Travel to the north of Vietnam

Hello hana9 and welcome to Expat.com

So kind of you to propose your help!

Regards
Kenjee

thank you Kenjee. that is my honor

Some areas close to the Chinese border require VISITORS OBTAIN PERMITS FROM CONG AN (Peoples Police). Some permits require you have a guide. Usually visitors cannot get closer than 2 kilometres to the borders exce4pt in a few areas.

If you have no required permit they usually put you in 'house arrest' in your hotel then 'deport' you back to Ha Noi!

In the area north of Ha Long Bay to the border the danger increases, even on land, as the Chinese border guards use guns.

oh, what u said is so serious but it is not true. traveling in the north is safe. of course, you should have some required permits but it is not so complicated to get. and the police hardly interfere the activities of tourists if they do nothing wrong. i assure about that

Is there any interesting thing to do or to see near the China border? If there is nothing better not go...

well, many places u can visit. this time you can travel to Ha Giang to see the golden terraced field, taking  lots of owesome photos or to enjoy the majestic Mã phì lèng pass an the snake road curving around the mountainside. or you can visit BẢN GIỐC waterfall, a beautiful site in Cao Bằng. or SAPA - LÀO CAI, i think that u heard about it. those are some beautiful places near the China border. and they are totally safe!

Halong bay is pretty near the border region, Mong Cai. There are several beaches from Mong Cai down to Halong if you want to waste time between border shopping spree.

The shopping habits of people I know is to book a Halong bay short stop, then get a shopping morning or afternoon in between. Get there and back in one day is too bloody harumph scrumph. Two days in all, with one night in Tuan Chau island, or Halong city hotel. The drive from Mong Cai straight back to Hanoi, or in other direction, can be pretty brutal.

If you dont have time, just one day, you can visit Lang Son border market, but there's nothing interesting to see in that day, and no time to go.

If that is the case, I will surely request your help if I go to north vietnam. Normally I do solo backpacking, but I will make this an exception.

If that is the case, I will surely request your help if I go to north vietnam. Normally I do solo backpacking, but I will make this an exception.

hana9 wrote:

oh, what u said is so serious but it is not true. traveling in the north is safe. of course, you should have some required permits but it is not so complicated to get. and the police hardly interfere the activities of tourists if they do nothing wrong. i assure about that.

Obviously you don't even read VNese newspapers. Vietnamese fishermen have been shit and killed at sea. and there were a couple of incidents where Chinese border guards shot across the border lone. The border is not well marked - they have used stone markers in places and farmers move them to increase their acreage.

All the wards along the border in Lai Chau Province require Permits for Foreigners and some require you also have a local guide. There are many unmarked road crossing points which only locals can use.

Travelling in border areas IS risky for Foreigners, there is a prohibited zone of about 2 kilometres deep where Foreigners cannot go which doesn't apply to VNese.  So don't go telling me it's not true. I live in a border province and when I visit a friend who lives in the border zone, I have to use my annual Permit issued in Buon Ma Thuot to see him.

Better people travel with knowledge and be prepared.

Wow... that is scary man. Thanks for the info.

xin chao! i'll be flying back to Hanoi this October hoping to tour around the historic spots which i failed to do when i was there last year. would you kind enough to show me around? thanks!