Breakfast at LANs Homestay was just delicious - pancakes with syrup, mango, papaya, banana, guava and condensed milk coffee. Ready to roll.

The biggest attraction here in the northeastern province of Cao Bang, is the Ban Gioc Waterfall, which straddles the Vietnamese/Chinese border. We reached the falls a short 6km drive from our homestay. 300 meters wide, it is the widest waterfall in Vietnam, but not the tallest with it's 30 meters. Paying 50.000 dong ($2) we boarded a small boat and headed towards the falls, mingling with similar Chinese boats from the other side. Technically we had now "set foot" in China! 

Tourism is - in many ways - still in it's infancy in Vietnam. In 2022 less than 4 million Western tourists visited the country - less than 350.000 a months! None of the tourist sites I have visited so far - including UNESCO World Heritage sites - have been crowded, and some almost deserted. Entry fees are always extremely reasonable - Vietnamese and foreigners pay the same fee. No discrimination here! Many of the sites could do with a bit of an upgrade, like proper ticketing facilities, more informative displays in other languages than Vietnamese, and printed material. It is always a "relaxed pleasure" to visit tourist sites in Vietnam - very little, if any interference from souvenir sellers and so on.

Having spent about two hours at the falls, taking in the views and the solid metal fence and surveillance cameras on the Chinese side, we started the bikes and headed along small roads towards the town of Cao Bang, and our homestay there. Saturday is party evening in Vietnam, and the wide main drag of Cao Bang town had been turned into a walking street, filled with food vendors, musicians, dancers, games you could take part in, displays of local art and much more. Several times we were approached by polite kids and youngsters, who wanted to practice their English with us. Each contact followed a set pattern: Where are you from? How long in Vietnam? How do you travel ( bus, bike, car)? Do you like Vietnam? 
Travelling around Vietnam you quickly find out that absolutely no English is spoken or understood by anyone. Google Translate is used constantly, and is a great help. It is a very rare occurrence to find a menu in English - you are really left to your own devices! The fact that the schools are now teaching English from a very early age is really promising, not least for the future of tourism in Vietnam.

We spent a couple of days in the Cao Bang area - exploring small roads "dead ending" in tiny villages with families going about their daily routines, tending to their fields and animals.

A constant presence in Vietnam are dogs - each house always seems to have 2-3 dogs lazing about. Mainly small to medium sized, well fed!! they seem pretty friendly. Never chase our bikes, or act aggressive. Make sure they stay out of our way. They are always present inside and around the street food restaurants we stop at to eat, and are allowed to rummage around for leftovers in the plastic buckets that are generally placed in the restaurants. Don't ask for a "doggy bag" here!

One morning we headed for a landmark, simply named "hole in the mountain". A couple of hours drive on narrow tracks through lush jungle, brought us to this - almost ethereal - place. Driving down the mountain, the terrain suddenly opened up to a huge valley with a river running through it, water buffaloes grazing and a few Vietnamese working the fields. In the distance, on this misty day, we spotted the mountain with the hole in it. A bit of off-road riding, crossing the river on our bikes, brought us much closer to the mountain. We spent an hour or so, in the area, enjoying this pristine and tranquil area, before breaking the silence with our motorcycles and heading back up the mountain tracks.

Northern Vietnam is so totally different to the southern part - a motorcyclist's Paradise. Around every bend a new magnificent vista opens up. Many tourists simply fly into Hanoi, rent a motorcycle and head for the hills, spending their entire holiday in the northern part. Saigon and the more frenetic southern part can just wait!

Next up will be the famous Ha Giang area, further west.