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Dong Cao plateau has been a more and more intersting for young travelers to Bac
Giang province. Dong Cao plateau is located in
Son Dong district, about 150km from
Hanoi. It is an immense and amazingly
peaceful plateau, with the full green grass covering the land, cooling wind,
blue sky and white cloud. Unlike most mountains in the North and the Central
Region of Vietnam, which are either of sheer rocks with pointed peaks or covered
by forests, Dong Cao has a large and undulating top stretching for a few
kilometers. A large area of the mountain is covered with fine grass, which makes
it an ideal spot for camping trip on weekend.
To get to Dong Cao, you should travel by motorbike but should form a group of
several people as the place is not safe to travel alone. It is totally an
untouched place, so the tourist services are pretty rare. You have to prepare
everything for your camping trip, including necessary equipments and foods. The
way to the plateau is quite challenging because of the mountainous terrain, so
motorbike is the most suitable means of transport. It takes four to five hours
on a motorbike from Hanoi. On the way to camping place, you go through the
scattered ethnic minority villages on the foot of the plateau.
You should spend two days for this trip. Vietnamese young people usually choose
weekend as a good time. They could start to go from Saturday’s afternoon, stay
over one night on the plateau and come back in the next day after explore the
whole plateau. Sleeping over night on Dong Cao will be an amazing experience. In
the peaceful and quite area, you can feel the cool and fresh air, hear the the
wind howl and the sound of inspects and watch splendid sky of bright stars and
moon. Standing on the top, you could see herds of buffalos and horses eating
grass on the plateau. Walking around the plateau, you will hardly see any houses
and it will take you a while to find a small coffee shop owned by a Dao man
named Trieu Phi Nhan.
Its wildness and purity have increasingly been attracting local backpackers in
recent years. The plateau is the most beautiful at sunrise and sunset, scenes
that many photographers describe as from a wonderland. Besides the ancient rocks
scattered around the plateau, buffaloes and cows are the most common sight here.
Small waterfalls and springs can also be found aplenty. Camping is the most
favorite activity among young backpackers. Dong Cao has many flat places
suitable for pitching a tent, while wood for making fire can be bought from
people who live at the foot of the plateau at around VND 50,000 a bundle.
Temperatures are low at night, and so campers are advised to bring jackets and
blankets besides flashlights and insect repellent. Those interested in knowing
how the Dao people, who make up a majority of the local population, live can ask
to stay with them. |
