thang-hen-lake-resort-cao-bang-vietnam — **Thang Hen Lake and tourist resort** (Hồ Thang Hen) is located in Cao Bang Province, Tra Linh District.

ℹ️ Information – Thang Hen
🚶 How to get to Thang Hen
☀️ When to visit Thang Hen
🏡 Hotels + Homestays
❓ Questions + Answers
📸 Photos of Thang Hen

Quick answer: Thang Hen Lake Resort is a quiet escape deep in the mountains of Cao Bang, offering a mix of calm lake scenery, pure nature, and light adventure. The area is famous for its network of more than 30 interconnected lakes surrounded by limestone peaks, creating a peaceful atmosphere ideal for relaxing walks, photography, and exploring ethnic Tay and Nung culture. It’s a perfect base if you want a slow, nature-focused experience inside the Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Geopark.

At a glance:

📍 Location: Thang Hen Lake in Tra Linh District, Cao Bang Province.
🏞️ Landscape: Karst hills, forested peaks, and a series of linked lakes.
🚣 Activities: Boat rides, SUP on the lake, and short hiking paths to scenic viewpoints.
🌳 Geology: Part of a giant karst system with underground caves and a fluctuating lake-river system.
👲 Culture: Surrounded by Tay and Nung ethnic villages.
📅 Visiting tips: Best during the wet season when the water rises and lakes connect as one.

Last updated in November 2025

Thang Hen is a lake, but also a tourist resort and part of the Non Nuoc Geopark.

- Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam offers a number of beautiful places, many of which are part of the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark. This geopark occupies a large part of Cao Bang province, offers beautiful nature, hilly and mountain scenery, ethnic villages and their minorities, as well as many great authentic rural sites. Cao Bang Province is a less visited part of northern Vietnam by foreign tourists, except for a few tourist spots, such as the famous Ban Gioc Waterfalls or the historical site of Pac Bo, where Ho Chi Minh was hidden in 1941 for a few weeks.
- Cao Bang Province is a more suitable place for those who will travel by motorcycle. There are limited bus connections between the towns and some places can only be reached by private transfer or on a motorbike / scooter. There is no railway or airport in this province. One such place is Thang Hen Lake and tourist resort (Hồ Thang Hen), which is located only about 30 km from the city of Cao Bang (Tra Linh District) and is easily accessible by motorcycle. It is a lake, but the place is also marked a tourist resort, where it is possible to stay in the season.

thang-hen-lake-cao-bang-vietnam — Thang Hen Lake and its tourist resort are part of the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark.

Thang Hen Lake in Tra Linh consists of up to 36 other smaller lakes.

- Thang Hen Lake is located at an altitude of about 1000 m. above sea level and in the rainy season it can reach a length of 1-3 km, depending on the volume of water. The whole lake is spread between several hills and near the mountain valley Thung Na Ma (Thung lũng Núi Thủng Nà Ma), which is located nearby. In this area there is also a small mountain called Phja Piót Mountain or Angel Eye Mountain (Núi Thủng Phja Piót). It is a very nice scenic and less touristy area. You can move around on foot, on some roads in front of the area and on a scooter, but only if the roads are passable, because during the rainy season they can unfortunately be clogged with mud. I also recommend riding a motorcycle a short distance around the district of Tra Linh.

Hotels + Homestays in Cao Bang ➜

- There is a smaller tourist resort / homestay at the Thang Hen Lake, where it is possible to stay in the tourist season. In low season the accommodation can be closed, but the lake and surroundings + about 2 caves nearby for a fee open. Admission to Thang Hen Lake is about 40,000 VND, may vary over time. There are a few paths that can be taken, for example, to a smaller cave or a short walk to the Thung Na Ma Valley. Thang Hen Lake is relatively isolated in the village of Quốc Toản, there are about 2 villages in the area and there are no tourist hotels or complexes or funny attractions or bars and that is good.

▶ Núi Thủng Phja Piót – “Angle Eye Mountain” is close to Thang Hen Lake.
▶ Thác Nặm Trá – Nam Tra Waterfall (river at the Phja Piót Mountain).
▶ Đèo Mã Phục – Ma Phuc Pass (about 8 km from Thang Hen Lake).

thang-hen-lake-cao-bang-vietnam2 — Off the tourist season, Thang Hen Lake and resort may be significantly less visited.

How to get and travel to Thang Hen Lake?

- Cao Bang has no railway or airport, and there is no bus to Thang Hen Lake. The best way to get to Thang Hen Lake is by motorbike / scooter from Cao Bang town. So unless you have your own private transfer. Or you can use a mototaxi with a driver. The journey on a motorcycle is quite easy, you will drive through a nice area through the Ma Phuc Pass. The travel distance from Hanoi to Thang Hen Lake is about 300 km, and from the city of Cao Bang to Thang Hen about 30 km. You can also take a bus to Cao Bang from Hanoi or from Lang Son. There is a railway to Lang Son from Hanoi and from Lang Son you can travel by bus to Cao Bang town (about 125 km). I recommend combining a visit to Thang Hen with a survey of Cao Bang province, just going to this place from Hanoi probably doesn’t make much sense.
- From Hanoi to Thang Hen Lake – bus / minivan to Cao Bang + by motorbike from Cao Bang to Thang Hen
- From Cao Bang town to Thang Hen Lake – private transfer, motorbike or scooter
- From Lang Son to Thang Hen Lake – bus + motorbike via Cao Bang town

🎫 Book bus tickets / private taxi from Hanoi to Cao Bang:

(You can change your departure place, arrival, date of departure, e.g. Cao Bang > Hanoi…)

What is the best time to visit Thang Hen Lake?

- The recommended time is paradoxically if there is more rain, as in the dry season the lake may be more dry. But I would rather not come to this place during the monsoon season (in summer), as some roads in Cao Bang may be less passable and there is also a risk of landslides. In summer, however, a boat on the lake may be in operation here, this may not be the case in the off-season and the area may be significantly less visited. I would recommend the fall or spring season, but be aware that the place may be deserted. The photo of Thang Hen Lake above is from November.

▶ Recommended time to visit of Thang Hen Lake – autumn or spring.
▶ In the summer months there should be a tourist season, more tourists on site.
▶ The official opening hours of Thang Hen Lake should be from 7 am to 6 pm.

ma-phuc-pass-thang-hen-cao-bang — Ma Phuc Pass (đèo Mã Phục) is located about 20 km from Cao Bang town and about 8 km from Thang Hen Lake.

Where to stay, in Cao Bang town or by the lake?

- Here it is probably up to you how much time you have, if you want to explore the area, etc. In the season, there may be a homestay at Thang Hen Lake or in a nearby village. Outside the tourist season, the resort may not be open (eg in winter). I recommend to accommodate in Cao Bang town and going out to explore the whole province. E.g. combine this visit with the route to Ban Gioc Waterfall and stay for example at these waterfalls. The city of Cao Bang has a number of different hotels, guesthouses and homestays of standard / average quality and the prices are low, certainly everyone will choose.