A fully clothed and perfectly positioned karst with its attendant fields and village
Cao Bằng Province, in the far north-east of Vietnam, is less visited than most areas, but has the most beautiful of landscapes, created by these fully clothed karsts. Karsts are the remnants, after 400 million years of weathering, of limestone rock. They are similar geologically to our much younger limestone pavements in Yorkshire. In the province of Hà Giang
they appear as
stark barren edifices, but here in Cao Bằng they come thickly covered in vegetation with patches of the white limestone showing through. Conical and columnar shapes are common, sometimes as isolates, others as serried ranks. Within Cao Bằng karsts do vary in form from the more barren in the north-west to the fully wooded in the south-east where they support exceptional levels of biodiversity. There is an archived page about karsts
on this site here.
Approaching Cao Bằng from the south, where karsts can be seen fronted by fields of tobacco
By contrast, at the northern tip of Vietnam, in Hà Giang Province, karsts take dramatic and barren form
Coming south and east into Cao Bằng Province the landscape softens, gentler shapes appearing
Two photographs showing the softer formations that are found in Cao Bằng...
...culminating in a richness where the karsts are almost submerged by the jungle
Terraces, buffalo, bamboos, electric cables, and a background of karsts
- northern Vietnam encapsulated
Flat fertile valleys between hills lead to softer shapes...
...like these horseshoe terraces (and grazing ponies)
Karsts weathered on one side producing...
...shapes like these two pointers are common
Would living next to these giants seem protective or threatening?
The roads of Cao Bắng wind their way through valleys formed by the karsts
Buffalo grazing (near vulnerable newly planted fields) not far from Cao Bắng City
The tighter coiffure of the far north of Cao Bắng
More verdant growth in the central area of the Province
Large trees are a rarity in Vietnam, these richer valleys offer greater protection; at least from the weather
In places the karsts are separated by wide 'straths' with slow flowing rivers
Morning mist hanging to the peaks of a karst landscape
Within a small compass karsts offer wet and dry areas as well as shadow and full sun, this results in exceptional biodiversity
They regularly make angles of over 80 degrees to the ground, but flora still cling on and flourish
A baby karst nestles between larger ones. While most karsts are between 500 and 800 feet high, some reach twice that height rising to well over 350 metres
Classical Chinese paintings often celebrate the lives of hermits living in huts, under knurled trees, high on the side of karsts. If these did occur in Vietnam there is no longer any sign of them
A buffalo (and her calf) with that oh so endearing look - please don't make me go to the effort of being protective
Trailers...
The next page
takes you to another of Cao Bằng's great attractions - the cascades of Bản Giốc.
The next page
of the Mosaic Section is headed:
'Lone Pine'.
Or go to the contents of the Mosaic Section.
The last page had images of strange rock formations - stacks in Iceland
A page on communities in Cao Bắng
A page on a village high up among the karsts of Hà Giang
