Bao Lac
Cao Bang Province
Bao Lac is the capital of the rural district of Bao Lac on the edge of the northern province of Cao Bang, in the northeastern region of Vietnam. It is a very small town located on the national road 34, about 130 km northwest of Cao Bang city, 121 km northeast of Ha Giang city and 330 km south of the Hanoi city.
Bao Lac, which is located along the Chinese border, is a destination that looks like the end of the world, smelling of mountain authenticity and guaranteeing new encounters.
A stage that must be earned, which takes time but which will then take you to some of the most spectacular places in northern Vietnam.
The best time to visit Bao Lac
May is the month of the water season, during which the immense rice terraces, watered by rainwater, look like huge mirrors. The opportunity to photograph transplanting in these fields with a unique and original atmosphere.
April and May are the best times for hiking with pleasant weather and a low chance of rain.
Mercury indicates the right temperature (about 25°C) and the sun marks its presence throughout the day.
What to see, what to do…?
Bao Lac is an authentic small mountain town renowned for its ethnic market and the ancestral traditions perpetuated by the Lolo Noirs, the dominant ethnic group that inhabits its mountainous reliefs. But the mountainous reliefs of Bao Lac are also the territory of many other ethnic minorities.
Thus the Bao Lac market is the main activity in the area. It is the meeting place of a large number of ethnic minorities in the region (black Lolo, H’mong, Tày, Nùng, Dao, Sanchay…) who still proudly wear their shimmering traditional costumes.
Smaller and less lively than the famous Bac Ha market, this market is nevertheless very colorful, very pleasant and very interesting to discover.
Top 5 things to do in Bao Lac:
- Attend the Bao Lac market, which takes its particularity from the fact that it is periodic, that is to say that it is held every 5 days according to the lunar calendar of the month.
- Hike to a village of ethnic minorities to meet the black Lolo, the Tays or to the white H’mong village of Seo Lung.
- Buy excellent cinnamon and if possible visit a cinnamon field.
- Admire the spectacular view from Ma Pi Leng Pass.
- Hikes off the beaten track in the karst region
