Ban Gioc Waterfalls

Ban Gioc Waterfalls

Ban Gioc Waterfalls is the waterfalls on the Quây Sơn River and in the district of Trung Khanh District, Cao Bang province (about 272 km north of Hanoi).

Ban Gioc Waterfalls drops 30 meters, it is separated into three falls by rocks and trees and the thundering effect of the water hitting the cliffs can be heard from afar.

Currently, Ban Gioc Waterfalls is the 4th largest waterfall along a national border and was one of the crossing points for China’s army during the brief Sino-Vietnamese War. Nearby there is the Tongling Gorge accessible only through a cavern from an adjoining gorge. Rediscovered only recently, Ban Gioc Waterfalls has many species of endemic plants, found only in the gorge, and in the past was used as a hideout by local bandits, whose treasure is occasionally still found in the cliff-side caves. A road running along the top of the falls leads to a stone marker that demarcates the border between Vietnam and China in French and Chinese. Modern disputes arose as there are discrepancies as to the correlating legal documents on border demarcation and the placement of markers between the French and Qing administrations in the 19th century.

Disputes regarding the border demarcation at this location were settled in 1999 Vietnam – China Treaty on Land Borderline. Additional talks were held as late as 2009 to clarify the treaty. However, there are controversies regarding the border demarcation around the Falls. One faction holds that the entirety of these falls belongs to Vietnam and that the stone tablet had been moved there some time during or after the brief Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979. Also, these falls were not documented in any Chinese texts until recently. To the southeast, the land dispute along the Sino – Vietnamese border also includes Nam Quan Gate which the Vietnamese claimed as well. Historically, Nam Quan Gate served as the border maker and entry point to Vietnam between Vietnam and China.

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