Mong Cai, Quang Ninh

Hi

i visited Mong Cai. I live in Hanoi and it took about 8 hours by bus. It is my favourite town I have visited in Vietnam.

It's a very unique place because it is on the border with China and it is a mixture of Chinese and Vietnamese culture. Language, currency, food and products are a mixture - which I think is beautiful.

It has an amazing beach a short ride from the town centre and beautiful luscious countryside surrounding it.

To live there for five months would be an extremely interesting experience. The locals are extremely friendly and would be very curious about an outsider. Go for it!

Within Vietnam however it is very isolated from a lot of other big cities and towns (you can get to Haiphong or Ha Long in around 6/7 hours). However on the other side of the border I believe there is things to explore, so getting a Chinese visa would definitely be something to consider.

But mate, if I was you - go for it!

If you are interested, I made a poetry video there. -
youtube.com/watch?v=heUe5Vubcoo

have a good day.

Thank you do much for your reply. I am glad to hear some great positive feedback Can you tell me what month did you visit and how was the weather and climate?

Is there much to do at night? Restaurants and that type of thing?

It sounds quite far from other places though but I am sure I can plan trips over weekends or when I have free time.

Did you find the cost of things to be cheap>

There are great restaurants/bars/cafes that will open late.  So you can drink the amazing Vietnamese coffee, fruit smoothies and beers from Vietnam and China. And like everywhere in Vietnam there is karaoke clubs to your hearts content. It was very vibrant for me as I went there over the weekend during a public holiday. So I remember it being a very lively place but i'm not sure what it is all the time. It attracts a lot of visitors so that's always a good sign of things opening late and things to do.

And also, they were building casinos when I was there. I spoke to some of the builders using google translate and they seemed to think that it will become a massive gambling haven there in the future as gambling is banned across the border in China.

I went in March. And the weather was similar to Hanoi - a great temperature. I could swim in the sea. But, in North Vietnam it does get pretty cold during December, Jan and Feb. So Moving there in January might be a bit cold. However you know it will warm up soon.

The prices, were standard Vietnam - so very cheap.

So if youre looking for a unique experience it would be pretty amazing. I'm doing a job in Hanoi at the moment and it would be so so different to immerse yourself in a town like that compared to a big international city.

I would love to either live in Haiphong, Mong Cai or Can Tho when I finish my contract and I feel brave enough to

I am feeling excited hearing all your comments about Mong Cai. I was a bit worried that there would not be much to do I also hope to travel visit Hanoi and Hai Phong and Halong Bay. I have heard that Danang is nice as well.

Are you from Vietnam? What kind of work do you do?

Is it easy for foreigners to travel across the land borders in mong cai with the correct visas for china and reentering vietnam?

The reason I ask is, I was at another border small crossing manned by just two guards and they were even rejecting the locals. It was quite in a political sensitive area.

I've always wanted to visit Mong Cai as it was the place my Grandma settled from China before moving south in 1954. I would love to go and check out whats on the other side of the border