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Lung Cu Flag Loop
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Lung Cu Flag Loop

Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Vietnam

Vietnam's northern tip through Lo Lo and H'Mong villages

8.8 kmDistance
+222 mElevation gain
2.5–4 hTime
ModerateDifficulty
1,624 mMax altitude

Overview

Vietnam's northernmost point is more than a flag tower. This loop starts with the 839 steps to the tower on Dragon Mountain, then instead of returning to the car park continues north into Lo Lo Chai – one of the last Black Lo Lo villages still living in rammed-earth houses under yin-yang tiled roofs. A footpath then follows the foot of the karst with views over the border, crossing paddies and the H'Mong village of Then Pa before closing the loop. Nothing technical, but the hard sun and karst remind you this is still the stone plateau.

HikingTrail runningLoopTechnical 2/5#border#villages#lo-lo#flag-tower
Elevation gain
+222 m
Elevation loss
−220 m
Max altitude
1,624 m
Min altitude
1,445 m
Completions
2
Trail Pack owners
0

Route

117 GPS points
140015001600012345678Northernmost café

Km 0–0.9: steps to the flag tower. Km 0.9–3.4: northern path down to Lo Lo Chai through maize. Km 3.4–5.6: narrow concrete then dirt along the foot of the karst. Km 5.6–7.2: across narrow terraces into Then Pa. Km 7.2–8.8: village road back to the car park.

Waypoints

  1. km 0.0Lung Cu flag tower car parkStart1468 m
  2. km 0.9Lung Cu flag tower – 1,470 mViewpoint1529 m

    839 steps, 25,000 ₫ ticket.

  3. km 3.4Lo Lo Chai villageVillage1593 m

    Black Lo Lo village, rammed-earth houses, 'Northernmost café'.

  4. km 3.5Northernmost caféWater1587 m
  5. km 5.6Border viewpointViewpoint1482 m
  6. km 7.2Then Pa – H'Mong villageVillage1446 m
  7. km 8.8Flag tower car parkFinish1470 m

Elevation

+222 mElevation gain
−220 mElevation loss
1,624 mMax altitude
2.5%Average grade

380 m up, 380 m down. High point 1,630 m on the hillside at km 2. The tower steps are the steepest part.

Weather

As Dong Van: dry, sunny, windy in winter. Early fog in December–January can hide the tower until 9 am.

How to get there

From Dong Van ride 26 km (45 min) along provincial road 4C and turn off to Lung Cu. Many motorbike tours stop here – go independently to have time to run.

Trail Pack transport details

Water sources

The Northernmost café and a grocery in Lo Lo Chai at km 3.5. A drinks stall at the car park.

  • km 3.5Northernmost café

Food

Lo Lo Chai has 3–4 homestays serving meals, coffee and cake. Dong Van has more options afterwards.

Camping

A rammed-earth homestay in Lo Lo Chai (200,000–350,000 ₫) – stay for stars and a northern-tip sunrise. No camping in the border zone.

Safety

Mobile coverageGood
Water availabilityPartial
River crossings0
Landslide riskLow
Leech riskNone
Snake riskLow
Heat exposureHigh
Technical difficulty2/5
Min. water to carry1.5 L

Quiet and safe. Carry ID for the border-guard post. Sharp karst at km 5–6.

Emergency

Rescue / emergency112Police113Fire & rescue114Ambulance115

Save the local contacts before you lose signal. Tell someone your route and turnaround time.

Best season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

October–November for buckwheat; January–February for peach and plum blossom in Lo Lo Chai.

Equipment

Trail or grippy road shoes, hat, sunscreen, 1.5 litres of water, small notes.

Shop gear for this trail

Trail reports

No open reports. Be the first to report a condition change.

Reviews

4.4/ 5 · 41 reviews
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  • KT
    Kenji TanakaTrail Explorer26 Jun 2026

    Easy loop with real culture

    Lo Lo Chai village is worth the trip alone. Route is simple, sun is brutal after 9 am.

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