Cao Bằng, Northern province in Vietnam near Chinese border.
Cao Bằng is a province in northern Vietnam that sits along the border with China. The landscape shows steep limestone peaks, deep valleys with rice paddies, and rivers running between forested mountains.
The region was the site of early fighting in the Indochina War, when guerrilla units maintained their operational base here in 1950. These events shaped the later development of the country and its relations with France.
The region houses multiple ethnic groups including Tay, Nung, and Dao peoples, each maintaining distinct traditions in their mountain communities.
Buses run regularly from Hanoi to Cao Bằng city and take about seven hours for the journey. Roads through the mountains are winding, so an early departure is often more comfortable for the ride.
The Non Nuoc Cao Bằng geopark area preserves rock layers from over 500 million years of Earth's history. Visitors can see fossils and formations that tell the story of how the region formed.
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