Our main target today was the tower marking the northernmost point of Vietnam, on the border to China. The area is considered the last adventurous frontier of Vietnam, and only a few years back pretty hard to reach. Now it is on the backpackers Ha Giang loop, and you are unlikely to have the recently built tower all to yourself.

Along the way we stop at the Heavens Gate Pass to admire the view. In a month of travelling in Vietnam, it is a rare occasion to have a completely clear sunny day. Today is no exception - a kind of humid haze or mist is preventing a perfect view, but a very impressive view nevertheless.

We end up at Lung Cu - Vietnams North Pole. The parking lot is a hive of activity. One group of backpackers after the other arrive on their small automatic and semi-automatic scooters and bikes. Most of them ride "pillion" and let a local Vietnamese drive them around to the various attractions. They are called "easyriders", and it's an excellent way of seeing the countryside, without having to drive yourself.

It is extremely cheap to rent a motorbike in Vietnam. For $9 per day you can rent a 110cc motorcycle. No driving license is required. Pay the fee, and off you go with a small ineffective little plastic helmet on your head. Doesn't matter whether you have ever driven a motorcycle before. The slightly bigger bikes 125cc, 150 cc and more require a motorbike license. Not everyone wish to get their motorcycle baptism in the maelstrom of motorbikes in Hanoi. That's why - wisely - many youngsters take the easy rider option, and pay the few extra dollars.

Together with dozens of backpackers, Sebastian and I start climbing the 700+ stairs to the top, and once there, another load of stairs to the top of the tower and the massive crimson red Vietnamese flag with the lone star, marking their northernmost point. To the north we can see China, fenced and surveyed and to the south, Vietnam.

Leaving the area we skirt the border with China - at times it almost seem we are trespassing. We stop for coffee at a restaurant with a stupendous view. As we sit down, two women dressed in traditional garb, each carrying a baby on their back, approach us. They are from the minority ethnic Hmong tribe, who inhabit this area. The Hmong people used to do very well growing and selling opium, until the Vietnamese government made it illegal. The Hmong people gained a fearsome reputation for fighting, repelling attacks from the Chinese, French and Japanese. The French decided to leave them alone, instead offering to build them a palace for the Hmong king. No doubt, some opium changed hands in that deal. The palace still stands today.

One of the Hmong ladies speaks excellent English, and we ask her a lot of questions. As we are about to leave, the two ladies suddenly jump into action. Out comes bags of genuine handmade Hmong textiles, small bags, wallets and pouches. Needless to say that both Sebastian and I ended up spending a bit of money on their merchandise. How could we not: all our questions answered, hungry babies on their backs - and no opium to sell any longer. They will have to make another trip across the border to China, to restock on "genuine Hmong merchandise".