1 Overview of Tra Co tourist destination
Address: Dong Thinh Area, Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh Province.
Tra Co tourist destination is located about 200 km from Ha Long City Center. For as long as anyone can remember, Tra Co tourism has always been a unique cultural sightseeing spot and an attractive beach destination, drawing numerous visitors every year. Tra Co makes many travelers yearn for this land of Quang Ninh. What awaits you upon setting foot in Tra Co is its poetic, pristine beauty steeped in romantic charm, and fresh air perfectly suited for sightseeing and vacation trips. Tra Co boasts stunning turquoise beaches peacefully bordering pristine white sands. In addition, the distinctive folk cultures of local ethnic groups are vividly reflected here. If you are planning a trip to Tra Co as part of your self-guided exploration of Quang Ninh, do not hesitate to go right away.
Another piece of information that MIA.vn would like to share with you is that Tra Co Tourist Area, located in Mong Cai City—home to a trade border gate with China—has long been a famous tourist destination in Quang Ninh, especially for shopping enthusiasts. Read through the article below to find exciting suggestions for your self-guided tour of Quang Ninh.
Tra Co tourist destination - Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh Province
2 Guide on how to travel to Tra Co tourist destination on your own
Since Tra Co tourist area is located more than 200 km from Ha Long City, you can travel here by motorbike or sleeper bus. Once you reach Ha Long, head towards Mong Cai City along a route of more than 100 km; note that this stretch of road is quite narrow, so drive carefully. Once you arrive in the Mong Cai area, continue for about another 12 km to reach the Tra Co tourist destination. Alternatively, you can refer to the map below to find the fastest and most convenient routes for yourself.
3 When is the best time to travel to Tra Co?
The Trà Cổ tourist destination belongs to the Northern climate zone, so the weather here is also divided into four distinct, characteristic seasons. Summer comes with storms and rains, featuring weather that is sometimes hot and sunny and sometimes cool, suitable for beach activities. Meanwhile, winter is extremely cold and freezing; this period is usually more suitable for foreign tourists than Vietnamese tourists and is not Quảng Ninh's peak season for attracting visitors. However, if you have already fallen in love with Trà Cổ as a tourist destination, you can visit here in any season you like. But to experience the most suitable weather, you can travel in the summer from about April to October. Avoid June and July, as these are stormy months, so all outdoor entertainment activities will be interrupted.
Visiting Trà Cổ from April to October is the most reasonable option
4 Check out some guesthouses/hotels in Trà Cổ Tourist Area
Because the Trà Cổ tourist destination is only about 12 km from Móng Cái City, most tourists visiting Trà Cổ do not stay overnight here but return to the Móng Cái City area to rest, where there are many hotels to choose from with more complete amenities.
Alternatively, right in the Trà Cổ tourist destination, there are also guesthouses and hotels with fairly good service quality. They are also fully equipped with modern facilities, and if you stay in Trà Cổ, you can easily travel to other sightseeing spots. You can refer to some well-known places such as Hữu Nghị Hotel (on Nguyễn Du Street), Bình Minh Hotel (Hữu Nghị Street), Đông Á Hotel (Hùng Vương Street), or guesthouses right in Trà Cổ…
If you want to rent a guesthouse right in the Trà Cổ tourist area, room rates will usually be around 350,000 VND - 400,000 VND/night, and may be even higher on weekends.
Đông Bắc Hotel resort center at the Trà Cổ tourist destination
5 Sightseeing and exploring the Trà Cổ tourist destination
5.1 Trà Cổ Beach
When visiting Trà Cổ, failing to mention the beach known as "the most lyrical in Vietnam"—Trà Cổ Beach—would be an omission in your trip. Trà Cổ Beach is located on the edge of an island naturally formed by alluvial deposits, giving this place a distinctly pristine, simple, and very rustic natural beauty. Trà Cổ Beach preserves almost intact what Mother Nature has bestowed, from the smooth white sand stretching along the coastline to the clear blue sea water all year round. Unlike the beaches in Hạ Long Bay or Đồ Sơn, Trà Cổ Beach possesses a unique charm with majestic mountains looming in the distance. All of this creates a very distinctive beauty for the Trà Cổ tourist destination with gentle rivers and mountains, poetic and lyrical, so that once you visit, it can never be mistaken for anywhere else.
Tra Co Beach is dubbed the "most lyrical and dreamy beach" in Vietnam
5.2 Sa Vi Cape
Sa Vi Cape, also known by locals as Got Cape, is a headland situated at the northeasternmost point of Vietnam. As winter sets in with chilling winds and fog, Sa Vi Cape becomes increasingly deserted and sparse.
At Sa Vi Cape, a monument is erected bearing an excerpt from two famous poetic verses by To Huu, depicting the coastal strip running the length of Vietnam from the northernmost tip to the southernmost tip:
"From Tra Co's casuarina forest"
"To Ca Mau's mangrove forest..."
Sa Vi Cape is also a place where you can come to take photographs and capture wonderful pictures for yourself.
Sa Vi Cape is located at the northeasternmost tip of the Motherland
5.3 Da Den Beach (Black Rock Beach)
Da Den Beach in the Tra Co Tourism Area is also an ideal sightseeing spot for visitors whenever they have the chance to visit Quang Ninh. "Anchored" right at the foot of Ngoc Mountain and situated quite far from Mong Cai City, Da Den Beach still fully preserves its inherent wild and pristine features.
The reason it is named Da Den Beach is that here there are black rock outcrops lying haphazardly, basking in the sun and awaiting the lapping waves. Combined with the clear blue seawater and the gentle sea breeze, the smooth, pure white sandy shore stretches out, flanked by casuarina groves that remain lush green all year round. This is also a poetic natural landscape suitable for visitors looking to return to a peaceful, tranquil place to rest after stressful working hours.
See more: Explore Da Den Beach in Da Nang - An experiential paradise for young people
Panoramic view of Da Den Beach captured from above
5.4 Tra Co Communal House
Tra Co Communal House is located in the Nam Tho area. It boasts a massive scale and is highly appraised for its architectural aesthetics. The softly curved roof corners and ornamental ridge rafters, along with elaborate and exquisite designs, lend the communal house a solemn, majestic beauty dating back to the Later Le dynasty. Annually on the 1st day of the 6th lunar month, the Tra Co Communal House Festival takes place with activities such as the tutelary god procession, pig-rearing contest, feast cooking, and several other folk games.
See more: Sacred Ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda nestled in the heart of the mountains for over 1,000 years
Tra Co Communal House opens its festival annually on the 1st day of the 6th lunar month
5.5 Mong Cai Central Market
This bustling market is located right on Tran Phu Street, near Hoa Binh Square. Mong Cai Central Market is regarded as one of the largest and most vibrant markets in Quang Ninh Province. Boasting a spacious, multi-story space, it displays a diverse variety of goods for sale: clothing, jewelry, footwear, wallets and purses, food, etc.
Tourists visiting here can immerse themselves in the bustling, lively shopping atmosphere, and you can also buy Quang Ninh specialty gifts at this market.
You can explore and shop at Mong Cai Market 1, Mong Cai Market 2, and Mong Cai Market 3, all located in Hoa Lac Ward, 1 km from Bac Luan Border Gate, to purchase goods and gifts.
When traveling to Tra Co, you definitely must visit Mong Cai Central Market
6 Enjoy delicious dishes when traveling to Tra Co
Coming to the Tra Co tourist destination, you certainly cannot miss enjoying the specialty seafood dishes here. Extremely fresh and abundant, they are sure to make any seafood lover fall in love.
Mong Cai Cu Ky (stone crab) is one of the seafood dishes you must try; a relative of the crab family, it has large claws and firm, fragrant meat. Cu Ky can be prepared into many delicious dishes such as cu ky noodle soup, cu ky red noodle soup, and cu ky glass noodle soup...
Mong Cai Cu Ky is a relative of the crab with firm, sweet meat
Ca Say is a crossbreed between a duck and a Muscovy duck, and is also the second enticing delicacy that MIA.vn wants to introduce to you. The most renowned Ca Say dish is boiled ca say, with meat that is both tender and sweet, dipped in fish sauce produced in Cai Rong, Van Yen. It certainly will not disappoint you.
Ca say meat is addictive after just one taste
Tien Yen chicken is the third dish that MIA.vn would like to introduce to you in this article. A signature specialty of the Tra Co tourist destination is Tien Yen chicken. When boiled, it yields chicken meat that is crispy-skinned, sweet, deeply flavorful, and firm since it is a free-range breed. The meat is neither mushy nor greasy, so be sure to give it a try.
Tien Yen chicken specialty at the Tra Co tourist destination
Tra Co is a travel destination you should not miss when coming to Quang Ninh; besides booking cruise tours in Ha Long or visiting other attractive tourist spots in Quang Ninh, this Tra Co area is also well worth a visit. Hopefully, the information above will be useful to you. Wishing you a wonderful trip, and don't forget to share those moments with MIA.vn !
