Standing on top of Dragon Mountain in the northernmost Ha Giang Province is the Lung Cu flag tower, flying the Vietnamese flag, delineating the border between Vietnam and China.
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Lung Cu Town seen from Dragon Mountain |
Ly Thuong Kiet, a king in the 11th century, built the first tower to declare the nation’s sovereignty from neighboring China. The tower was rebuilt under the French and has been restored many times since. Twenty nine meters high, it has six relief patterns of the Dong Son drum on the base. The national flag is a massive 54 square meters in area, representing the 54 ethnicities of Vietnam.
In order to reach the peak at 1,700 meters above sea level, there are 283 stone steps.
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Tourists take photos under Lung Cu Flag Tower |
Eight years after the previous restoration in 2002, the tower went through another massive change, including 283 new descending steps and an internal staircase. The reconstruction, however, meant that vehicles can no longer go to the top of the mountain so visitors have to take the stairs.
Dragon Mountain, 24 kilometers from Dong Van District, presents a clear view of Lung Cu town and the corn and vegetable farms of the LoLo ethnic people.
The climb from Lung Cu Town takes one and a half hours. The town itself has little to offer in the way of souvenirs or other attractions for tourists.