Hoang Thuy Duong (1991, Bac Giang) owns the Duong Duong Blog channel, just had a 2-day, 2-night trip to Hekou from Hanoi. The famous places she visited include: Light Park, known as the Mini Phoenix Ancient Town, Bac Son administrative square, underground supermarket, Kunming train station, lantern street, Hekou Town Batiaoban...
Hekou Light Park is as beautiful as Phoenix Ancient Town
Hekou Town belongs to Hekou Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, separated from Lao Cai City by the Nam Thi River. The town is small, can be visited in a day or combined with trips to Sa Pa.
There are two places that impressed Thuy Duong the most during the trip: the light park and Hekou Town Batiaoban because of the beautiful and poetic natural scenery. The lake in Batiaoban is a dreamy emerald green with a peaceful and relaxing space.
Electric cars are the main means of transport used by people here.
Traveling to Hekou on the weekend, you will have to queue for 3-4 hours to enter the country, and it takes two hours to get an overnight ticket to exit the country. Thuy Duong's most memorable experience was when she was jostled in the immigration line and lost her microphone. Therefore, she recommends going on a weekday. Even if you don't know Chinese, you can still go because Vietnamese is commonly spoken here.
Thuy Duong recommends not going to Ha Khau on weekends and holidays because the long queues will affect your schedule if you choose a short trip.
Move:
Ha Khau is separated from Lao Cai province in Vietnam by only one bridge named Ha Kieu. Therefore, many tourists coming to Sapa (Lao Cai) often choose to visit this place. There are two ways to travel from Hanoi to Lao Cai by car or motorbike. But it is recommended to travel by car because the highway is super fast. When arriving in Lao Cai city, there is a shuttle bus that takes you to the border gate. In Ha Khau, tourists can travel by bus/taxi and electric motorbike (10 yuan/hour, about 34,000 VND).
Lantern street near the border gate
Required documents:
Currently, China has not issued tourist visas to Vietnam, so to travel to Hekou, you need a passport. The Chinese tourist passport is valid for single entry, one-day stay and one month validity. To get the passport, you need to submit your ID card/CCCD and a white background portrait photo to the Lao Cai Immigration Department (do not edit too much or it will be held for inspection at customs). You should do it at least three days in advance (not including weekends) to ensure you have the passport.
Currently, China does not issue tourist visas to Vietnam, so to travel to Hekou, you need a passport.
In addition, you need to have an ID card or CCCD attached to your passport. Or a confirmation of overnight stay in Hekou. When you arrive at the hotel, you will be instructed to get this certificate. You must go by yourself and must have it to be allowed to exit the country. Depending on the number of guests at that time, the time to queue for the certificate can take 1-2 hours.
Thuy Duong believes that the experiences you should try when coming to Ha Khau are: renting an electric motorbike to ride around the streets, weaving through the skyscrapers in Ha Khau, setting off firecrackers along the Red River and eating grilled food at night.
“Buying firecrackers and experiencing setting off firecrackers by the river, each firecracker costs from 30 yuan to several hundred yuan (about 100,000 - 600,000 VND). I also bought one to try out the feeling of setting off firecrackers publicly. The firecrackers exploded loudly, continuously, and were a pleasure to watch because everyone was setting off firecrackers, both fireworks and firecrackers filling the sky. After burning, each person gave 10 yuan to the garbage collectors,” Thuy Duong recounted.
Cuisine in Hekou is very diverse and has a distinctive flavor.
Hekou has a very diverse and rich cuisine, such as: grilled street food, grilled milk tea, Zhejiang baked cakes, Beijing roast duck, pork, spicy fish soup, hand-pounded lemon juice in the lantern street...
“Tourists should visit the lantern street and the railway near the border gate. Because this is a snack paradise, you must try the divine combo of sausages and hand-pounded lemonade from the shop of the most handsome man in Ha Khau,” she laughed.
If you have time to stay in the afternoon, you can visit check-in spots a bit further from the center such as Hekou Town Batiaoban
Staying overnight in Hekou is also a memorable experience that visitors should try. Because you will have more time to relax, enjoy the cuisine, go to each small alley and feel the rhythm of life of the people here. If you have time to stay in the afternoon, you can visit check-in spots a little further from the center such as Hekou Town Batiaoban.
Night light park.
Thuy Duong also gave some notes to tourists when traveling to Hekou. China is one hour ahead of Vietnam time. Tourists should note to leave the country before 9:00 p.m. Vietnam time or 10:00 p.m. China time if going to Hekou during the day. You should exchange money before going through the border gate and bring your passport to buy a SIM card in China.
Tourists can travel to Hekou on their own, but it is advisable to hire a tour guide if they do not know Chinese. A one-day Hekou group tour costs around 550,000 VND or more; a two-day, one-night tour costs around 1.5 million VND.
Tourists should note to exit before 9:00 p.m. Vietnam time or 10:00 p.m. China time if going to Hekou during the day.
