How Many Days Do You Need in Cao Bằng?
If you can spare four full days in Cao Bằng, that is where I would start. Three days is enough for a proper loop with nights away from the city, but it asks you to choose…
The Legend of the Karakoram: Why They Call It the “Third Pole”
Most riders come to Pakistan expecting “mountains.” What they get is something far more violent. The Karakoram Range is not like the Alps, and it is not like the Himalayas. The Himalayas are often green, rounded,…
The Land of Sleeping Dragons: The 500-Million-Year Evolution of Cao Bang
When you look out over the horizon in Cao Bang, it doesn’t look like a mountain range. It looks like a stone forest of “dragons” rising from the emerald rice paddies. These aren’t the jagged, snow-capped…
The Indigo Guardians: Understanding the Nung Culture of Cao Bang
A Nung farming family in the limestone highlands of Cao Bang province the region’s largest ethnic group and the keepers of the indigo tradition. If you are riding the loops of Cao Bang, you aren’t just…
- Culture | Food | Tips & tricks
The Gold of Trùng Khánh: Why These Chestnuts are Vietnam’s Finest
If you ride through the northeast of Vietnam during the crisp autumn months, a specific scent will follow you: the sweet, nutty aroma of chestnuts roasting over open coals. Known locally as Mắc Lịch, the Trùng Khánh…
Cao Bang to Ban Gioc: Route Map
Forget the tourist trail. The road from Cao Bang to Ban Gioc Waterfall is one of Vietnam’s best-kept secrets. While the Ha Giang Loop steals the headlines, this quieter northeast corridor rewards riders with an intimacy that’s increasingly hard to…
