Thái Nguyên is in Northern Vietnam.
Understand
Thái Nguyên is Vietnam's 9th largest city, famous for Tan Cuong tea. It was also the site of Vietnam's first steel mill and is nowadays the home of a large university and distinctive "Coffee Street" (Hoàng Hoa Thám) where you can pretty much find a coffee shop everywhere you turn.
Get in
Thái Nguyên is about 80 km north of Hanoi.
Get around
There should be plenty of motorbike taxis.
See
- 1 Cultural museum of Vietnam ethnic minority groups (Bảo tàng Văn hóa các Dân tộc Việt Nam), 1 Đội Cấn, Trưng Vương. 07:30-11:30, 13:30-17:00 daily, closed M. Kind of a smaller version of the ethnographic museum of Hanoi.
- 2 Đài phun nước TP. Thái Nguyên. Multi-colored fountain right in front of the cultural museum that is a gathering point in the evening.
- 3 Quảng trường Võ Nguyên Giáp (just northeast of cultural museum and fountain). a nationalist type monument with hourglass-like obelisk and town square.
- 4 Cua Tu Waterfall (Suối Cửa Tử), Hoàng Nông (west of Nui Coc Lake). somewhat dirty forest waterfall
- 5 Phuong Hoang Cave (Hang Phượng Hoàng), QL 1B, Phú Thượng, Võ Nhai (about 45 km northeast of Thai Nguyen via DT265/QL1B), ☏ 84 916040388. Riverine cave system and karst formations.
- 6 Thai Hai Reserve Area of Ecological Houses-on-stilts Ethnic Village (Khu bảo tồn Làng nhà sàn Dân tộc Sinh thái Thái Hải), Khu du lịch Thái Hải, Thịnh Đức (southwest of Thai Nguyen), ☏ 84 832192184. Stilt village ethnic tour.
- 7 Tan Cuong Tea Cultural Center (Không gian văn hóa trà Thái Nguyên), Tân Cương, Thành phố Thái Nguyên, ☏ 84 2083700077. Tea farm tours.
Do
Nui Coc Lake2
- 1 Nui Coc Lake, Tan Thai Commune Dai Tu District (about 18 km west of Thai Nguyen). a lake featuring an amusement park on a hill, water park, boat rides, extreme sport activities, sunsets behind tea plantations, and musical water performances. Kind of like a Vietnamese ecotourism area on steroids with concrete Buddhas and dragons everywhere.
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Habana Hotel Thai Nguyen, 318 Quang Trung, Tân Thịnh, Thành phố Thái Nguyên, ☏ 84 901522663. Clean multi-story hotel with pool, spa, restaurant, free breakfast, wifi, spa. 531385 dong.