Mong Cai Travel Guide
The run down city of Mong Cai is located 360kms from Hanoi, near the Chinese border. Although there are many more beautiful places to spend time in Vietnam, there are certainly also worse places to spend a few hours.
- Worth It?
- Only if you plan to cross the border into China.
- What to Do
- temple hopping, soaking up the sun on the beach, swimming.
- Best Time to Go
- between March and May when the weather is dry and relatively cool.
- How Long?
- A day or less is enough to see all that Mong Cai has to offer.
- Trivia
- despite its dilapidated appearance, Mong Cai is well known as one of the wealthiest cities in Vietnam.
Mong Cai's close proximity to the Chinese border means that it is infused with an interesting blend of Chinese and Vietnamese styles and cultural elements. There are a number of temples to explore such as theTra Co temple, Van Linh Khanh pagoda, and Xuan Lan pagoda, while tasty food can be found just about everywhere.
There are a number of large markets where just about anything and everything can be bought. The city boasts two five-star hotels and numerous guest houses and hostels to stay in, making this a good place to spend some time for those planning to explore the surrounding area.
Travel to Mong Cai - Getting There
Although there is no airport nearby and no rail service, there are regular buses from Hanoi to Mong Cai (9 hours). An interesting way to reach Mong Cai is by high-speed hydrofoil from Bai Chay (3 hours).
Mong Cai Things to Do
Mong Cai Attractions
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