A Wonderful Boat Trip on the Legendary Nho Que River in Ha Giang

Hello everyone, how are you today?
Did you discover any new places today? If you don't have time to do that, then let me introduce you to a new destination in my post for today. With mainly mountainous terrain adjacent to the sea, Vietnam has many beautiful rivers, from North to South, almost each province has its own symbolic river. For example, in the North there is the Red River in the capital Hanoi, and the Ngo Dong River in Ninh Binh. In the Central region, there is the Son River in Quang Binh, the Lam River in Nghe An - Ha Tinh, the Huong River in Thua Thien Hue, the Han River in Da Nang, and the Hoai River in Hoi An. In the South, there is the legendary Mekong River with nine tributaries flowing through the southern provinces, the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City, and so on. Besides, there are many other iconic rivers that I cannot list them all here. And today I would like to introduce to you one of them, which is Nho Que river in Ha Giang - the northernmost province of Vietnam bordering China.

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About Legendary Nho Que River

Currently, Nho Que River has become one of the must-visit destinations in Ha Giang. Once you have set foot in Ha Giang, it is impossible not to visit this legendary river. With a length of about 46 km in the territory of Vietnam and flowing through the jagged cat ear rock layer of the global geopark system of Dong Van rock plateau, the emerald green Nho Que river is the border between the Ma Pi Leng pass and Sam Pun. Viewed from Ma Pi Leng Pass, Nho Que River looks like a jade silk strip gently winding through the high mountains. In addition to being ranked as one of the Scenic Landscapes by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nho Que River is also honored as one of Vietnam's unique Architectural Valleys.

And one of the most famous check-in points on Nho Que River is Tu San Canyon. Tu San Canyon is the deepest river canyon in Vietnam. The canyon and other geological heritages make this area the most spectacular landscape of Dong Van rock plateau. Tu San Canyon has a length of 1.7km, a width of 30-80m, a depth of about 1km and has cliffs on both sides with a height of 700-800m. I was truly overwhelmed by its majestic beauty when I rode the boat through this canyon. Do not miss this place when you have the opportunity to come here.

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Special child porters

To get to the dock on Nho Que river, we have to park the vehicle on Ma Pi Leng pass and walk down the canyon. The road is quite long and the canyon is extremely steep. It took us about 30 minutes to get from the parking lot to the dock. For frequent hikers like me, this road was also quite tough because the muscles in your legs have to work pretty hard so you can keep your balance and not fall off the cliff. As soon as I put my feet down on the dock, my legs were really tired. But don't worry, special porters will help you. They are local children living in the area around Nho Que river. Once you park and start walking down the dock, a child (5-10 year old girl or boy) will follow you. They will carry a small stick and wait for you at the dock. After you have a boat trip on Nho Que river, if you are tired and can't walk up to the canyon, these special porters will help you by pulling you up with the small stick they carry. I assure you they are stronger than you think. Then you can give them 50 cents or 1$. For them, it is a good amount of money, so they are very happy. Even if you don't need their help, that's okay. They will stay on the dock to assist others.

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Experience riding boat on Nho Que river

And the main part of the Nho Que river experience is the boat ride. Although this is a famous destination, it is not like other famous ones. Boat tickets here are very affordable, about 5$, and the boatmen here are also very honest and kind. And the boat trip lasts about an hour. It was a wonderful time for me. I have experienced one surprise after another because of the majestic beauty of this river. Standing in front of the boat and admiring the beauty of the river and the majestic mountains on either side is a truly unforgettable experience for me. Also, here, you can rent a SUP to paddle yourself and explore different beautiful corners of the river. Regretfully, I didn't have enough time to do that, hope you will.

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Amazing natural scenery

Although my legs were quite tired after walking down the canyon, all fatigue seemed to disappear because of the wonderful beauty of nature here. The water of Nho Que river has a very characteristic green color, I think only rivers in remote and less affected areas can have this color. Besides, its water surface is like a mirror reflecting the high mountains on either side. When taking the boat trip, I had the opportunity to admire more closely the beauty of the cliffs on both sides of the river with magical rock formations and beautiful plants. The boatman told me that if I come here during the rice flower season, the scenery will be even more beautiful with the red rice flower trees on both sides of the river. In addition, during the boat trip, I sometimes saw a few small houses of ethnic minorities here lying alone on the hills. I wonder if they know how lucky they are to admire the beauty of this river every day. Thank you mother nature, you have endowed this land with a masterpiece which is a perfect combination of shapes and colors of mountains, rivers and plants.

And thank you for taking the time to read my post. Have a nice day!