LUNG CU FLAG TOWER

40 km north of Dông Van on the QL4C road, the flag tower of Lung Cu (Côt co Lung Cu) was erected in 2010 (millennium of Thang Long-Hanoi) to mark the northernmost point of Vietnam. It replaced a brick tower built in 1887 at the time of French colonization. According to the annals, the first mast, a large pine trunk bearing a standard, was planted in the 11th century on the initiative of the general and national hero Ly Thuong Kiêt. It is said that after the victory over the Qing aggressors (China) at the end of the 18th century, King Quang Trung ordered that a large bronze drum, which was struck every two hours, be installed on the summit of Mount Lung Cu in order to assert loud and clear the territorial sovereignty of Vietnam.

The top of the tower is reached by a spiral staircase of 140 steps. The flag has an area of 54 square meters, in reference to the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam. It is damaged by the wind and has to be replaced every 10 days. From the top of the tower, a superb panorama of the border area where the river Nho Quê traces the separation with China.

The inhabitants of Lung Cu are mainly from the minority ethnic groups Hmông, Pu Peo, Tay and Lô Lô. In Lung Cu, the village of Lô Lô Chai welcomes tourists passing through. There is a small café in a two hundred year old house, opened with the help of a Japanese man, Mr. Ogura, who fell in love with Vietnam. One can even spend the night there (Cuc Bac Homestay).