Where charm and danger blend: Vietnam’s versions of Great Wall of China

Photos by Phong Vinh

Hang Mua, Ninh Binh

Located in Khe Dau Ha village, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province, 106km south of Hanoi, Hang Mua invites trekkers to the top of the mountain with 486 steps. The image of stone steps extending from the foot to the top makes many tourists think of the place as a miniature version of the Great Wall of China.

Entrance costs VND100,000 ($4.3). From here visitors can easily go to nearby attractions like the UNESCO world heritage site Trang An Landscape Complex.

From the top of the mountain, the Tam Coc area below, which is nicknamed "the inland Ha Long Bay," reveals its spectacular beauty. This is also an ideal location from which to watch the Ngo Dong River curve gracefully amid the golden hues of the harvest season in May-June.

Some daredevils climb to the stupa on top of the mountain. This area has no fence or barrier.

Photo by Hung Truong

Binh Lieu, Quang Ninh

The road to Binh Lieu District, Quang Ninh Province, 153 km east of Hanoi is extremely dangerous. It is also referred to as one of the "dinosaur spine" roads in the north that are hardest to navigate. This place has become even more popular after a 1.8 km walkway was built with 2,000 steps.

Photo by Hung Truong

The beauty of Binh Lieu changes with the season. If spring is the time when you enjoy hundreds of flowers blooming all over the mountain and forest, fall is when the beautiful sight of shiny golden terraced fields dazzles the eyes. 

Photo by Pe Ngoc

Dreamy Hill, Da Lat

Another miniature Great Wall sits in a tourist area four kilometers from Da Lat in the Central Highlands. A stone walkway hidden under a pine canopy curves around the mountainside, and visitors can comfortably stroll and take photos.

Photo by Viet Linh

The Da Lat version is only two kilometers long and so is not too strenuous a trek. The vegetation changes seasonally, making the place ideal for use as photo backgrounds through the year.

Photo by Rhee Dong-Gyu

There are also underground tunnels that open to a mystery underneath the youthful look of eternal spring above.

 

 

Where charm and danger blend: Vietnam’s versions of Great Wall of China

'Vạn lý trường thành' phiên bản Việt gần 2.000 bậc ở Bình Liêu