Overview
This is a long drive and it isn’t something that I would suggest just anyone do. It isn’t much fun.
However, there could be a good reason you need to get to the waterfall and back. Maybe, you have limited time and need footage of the falls. Perhaps, you have friends in the area on tour who are ahead of you. You might choose to just do this 300km+ trip on one of the legs and then take your time coming back.
All in all, it is possible to get to Ban Gioc Waterfall in a day and there are two suggested ways to do this. You will be driving for most of the day with only short stops. There won’t be much time for hanging out or taking pictures etc… But, the reward is you get to see the falls and drive through some of the quieter areas of Vietnam.
Distance / Duration
There are two routes shown here. The first (Black) via Bac Kan is about 345km and the second (Red) via Lang Son is 335km. There is little difference in the distance but the Bac Kan route is faster as it is on newer, larger road.
Road Conditions
The route via Bac Kan is probably the easier of the two to follow and it is on quite large highway. It is dull but fast and it gets you where you need to get to. Watch out for the larger trucks. They often can’t see you.
The Lang Son route is similar for the first part up to Lang Son, but from then on, the road will narrow and become slower due to the twists and turns. It’s fun to drive but you need to be careful to pay attention to the traffic. There are plenty of trucks on this route.
Bike Choice
You can take any road legal bike on this trip as the roads are tarmac and easy enough to deal with. Yes, there are areas that are a little bumpy or potholed but these pose no problems at all. That said, DO NOT take a Honda Cub on this kind of trip as it is woefully underpowered, so cold be dangerous on the bigger roads, and will definitely not be very comfortable.
I would recommend anything from a Honda Wave up, particularly the Honda Future. If you want to use a manual bike, then the Honda Master or the Honda XR 150 would be a good choice.
Tips
DO NOT try to cross the river to the Chinese side. This is an international border and the police will go crazy and probably detain you for hours, if you try to do so.
Only attempt this if you are used to driving a motorbike and driving in Asia in general. This is not the kind of trip to learn to drive.
Full Route Map
Day 1: Hanoi - Ban Gioc Waterfall
340km / 8 - 9hrs
These are the places that you will head for on the route . You can follow the route on the map or you can plug these place names into Google Maps and go from there.
- Hanoi
- Thai Nguyen
- Bac Kan
- Cao Bang
- Quang Uyen
- Trung Khanh
- Ban Gioc Waterfall
Hanoi
- Flipside Hostel – 23 Bát Đàn, Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm – 2RMW+FW Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
- Trade Union Guesthouse – 98 Đường Tô Ngọc Vân, Street, Tây Hồ – 3R8C+QM Tây Hồ, Hanoi
- Hanoi Home Hotel – 156 Phố Yên Phụ, Yên Phụ, Tây Hồ – 3R4P+37 Tây Hồ, Hanoi
- May De Ville – 43 Phố Gia Ngư, Hàng Bạc, Hoàn Kiếm – 2VM2+5V Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi
Cao Bang
- Bang Giang Hotel – Số 001 Phố Kim Đồng, P. Hợp giang – M786+6J Cao Bằng, Cao Bang
- Max Boutique Hotel – 117 Vườn Cam, P. Hợp giang – M796+35 Cao Bằng, Cao Bang
Ban Gioc Waterfall
- Khuoi Ky Homestay – A great homestay, very near Ngo Nguom Cave VP32+RG Trùng Khánh District, Cao Bang
- Yen Nhi Homestay – Another excellent homestay in the same hamlet, very picturesque and with great food. VP32+V9 Trùng Khánh District, Cao Bang
- Saigon Ban Gioc Resort – A good quality resort with confortable rooms and a restaurant. VP2G+7F Trùng Khánh District, Cao Bang
Hanoi
- Restaurant 1
- Restaurant 2 (we can add notes on opening times, say, or types of food and food recommendations)
- Restaurant 3 (when we’ve a separate post on the restaurant, we can add a note and an OPEN IN NEW TAB link over the whole string of text for SEO)
Cao Bang
- Restaurant 1
- Restaurant 2
Ban Gioc
- Restaurant 1
- Restaurant 2
You are NOT ALLOWED to cross to the Chinese side of the river, when at Ban Gioc. The local police will go crazy and you will most likely be detained for several hours.
This is a border and they are hyper sensitive.
If you wan to get pics of you in China you can easily find places nearby with border marker posts. You can walk over for a photo quite easily.
This is the route that I would most likely choose to get directly to Ban Gioc IF I had to. This is assuming that I had limited time and wanted to make the trip in one go. As mentioned, this is a long route that will have you driving all day with only a few stops. make sure to leave as early as you can so that there is no time pressure on the last portion of the route. The journey will become progressively slower as you continue due to the smaller roads and poorer road conditions. You will also be getting tired and this is exactly when you do not want to rush.
The first leg, up to Thai Nguyen will be on highway and will be quite fast but crowded. This is not much fun but getting out of Hanoi just isn’t. Make sure not to take the CT07 as motorbikes are not allowed on this road. After Thai Nguyen the road will become a little quieter and more pleasant. It is still quite fast and you will make good time. Stopping in Bac Kan for a snack, Brunch maybe, is a good idea.
Then, up to Cao Bang is quite simple. You follow the QL3 and it is a pleasant and fast drive. You are still on the highway but you need to be so that you can make good time. There are more choices of things to do/eat and hotels in Cao Bang so you may choose to set up base here. However, you will have to do this VERY early if you are to have enough time to get to Ban Gioc Waterfall and back. You need at least half a day to do this, but you will be missing the crowds.
From Cao Bang you can head for Quang Uyen and then Trung Khanh. The road is easy to follow and it is not too busy. There are some trucks that are heading to the border with China so you do still need to be careful.
Once you get to Ban Gioc, you can take a look at the falls, visit the small pagoda on the hill nearby and perhaps visit Ngo Nguom Cave. There are several homestays nearby which are all of similar standard and there is also the Saigon Tourist Resort. Staying near the falls is probably the best idea.
Day 2: Ban Gioc Waterfall - Hanoi
335km / Around 8 - 9 hrs
These are the places that you will head for on the route . You can follow the route on the map or you can plug these place names into Google Maps and go from there.
- Quang Uyen
- Dong Khe
- That Khe
- Lang Son
- Bac Giang / Bac Ninh
- Hanoi
Town/City (Don’t need this as we have it above, right?)
- Hostel 1
- Hostel 2 (bracketed note on price, or any other useful info)
- Hostel 3
Hanoi City
- Hanoi BackPackers Hostel
- May De Ville Hotel
- Hanoi Home Hotel
- Trade Union Guesthouse Quang Ba
Town/City
- Restaurant 1
- Restaurant 2 (we can add notes on opening times, say, or types of food and food recommendations)
- Restaurant 3 (when we’ve a separate post on the restaurant, we can add a note and an OPEN IN NEW TAB link over the whole string of text for SEO)
Town/City
- Restaurant 1
- Restaurant 2 (we can add notes on opening times, say, or types of food and food recommendations)
- Restaurant 3 (when we’ve a separate post on the restaurant, we can add a note and an OPEN IN NEW TAB link over the whole string of text for SEO)
Other stuff
To start off on this route you have the choice of retracing the previous day’s route back to Quang Uyen or taking the DT206 and the DT207 back to the same location. The second choice is less travelled and preferable but it is not without its downsides.
You will, obviously, know the condition of the first route and how long it will take you but not the undriven route. It needs to be said that this road is passable on most bikes but there is a stretch where it is quite potholed and, therefore, slow. It would be much faster and comfortable on a bike with high ground clearance and a lot of travel in the suspension, think XR150.
From here on, you can take the QL3, which is a good tarmac road, and then the DT208, which winds through the hills to Dong Khe. This route is a little slower than passing through Cao Bang but it is a new route and it is interesting.
Now, it is a very straight, direct run to Lang Son on the Ql4A. This is a big fast road with a fair amount of traffic and trucks. You will pass That Khe and near Dong Dang and these might be places to stop for a pit stop and to regroup.
Of course, you will go through Lang Son, but you won’t really have time to hang out or to visit any of the many sights there. You need to be on the road and back to Hanoi if you plan to get back before dark. It is possible to pass by Bac Son, but this will be a much slower route, so I haven’t marked it on the map.
From Lang Son, it is a straight run past Bac Giang and Bac Ninh to get back to Hanoi. You will end up heading straight for Thanh Tri Bridge but this might not be the best choice for you. The Vinh Tuy, Chuong Duong and Long Bien Bridges are close and might be better depending on your final destination. You can find out more about the bridges in this blog post.
In a Nutshell
Hanoi to Ban Gioc - 2 Day Tour
Ban Gioc Waterfall is a great place to visit and the route is easy enough to follow. You will be in some of the quieter areas of Vietnam with fewer tourists (not counting the Chinese side of the border). The scenery is spectacular and the roads are fun to drive. There are also plenty of interesting things to see on the roadside, once out of the city.
However, it is an awfully long way to get just for an over night trip. I recommend that you combine this route with a stop off along the way and on return as well as giving yourself an extra day in Cao Bang.
You can see longer itineraries from 3 to 6 days on our site.
Drive safely,
Danny