After breakfast, we leave Bao Lac behind and continue into some of the most remote landscapes of Northern Vietnam.
The morning ride takes us across Khau Coc Cha Pass, a mountain road carved into the hills with layer after layer of winding turns disappearing into the clouds. From above, the road feels almost unreal, twisting gently through the mountainside.
Further ahead, we cross Cao Bac Pass and the quiet curves of Na Tenh Pass, where mist drifts slowly over rice terraces and small villages hidden deep within the valleys. This part of the journey feels different less dramatic, more peaceful. A slower side of the north that few travelers ever reach.
Lunch is served in a small local town along the way before we continue toward the beautiful valleys of Phong Nam and Ngoc Con. Here, the landscape opens into wide rice fields surrounded by limestone mountains, where Tay communities continue a simple way of life shaped by the land.
In the afternoon, we stop at Co La Waterfall, flowing quietly between fields and forest, before arriving at Khuoi Ky Stone Village a small village over 400 years old, where traditional stone houses still stand beneath the mountains.
By early evening, we reach our homestay near Ban Gioc Waterfall.
Dinner is shared together with local dishes and a quiet atmosphere beside the borderlands. Tomorrow, the journey leads to one of the most breathtaking waterfalls in Vietnam.