Cao Bằng Province
Let’s start in the north, where the roads snake through mountain jungles and down into valleys rich with agricultural communities. Here you’ll find spectacular sights like the Bản Giốc waterfalls and Thang Hen mountain lake. This is also the area where Ho Chi Minh gathered a revolutionary force in 1941, in Cốc Bó cave. Google Maps estimates the drive from Hanoi to Cao Bằng to be six hours, but it’s actually much longer. We recommend a night bus so you sleep through the harrowing drive.

Ban Gioc Waterfalls in Cao Bang Province | © Emit Chan/WikiCommons