You would probably consider Mong Cai only at most as a stopping point during your journey from China to Ha Long Bay or from Vietnam to China. However, it is a pleasant town, and the nearby Trà Cổ Peninsula has one of northeastern Vietnam's few good beaches that can be accessed by road (without taking a ferry boat).
Get in
[edit]From Dongxing, China
[edit]If you wish to come to Viernam from Dongxing, the customary manner to do this is by walking. You may leave your car or motorbike on Chinese side for a few yuans. Then you cross the border by walking and take a motorbike taxi or similar to your destination.
See the instructions at Ha Long Bay#Get in.
Get around
[edit]See
[edit]Do
[edit]- Visit the nearby Trà Cổ Peninsula, with its mostly uncrowded 15-km long beach, and a lovely Gothic church. The main tourist area on the peninsula, Trà Cổ town, with hotels and restaurants, is less than 10 km from Mong Cai; bus service is available.
Buy
[edit]As this is a border city to a richer neighbor, you can use also Chinese Renminbi here.
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Just a few meters away from the border crossing there is a nice cafeteria with comfortable chairs and reasonable prices (30k coffee) called U-Tea.
Sleep
[edit]Plenty of hotels within several blocks from the border crossings. As of January 2017, prices start from around 250,000 dong (around $12).
- 1 LiLai International Hotel, 69A, Tue Tinh Street.
Go next
[edit]- Dongxing
- Hekou, China (河口): at Dongxing, you can take a bus to Nanning, a sleeper bus to Guangzhou, or a sleeper bus to Shenzhen. A much shorter bus ride takes you to Fangchenggang, the closest city with a train service.