{"id":9042,"date":"2021-09-06T13:31:38","date_gmt":"2021-09-06T05:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9042"},"modified":"2021-09-14T20:59:31","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T12:59:31","slug":"cao-bang-province","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/cao-bang-province\/","title":{"rendered":"Cao B\u1eb1ng: The Only Place In Vietnam With Zero Traces Of Covid-19 & How It Achieved This"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cao B\u1eb1ng is the only place in Vietnam with no Covid-19 cases<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Nestled between northern Vietnam\u2019s cities and only 240KM from Hanoi is a province with a wealth of pristine forests, snow-capped mountains, vast glens, and cascading waterfalls dating back to the Bronze Age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, this mountainous territory is also the only place in Vietnam without a trace of Covid-19 in the community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scroll through to get your virtual fix of wildness and find out more about the Covid-19-free life in <\/span>Cao B\u1eb1ng<\/b>, a natural wonder unto itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Geography and demography<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"Cao
\nImage credit: Nguy\u1ec5n L\u1ec7nh An<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Cao B\u1eb1ng is a mountainous province in northern Vietnam, bordering H\u00e0 Giang, Tuy\u00ean Quang to the west and B\u1eafc K\u1ea1n, L\u1ea1ng S\u01a1n to the south. Thanks to its remote terrain that\u2019s totally off the beaten trail, the city rarely looks touristy even amid peak holiday seasons.<\/p>\n

Ninety percent of the province is made up of forests, and a majority of the land area here remains uninhabited.<\/p>\n

\"Cao
\nImage credit: @benz.mind<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The average temperature here is around 22\u00b0C and can drop to below 0\u00b0C during winter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cao
\nThe province is filled with steep roads formed in hairpin turns<\/span><\/em>
\nImage credit: @mavis.vivuky<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Keen mountaineers coming here during winter or early spring might be rewarded with rare vistas of snow-capped mountain peaks as much as 1,931 meters above sea level.<\/p>\n

\"Cao
\nLadies of L\u00f4 L\u00f4 ethnicity<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/span>B\u00e1o Cao B\u1eb1ng<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Most of the residents of Cao B\u1eb1ng Province are from ethnic minority groups, most of whom are the T\u00e0y, L\u00f4 L\u00f4, N\u00f9ng, Dao, and Hmong. As of 2019, the population of the area was 530,341, according to the General Statistics Office. It means that each square kilometer is inhabited by only 79 people on average.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: L\u1eef H\u00e0nh Vi\u1ec7t Nam<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Where to go in Cao B\u1eb1ng<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"Cao
\nImage credit: Th\u00e1c B\u1ea3n Gi\u1ed1c – Ban Gioc Waterfall<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

An unskippable spot for nature lovers in the north, Cao B\u1eb1ng is home to a wealth of natural sites that are so eminent that a few lines of description only hint at their grandiosity.<\/span><\/p>\n

No trip to Cao B\u1eb1ng is complete without a journey to the sublime <\/span>B\u1ea3n Gi\u1ed1c Waterfalls, which originate from Qu\u1ef3 Xu\u00e2n River and straddle the border between Vietnam and China. The three-tiered waters cascade from a height of over 30 meters and span 300 meters in width.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cao
\nImage credit: Long Huy<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The B\u1ea3n Gi\u1ed1c Waterfalls are among the world\u2019s largest waterfalls, alongside Iguazu Falls, Victoria Falls, and Niagara Falls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The best time to visit the falls is between October and March, when the falls are less intense and the waters are an emerald color. Between April and September, the falls come crashing down vertically at their fullest capacity and sound like thunderstorms.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cao
\nImage credit: Th\u00e1c B\u1ea3n Gi\u1ed1c – Ban Gioc Waterfall<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t mind the freezing temperature, you can also hire a boat at the price of <\/span>VND50,000 (~USD2.20)<\/b> per person to travel around and marvel at the falls from as close as one can possibly get.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thang Hen Lake is also among the numerous natural splendors that you can find here and totally postcard-worthy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cao
\nImage credit: @thiennguyen1012<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Surrounded by vast, tranquil mountains and picturesque wooden houses dotted here and there, this loch is an ideal place to disconnect. Getting here is not easy, but the view you\u2019ll get and the fresh air you\u2019ll breathe makes everything worthwhile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CaoImage credit: Ph\u1ea1m H\u1eefu Tuy\u1ec1n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Impressed? These natural wonders are just the cherry on the cake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from beautiful landscapes, Cao B\u1eb1ng also takes pride in being the only place in Vietnam with zero Covid-19 cases in the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The presence of 24\/7 security booths at border gates<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"
\nImage credit: Bi\u00ean Ph\u00f2ng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Sharing a 333 km-long border with China, Cao B\u1eb1ng was regarded as a city with a high risk of Covid-19 outbreaks when the pandemic first struck Vietnam. Besides, a lack of medical resources and rocky terrains also put the province in a disadvantageous position.<\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason, Cao B\u1eb1ng authorities and residents have been on high alert since the get-go and their efforts have paid off.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Tu\u1ed5i Tr\u1ebb<\/a>, all routes leading to Cao B\u1eb1ng Province have been filled with security booths since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic until now.<\/p>\n

To tackle the challenge of illegal immigration, patrol soldiers also set up patrol booths, ramp up control, and Covid-19 testing at the border gates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From February 2020 till July 2021, Cao B\u1eb1ng had received over 23,570 immigrants from China and sent them to dedicated Covid-19 facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: B\u00e1o T\u00e0i Nguy\u00ean M\u00f4i Tr\u01b0\u1eddng<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Since the 4th outbreak struck Ho Chi Minh City in late April, Cao B\u1eb1ng leaders imposed stringent restrictions out of sheer precaution. All non-essential businesses are required to close, gatherings are reduced, and arrivals into the province are strictly monitored.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To raise awareness about the danger of Covid-19, authorities keep residents posted on the pandemic through loudspeakers at public venues as well as handing out leaflets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When B\u1eafc Giang was the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic earlier this year, many Cao B\u1eb1ng residents were living there at the time and got infected<\/span>
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To ease the pressure on B\u1eafc Giang\u2019s administrative and medical staff, Cao B\u1eb1ng authorities organized 60 buses to bring their residents home. These infected patients were brought straight to localCovid-19 facilities, thereby reducing the risks of coronavirus exposure in the community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Transportation links between Cao B\u1eb1ng and other provinces remain open so that businesses are not disrupted.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>At the same time, Cao B\u1eb1ng is also trying to accelerate its vaccination rate <\/span>so that the province can soon return to complete normalcy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Prevention is better than cure<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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As a famous saying goes, \u201cPrevention\u00a0 is better than cure.\u201d This can\u2019t be any truer for Cao B\u1eb1ng.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fully aware of the province\u2019s vulnerabilities in terms of geography and resources, the province\u2019s leaders were determined to help everyone survive.\u00a0 They raised awareness among residents and ramped up control on all fronts. Even though the province has survived four outbreaks without any community cases, city leaders <\/span>still <\/span>limit non-essential businesses to nip any risks of transmission in the bud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is such an amazing concerted effort from both leaders and residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also check out:<\/span><\/p>\n