Nguyên Bình: History, mountain nature and Dao Tiền culture

In Nguyên Bình, historical memorial sites stand alongside a high-altitude, rugged mountain region. The history of the Việt Nam Tuyên truyền Giải phóng quân is tied to several specific places and dates; at the same time, the national park, peaks and traditional settlements offer a range of themes for a trip.

Memorial sites and historic places

Rừng Trần Hưng Đạo, in the communes of Tam Kim and Hoa Thám, is a special national historical memorial site. The Việt Nam Tuyên truyền Giải phóng quân was founded there on December 22, 1944. The complex includes 201.7 hectares of old-growth forest and four memorial sites: the unit’s founding site, a series of accommodation huts and the kitchen, the water source, and Slam Cao summit. An exhibition house displays and preserves photographs, documents and artefacts about the unit’s formation and development, as well as Võ Nguyên Giáp during his revolutionary activities in Cao Bằng.

Phai Khắt Fort in Tam Kim Commune is also connected with the unit’s history: on December 25, 1944, it was the site of the unit’s first victorious battle. The fort was restored as an additional exhibition house within the Rừng Trần Hưng Đạo memorial complex. The site of Nà Ngần Fort, in what is now Hoa Thám Commune, commemorates the second victorious battle, which took place on December 26, 1944. A memorial stele marks the historic site. The original building has not survived, and parts of the grounds are used for agriculture.

An earlier historical connection can be found in Tĩnh Túc: the Đền Ông Búa temple was where the tin mine workers’ cell was established in October 1930. This site adds another concrete insight into the region’s history to the memorial sites dating from 1944.

Mountain scenery and nature

Phja Oắc–Phja Đén National Park in Nguyên Bình District covers a rugged mountain region of nearly 10,500 hectares. The average elevation is more than 1,000 metres above sea level. The Phja Oắc–Phja Đén protected area is home to 352 plant species and 58 rare animal species. Phja Oắc summit in Thành Công Commune reaches 1,931 metres. In winter, a continuous layer of frost can form there when temperatures drop sharply; the summit is considered a tourist attraction.

Other landscapes offer different highlights: the bamboo grove in Bản Phường hamlet, Thành Công, covers more than 30 hectares. At the Tĩnh Túc open-pit tin mine, visitors can see traces of French mining operations as well as distinctive karst formations, sinkholes and dolines. The mountain peaks, bamboo grove and mining area represent different aspects of Nguyên Bình’s landscape.

Dao Tiền culture and local traditions

In the Nà Rẻo residential area, in Tam Hợp hamlet of Thành Công Commune, the closely spaced earthen houses of the Dao Tiền, more than 60 years old, still stand. They have retained their thick earthen walls and roofs of yin-yang tiles. Visitors occasionally come to see the houses, photograph them and capture the landscape by drone.

Hoài Khao in Quang Thành Commune is a community tourism destination in Phja Oắc–Phja Đén National Park and a Dao Tiền settlement. The area is also associated with traditional crafts. Thành Công is also home to Phja Đén, a traditional village of dong vermicelli makers. Another local highlight is the Kolia ecotourism area in Phja Đén: tea is grown and various types of tea are processed there; flowers and vegetables also grow year-round.

Travel interests and hotel search

The western tourist cluster route in Cao Bằng focuses on Nguyên Bình District and includes 16 visitor destinations. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether you want to focus mainly on the memorial sites, the mountain scenery or cultural places associated with traditional crafts. These highlights can guide your search for a hotel in Nguyên Bình without reducing the different places to a single travel theme.

Discover more destinations: Hà Quảng, Nguyên Bình District.

Return to the main travel overview: Cao Bằng.