends on a type of visa you would like to obtain and your duration of staying. There are two types of visas in Vietnam: single entry and multiple entry. The service fee for applying starts at USD 17. Stamping fee depends on your type of visa:
Single-entry visas – USD 45
Multiple-entry visas
Valid for less than 01 month – USD 65
Valid for less than 06 months – USD 95
Valid for 6 months or more – USD 135
Transfer of validity of visas or temporary residence from expired passports to new passports – USD 15
(PLEASE NOTE – THESE ARE THE PRICES AT TIME OF WRITING)


Visa extension
Due to recent changes in Visa laws starting 01/01/2015, Visa renewals have become difficult, expensive and sometimes impossible. The rules relating to Visa renewals seem to be unclear at time of writing, with some tourists paying up to $380US to extend their Visa an extra 3 Months. After making phone calls to Immigration, no one can give a clear answer on the renewal process and price.


IMPORTANT
Always ask for information at the Vietnamese diplomatic missions in your countries to check the current visa policy and other relevant and reliable updates.