Ban Gioc Waterfall and Ba Be Lake 3-Day Tour with Nung and Tay Homestays

This is a set-departure trip, leaving on Tuesdays and Fridays, that links two corners of northern Vietnam: the karst hills and lake of Ba Be National Park and the border country of Cao Bang, where Ban Gioc Waterfall falls. The route runs through remote areas close to the Chinese border, and the nights are spent with local families rather than in hotels. Day one heads from Hanoi to Lang Son by minivan (about three hours), with stops at the 16th-century Mac Citadel and at Dong Khe, where the 1950 battle of the First Indochina War was fought. The evening is a home-cooked dinner and a night at a Nung homestay, after a walk of 3 to 5 km through ethnic villages. Day two goes to Trung Khanh and the blacksmithing village of Phuoc Sen, then to Ban Gioc itself, over 300 meters wide and shared between Vietnam and China. Nguom Ngao Cave follows, a cave that runs 2,144 meters underground. The road then crosses a mountain pass to Ba Be Lake and a Tay family homestay. Day three is on the lake: a boat to the north shore, a forest hike to a cave and the An Ma temple, and lunch at Ba Be Jungle Houses. The trip ends with the drive of about 230 km back to Hanoi, with a stop at a tea plantation.