1General introduction to Tra Co
Address: Dong Thinh Area, Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh Province.
Tra Co is located approximately 200 km from Ha Long City Center. For as long as anyone can remember, Tra Co has always been a unique cultural tourism and attractive seaside destination, drawing many visitors each year. Tra Co has made many travelers eagerly anticipate visiting this land of Quang Ninh. What awaits you when you set foot in Tra Co is a pristine, romantic beauty filled with poetic charm, along with fresh air that is highly suitable for a relaxing sightseeing trip. Tra Co boasts stunning emerald-blue beaches lying peacefully beside brilliant white sand. In addition, the distinctive folk culture of the local ethnic groups is clearly reflected here. If you are planning an independent trip to explore Quang Ninh and Tra Co, go ahead and make it happen.
Another piece of information that MIA.vn would like to share with you is that Tra Co Tourist Area, located in Mong Cai City, has long been home to a trading border gate with China. It is a famous tourist destination in Quang Ninh, especially among shopping enthusiasts. Read the rest of this article for some exciting suggestions for exploring Quang Ninh independently.
Tra Co tourist destination - Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh Province
2Guide to traveling independently to Tra Co
Since Tra Co Tourist Area is located more than 200 km from Ha Long City, you can travel there by motorbike or sleeper bus. Once you reach Ha Long, find the road to Mong Cai City, which is more than 100 km away; note that this section is quite narrow, so you should be careful. After arriving in the Mong Cai area, continue for approximately 12 km to reach Tra Co. Alternatively, you can refer to the map below to find the quickest and most convenient routes.
3When is the best time to travel to Tra Co?
Tra Co is located in the northern climate zone, so its weather is divided into four distinct seasons. Summer brings storms and rain, with weather that can sometimes be hot and sometimes cool, making it suitable for beach activities. Winter is extremely cold and freezing; this season is generally more suitable for foreign visitors than Vietnamese tourists and is not Quang Ninh’s peak tourist season. However, if you already love Tra Co, you can visit in any season you prefer. For the most favorable weather, you can go in summer, from April to October. Avoid June and July because these are stormy and rainy months, meaning outdoor activities may be interrupted.
Visiting Tra Co from April to October is the most suitable choice
4Some recommended guesthouses and hotels in Tra Co Tourist Area
As Tra Co is only about 12 km from Mong Cai City, most visitors who come to Tra Co do not stay overnight here but return to the Mong Cai City area, where there are many hotels to choose from with more complete amenities.
Tra Co itself also has guesthouses and hotels with fairly good service quality. They offer complete amenities and modern facilities, and staying in Tra Co makes it easy to travel to other attractions. You can consider some well-known places such as Huu Nghi Hotel (on Nguyen Du Street), Binh Minh Hotel (Huu Nghi Street), Dong A Hotel (Hung Vuong Street), or a guesthouse right in Tra Co…
If you want to rent a guesthouse in the Tra Co tourist area, room rates are usually around 350,000 VND - 400,000 VND per night and may be higher on weekends.
Dong Bac Hotel resort center in Tra Co tourist destination
5Exploring Tra Co tourist destinations
5.1 Tra Co Beach
Visiting Tra Co without mentioning the beach known as “the most romantic in Vietnam” - Tra Co Beach - would be an omission from your trip. Tra Co Beach lies on the edge of an island shaped by natural deposits, giving it a simple, pristine character and a very gentle natural beauty. The beach has preserved almost all the gifts bestowed by Mother Nature, from the smooth white sand stretching along the shore to the clear blue seawater found here throughout the year. Unlike the beaches of Ha Long Bay or Do Son, Tra Co Beach has its own distinctive character, with majestic mountain ranges appearing in the distance. Together, these features create a unique beauty for Tra Co, with its tranquil, poetic and romantic landscape. Once you visit, it can never be confused with anywhere else.
Tra Co Beach is known as Vietnam’s “most dreamy romantic beach”
5.2 Sa Vi Cape
Sa Vi Cape, also called Got Cape by local residents, is a promontory at the northeasternmost point of Vietnam. As winter arrives with fog and cold winds, Sa Vi Cape becomes increasingly quiet and sparsely populated.
At Sa Vi Cape stands a memorial monument featuring excerpts from two famous lines of poetry by To Huu, referring to the coastal strip stretching along the length of Vietnam from the northernmost to the southernmost point:
"From Tra Co’s casuarina forest"
"To Ca Mau’s mangrove forest..."
Sa Vi Cape is also a place where you can take photos and create beautiful pictures.
Sa Vi Cape is located at the northeasternmost point of the Fatherland
5.3 Black Rock Beach
Black Rock Beach in Tra Co Tourist Area is also an ideal attraction for visitors whenever they have the opportunity to visit Quang Ninh. Located at the foot of Ngoc Mountain and quite far from Mong Cai City, Black Rock Beach still preserves its original pristine features.
It is called Black Rock Beach because black rocks lie scattered here, basking in the sun as they wait for the waves to wash over them with a gentle roar. Combined with the clear blue seawater and softly blowing sea breeze, the smooth white sandy shore stretches into the distance, while casuarina trees remain lush and green all year round. This is also a poetic natural setting for visitors seeking a peaceful, quiet place to rest after stressful working hours.
See also: Explore Da Nang’s Black Rock Beach - A paradise of experiences for young people
Panoramic view of Black Rock Beach photographed from above
5.4 Tra Co Communal House
Tra Co Communal House is located in the Nam Tho area. It is grand in scale and highly regarded for its architectural aesthetics. The softly curved knife-head and guot motifs, along with its elaborate and refined designs, give the communal house a solemn and magnificent appearance dating from the Later Le Dynasty. On the first day of the sixth lunar month every year, the Tra Co communal-house festival takes place, featuring activities such as processions for the village tutelary god, pig-raising competitions, communal feast preparation and other folk games.
See also: The sacred ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda, located in the heart of mountains for more than 1,000 years
Tra Co Communal House holds its annual festival on the first day of the sixth lunar month
5.5 Mong Cai Central Market
This bustling market is located on Tran Phu Street, near Hoa Binh Square. Mong Cai Central Market is considered one of the largest and most vibrant markets in Quang Ninh Province. It has a spacious, multi-story layout and displays a wide variety of goods for sale: clothing, jewelry, shoes, wallets, food, and more….
Visitors here can immerse themselves in a lively and bustling shopping atmosphere, and can also buy Quang Ninh specialties as gifts at this market.
You can shop and visit Mong Cai 1 Market, Mong Cai 2 Market and Mong Cai 3 Market, all located in Hoa Lac Ward, 1 km from Bac Luan Border Gate, to purchase goods and gifts.
A trip to Tra Co must include a visit to Mong Cai Central Market
6Enjoying delicious food on a trip to Tra Co
When visiting Tra Co, you certainly cannot miss tasting the local specialty seafood. Extremely fresh and diverse, it is sure to win over any seafood lover.
Mong Cai cu ky is one of the seafood dishes you must try. A relative of the crab, it has large claws and firm, fragrant meat. Cu ky can be prepared in many delicious ways, such as cu ky noodle soup, cu ky rice noodles and cu ky glass noodles…
Mong Cai cu ky is a crab relative with firm, sweet meat
Ca say is a hybrid of duck and muscovy duck, and is the second delicious specialty MIA.vn would like to introduce to you. The most famous preparation is boiled ca say, whose meat is both tender and sweet, served with fish sauce produced in Cai Rong and Van Yen. It certainly will not disappoint you.
Ca say meat is addictive after just one taste
Tien Yen chicken is the third dish MIA.vn would like to recommend in this article. A specialty of Tra Co, Tien Yen chicken is boiled to produce meat that is crisp, sweet, rich in flavor and firm because it is raised free-range. It is not mushy or greasy, so be sure to try it.
Tien Yen chicken, a specialty of Tra Co tourist destination
Tra Co is a destination you should not miss when visiting Quang Ninh. Besides cruise tours in Ha Long and Quang Ninh’s other attractive tourist destinations, Tra Co is also well worth exploring. We hope the information above will be useful to you. Have a wonderful trip, and do share those moments with MIA.vn!
