Ban Gioc Waterfall is a must-see site for visitors to the northern upland province of Cao Bang.

Tourists who depart from Hanoi have to negotiate seven snaking passes to get to the remote northeastern region to admire the stunning Ban Gioc Waterfall. Along the way, tourists can admire Meliaceae flowers in white or white reed swinging in the wind.

Ban Gioc is the fourth largest border waterfall after Iguazu Waterfall between Brazil and Argentina, Victoria Waterfall between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Niagara between Canada and the U.S. It is one of the 10 most spectacular waterfalls in the world as rated by Touropia in 2015.

The waterfall has two parts. The main lower part is in Guangxi Province of China and the auxiliary higher part is in Dam Thuy Commune, Trung Khanh District, Cao Bang Province. The waterfall is 53 meters high and 300 meters wide and has three levels of smaller waterfalls.

There is a small sloping path to the waterfall. Buses with a seating capacity of 25 people or less can travel on the path while passengers on bigger buses should drop off at a parking lot of the Vietnam border station and walk down the path.

Tourists can take a raft ride to get close to the foot of the waterfall at a price of VND50,000 per person. Sitting on a 20-square-meter raft, visitors can admire the other side of the waterfall. They are not allowed to cross into Chinese overland territory.

After disembarking from the raft, tourists can drop by Vietnam’s border marker 836 which was set up in 2001 for a great photo opportunity.

SGT