How to get from Hanoi to Cao Bang?

Cao Bang is a province in the Northeast of Vietnam where the climate is relatively mild. Cao Bang has many ethnic groups such as Tay, Nung, H'Mong, Dao, Viet, San Chay, etc., of which Tay makes up a majority, about 41%. This place also has many interesting tourist attractions, attracting domestic and foreign tourists such as Ban Gioc Waterfall, Nguom Ngao Cave, and Thang Hen Lake... But how to get to Cao Bang? Let's find out together.

From Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, or Can Tho to Cao Bang, you will need to take a flight to Hanoi and then continue to Cao Bang.

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1. Hanoi to Cao Bang by local bus or sleeping bus

Cao Bang Town is about 280 km from Hanoi and the road to there is quite bad so you should take a bus from Hanoi. You can take the bus every day from My Dinh bus station and it takes about 8 hours to go to Cao Bang.
The cost of the daily bus ride is around 200,000 VND, which is really affordable for visitors and keeps you safer than driving your own motorbike. Later, in Cao Bang, you can rent motorbikes to continue exploring the place.

Xe Cao Bang 42
Tel: 0976424242
Price: 350,000 – 400,000 VND/pax
Travel time: 6-7 hours
Timetable: From 9:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. per day (8 buses per day)

Comfortable sleeping bus for the route Hanoi to Cao Bang

Xe Hiep Giang
Tel: 0916707255
Price: 350,000 – 400,000 VND/pax
Travel time: 6-7 hours
Timetable: From 9:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. per day (8 buses per day)

To find out more, book a bus ticket online with Vexere.com

2. Hanoi to Cao Bang High Quality Bus – Limousine

Recently, the high-quality minibus – Limousine is the preferred transportation and is considered as a VIP bus. With 9 seats in the bus, they are equipped with wifi, a USB port, reading light, which makes passengers more comfortable.

Inside a limousine D'car  Hanoi to Cao Bang

Price: 400,000 – 450,000 VND/pax
Travel time: 6-7 hours
Hours: 6:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day.
Advantages: clean and pleasant buses, no stops along the way to pick up more passengers, guaranteed journeys.
Disadvantage: fixed schedule and self-transfer to the pick-up point.

Or directly with the bus companies:

Kim Dung Travel
Tel: 1900 272 708
Price: 380,000 VND/pax
Travel time: 6-7 hours
Frequency: 2 buses per day

Thanh Ly Limousine
Tel: 0976 424 242
Price: 320,000-400,000 VND/pax
Travel time: 6-7 hours
Frequency: 4 buses per day

3. Hanoi to Cao Bang by motorbike

If you don't mind the 280 km and you are adventurous, you can travel with your motorbike.

Enjoy a motorbike from Hanoi to Cao Bang

Cao Bang has relatively complex terrain and there are many routes to go from Hanoi to here. You can follow one of the two suggestions below:

Coming from Hanoi via National Road 3 via Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan. On this route, you can also go to Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan, especially the famous cooling spot, Ba Be Lake.  This route is not really good with many narrow and bad roads, but it offers spectacular views of Giang and Gio passes.

Coming from Hanoi on Route 4 towards Lang Son, you can combine to visit Mau Son and follow the direction of Dong Khe and That Khe to Cao Bang. The road is good. The only bad sessions are at Na Sam and That Khe.

Motorcycle rental: 12 – 15 USD/day. Gasoline not included
Travel time: 7 hours
Advantages: flexible time, economy, ability to stop anytime, anywhere to enjoy the sightseeing tour to relax and take photos of beautiful scenery, meet locals.
Disadvantages: Really tired for 7-8 hours of travel, dangerous for enthusiasts on the long winding road having lots of turns and edges as well as big trucks on the road.1

Motorcycle rental shops in Hanoi:

Flamingo Travel:
Add: 66 Dao Duy Tu str, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Tel: +84 243 926 0938
Web: flamingotravel.com.vn

Motogo
Add: 1081 Hồng Hà, Chương Dương, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Tel: 0966 456 969
Web: Motogo.vn

4. Hanoi to Cao Bang by Private Car

A private car to cover the distance in 7 hours is an excellent choice. To visit Cao Bang, tourists need at least 3 days, and also a professional driver or tour guide who knows the destinations well to help you visit all the beautiful places in Cao Bang.
Travel time: 7 hours
Price: From 80 USD/day (for a trip of at least 3 days)
Advantages: flexible, safe time, guaranteed travel itineraries, private space, time saving.
Disadvantages: higher fares than other public transport.

5. When is the best time of year to go to Cao Bang?

Cao Bang has two distinct seasons: the rainy season which lasts from April to September and the dry season, from October to March. If you plan to go to Ban Gioc Waterfall, between August and September, this waterfall will be breathtakingly beautiful.

Admire the beauty of Ban Gioc waterfall in Cao Bang

If you like to go to Cao Bang to see flowers, you can go until the end of the year around November, it is the season of buckwheat flowers (the equivalent of buckwheat flowers in Ha Giang).

For the winter months (late months of the year to early next year), as the temperature of Phia Oac (Cao Bang peak) drops at that time, snow is therefore likely. Combined with the travel program from Cao Bang to Lang Son (along That Khe road), you can stop at the top of Mau Son, where almost every winter, it freezes and snows.

Things to note:

When traveling to Cao Bang, you should bring all identification documents/ passports with you as this is the border area.

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