Charming mix of history and scenery

[thanhnt]

Pac Bo near te Chinese border in CahoBang Province draws tourists in droves thanks to its scenic beauty and historical associations.

When Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam in 1941, the revolutionary leader decided to use Pac Bo Cave as his base of operations against the French colonialists.

He even renamed the features of the surrounding landscape in line with communist ideology.

The province’s main town, also called Cao Bang, is 286 kilometers from Hanoi and can be reached by crossing Lang Son Province on Highway 4A or traveling through Thai Nguyen and Bac Can provinces on Highway 3.

The area around Pac Bo, which is 45 kilometers from the town, is characterized by dense forests and striated mountains cut by sinuous passes.

Measuring eight meters high at most and 4-5 meters across, the cave with an entrance dappled by sunlight through the trees is large, airy and comfortable.

On the rock wall immediately outside, Ho Chi Minh inscribed the date “Ngay 8 thang 2 nam 1941” (February 8, 1941) and it can still be seen.

“Pac Bo” in the language of the local tribe means “source,” so it was a fitting name for a revolutionary base where many proclamations originated and important decisions were made.

Ho Chi Minh renamed the hill and stream next to the grotto after Karl Marx and Lenin. Often times he would relax by the tranquil pool formed by Lenin Brook and go fishing, pick guava buds or play chess on a limestone block.

The brook’s crystal-blue water and the picturesque scenery all around puts it up there among the most charming streams in Vietnam’s entire north.

At the gate of Pac Bo Historical Site is a museum with a lot to tell about Ho Chi Minh and his work there.

The area was designated a National Cultural and Historical Relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information on February 21, 1975. It is open to visitors every day except Monday.

VietNamNet/TN