The Bản Giốc Cascades of Cao Bằng

Ban Gioc cascade with visitors' punt. The cascades of Bản Giốc with one of the tourist punts taking visitors around the lagoon Landing stage for boats with falls beyond. Landing stages for river boats on the Chinese side of the river, downstream from the lagoon. These photos were taken after the dry winter months when the water is at its minimum A major attraction for visitors to Vietnam's most north-easterly province - Cao Bằng - are the cascades of Bản Giốc. Here the river Quây Sơn, called the Lô Suây in China, forms the boundary between the two countries. On the Chinese side large hotels cater for tourists, although, at the time of these photographs, there were no facilities on Vietnamese territory apart from the tea shops and punts. These boats from the two countries are kept rigorously separated while circling around each other taking their passengers to the foreign side of the other boats. Cascade with punt in foreground. Section of the cascades with turquoise coloured lagoon in front. The high mineral content of the water in the northern-most provinces of Vietnam
produces this rich turquoise colour
Waterfall over cliff. One of the many waterfalls that together form the cascade Punt on lagoon. Punts from the two countries circle one another approaching the foreign soil, but no contact or landing is allowed punt approaching the basse of a waterfall. Visitors are taken into the spay of the falls Boardwalk to landing stages for the punts. Basic walkway to punts View towards the falls from the viewing area. A more distant view of the falls shows the context of karst hills Go to another page. and one of the large hotels that are situated on the Chinese bank of the river Chinese looking across the river. Groups of Chinese looking across the river at the Vietnamese watching them One of some 1,200 border markers. The whole border of more than 1,200 kilometres (800 miles), is marked at kilometre intervals by these posts Viewing point with boundary marker. A viewing point, with the boundary marker, allows the visitor to see the cascades in context. Our trusty Honda makes a partial guest appearance Road winding into the distance between karsts. Trùng Khánh which is 27 kilometres from the falls, provides the only accommodation in the area Horses waiting near Trung Khanh market. Above, horses waiting near its market. Outside the province of Cao Bằng horses are rare in Vietnam Chinese photographer taking pictures of the Vietnamese side of the market watched by policeman. A side road, near the waterfalls, crosses the border into China. On the border a market is held where the two cultures can offer their specialities to customers from the other country. I keep carefully to Vietnamese ground to take my photographs of the Chinese policeman who is stationed to prevent outsiders, like myself, wandering across.
Above a Chinese photographer concentrates on the Vietnamese stalls
- watched by friends and the policeman
Stalls of the border market. The policeman, here on his phone, is stationed to restrict the access of any strangers. My friend mingles in the nearby crowd... Road running into China from the market. ...and above has wandered right down the road well beyond the policeman, who is now concentrating on the Chinese photographer Wier on the river. A weir on the river just downstream of the cascades Karsts above the cascades. Karsts, in China, towering above the cascades General view of the falls at Ban Gioc. A general view of the falls at the end of winter, with tourists just beginning to come, and rows of punts on the two sides of the river/border waiting for their respective clientele Trailers... River and karst background in Cao Bang. The next page moves from the cascades of Bản Giốc to some gentler water in Cao Bằng. Yacht on the Minch. The next page of the Mosaic Section is headed:
'Being and Non-being'.
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Saturday 27th April 2019 Murphy on duty


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