Cao Bang: The Fairytale Adventure You’ve Never Heard Of

Cao Bang: The Fairytale Adventure You’ve Never Heard Of

When I travel, I tend to look for hidden places; not necessarily places that nobody knows about,

but places that still conserve their essence, places that haven’t been completely taken over by

tourism. The real problem with overly touristy locations, when you’re a tourist yourself, is a little

counterintuitive. What I care about most is finding places that still have at least a 2:1 ratio of

locals to tourists, so I can truly see and understand their culture, taste their food, and witness

unspoiled sights.

When I arrived in Cao Bang after a couple of days in Cát Bà and Sa Pa, it felt like a breath of

fresh air. The city itself doesn’t offer much for tourists, so as a disclaimer; if you’re looking for

nightlife or parties, this isn’t the place. This is where you come to find yourself, the kind of place

where you dedicate the “Bali” chapters of Eat, Pray, Love.

The city isn’t very different many other small towns around the world. A river runs through

it, and there are some cafés where you can sit and enjoy coffee with river views. It’s nice, it’s

small, it has great food spots. But the real jewel lies in the mountains. What you see, smell, feel,

and live in those mountains; I promise, you won’t experience anywhere else in the world.

If I had to describe it in just a few words, I’d say: Fairytale Avatar. Have you ever wondered,

when watching a fantasy movie with grandiose landscapes, “How does someone even imagine

a place like that?!” Well, once you see the Cao Bang mountains, you’ll understand. The

landscapes are so extraordinary that even the wildest dreams or most vivid pictures can’t do

them justice. You have to see them for yourself; you have to feel the wind on your face while

riding the bike, breathe the air, and take in the scents of the mountains, the river, the road.

Cao Bang is still raw beauty. You won’t find many tourists, nor will you meet too many travelers.

In fact, if you search online, the main activity you’ll see recommended is visiting the Ban Gioc

Waterfall; which is stunning and majestic, but to be honest, it’s not even the highlight when

traveling through these mountains. Riding these roads made me wonder whether I even wanted

to write about it; it feels like repeating a secret someone whispered to you. Like a sacred story, a

sacred tale.

If I could ask one thing of those who find their way here, it would be this: tread gently. Cao

Bang is not an overhyped destination, but a rare fragment of paradise. You don’t come here to

lose yourself in parties or noise; you come to find something far quieter, far deeper. A piece of

history untouched, a beauty unshaken, a reminder that the world still holds wonders in its most

hidden corners.

Come with reverence. Consider yourself lucky to stand among these mountains, to breathe their

air, to feel their silence. And when you leave, leave them just as you found them, so the next

traveler may step the same spell.

Because here, in Cao Bang, fairytales are not imagined, they are lived. And if your heart is

open, you will not only see them, you will believe in them. You may even fall in love.

                                                                                                                           '' Denisse Monge''

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