Destination guide

Pac Bo Historical Site

Where Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam in 1941, among jade streams and border-land karst.

1941Ho Chi Minh returns and lives at Pac Bo

108the border marker where he crossed

2012Special National Relic

50 kmfrom the provincial centre

On 28 January 1941, after 30 years abroad, Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi Minh) re-entered Vietnam at border marker 108 and chose Pac Bo, now in Truong Ha commune, as his base from 1941 to 1945.

At the Khuoi Nam hut he chaired the 8th plenum of the Party Central Committee (10 – 19 May 1941), which founded the Viet Minh; he launched the newspaper Viet Nam Doc Lap on 1 August 1941 and set up the Pac Bo guerrilla unit in November 1941. The complex became a National Relic in 1975 and a Special National Relic in 2012.

For international visitors Pac Bo is also one of Cao Bang’s loveliest landscapes: a jade-clear stream running between limestone peaks.

Don’t miss

Coc Bo cave

The cave where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked after his return.

Lenin Stream and Karl Marx Mountain

A jade-clear stream at the foot of the mountain, with the stone table where he worked and translated.

Khuoi Nam hut

Site of the 8th Central Committee plenum in May 1941, which founded the Viet Minh.

Exhibition house

Objects and documents from Cao Bang in 1941 – 1945.

The northern route, “Return to the Roots”

Na Lu citadel and King Le Temple (capital of the Mac dynasty), Nguom Boc cave with traces of people from about 10,000 years ago, Lung Luong ammonite fossils, Luong Noi brocade workshop and the Keo Yen valley.

Getting there

About 50 km north of the provincial centre, roughly 1 hour 15 each way on a good paved road.
Half a day is enough for the relic site; allow a full day to add Na Lu citadel, Nguom Boc cave or the Luong Noi brocade workshop.

See the place card and directions →

When to go

All year

The site is open all year; the stream is at its clearest on sunny days.

Dry season

Clear skies and easy travel, good for photos.

National holidays

Very busy with Vietnamese visitors, especially around 28 January, 19 May and 2 September; arrive early.

Practical tips

Before you go

Dress respectfully and keep your voice down at memorial sites.
Pac Bo is right by the border: carry your passport and stay within the visitor area.
Wear comfortable walking shoes; the sites are a short walk apart.
There are places to eat around Pac Bo for lunch.