Móng Cái’s bustling atmosphere seems to revolve around its border crossing into China, with hotel signs protruding from every corner and motorbike drivers crowding the streets, ready to sweep Chinese and Vietnamese businessmen to their desired destination. A small smattering of tourists—mostly bound for Trá C% —wander the streets and buy cheap Chinese goods, but the overwhelming theme of this city is international business, both legal and illegal. Surprisingly, Móng Cái lacks the sleaze and grime common of border towns. A day in Móng Cái en route to the bays of the south or the hills of the northwest is well spent, given the city’s internationally flavored nightlife. Since few other foreigners make it to Móng Cái, there is little demand for English and therefore a limited supply of Anglophones. If you speak Mandarin or Cantonese—or even if you just really like Chinese food—you’ll have no problem.
The main street, Hùng V™£ng, lopsidedly bisects Móng Cái. The bus station lies on the southwestern outskirts of the city. A walk or drive from the bus stop up Hùng V™£ng passes over the bridge and hits the first major intersection at a roundabout, then heads east through the city and out onto the coast. Tr<n Phú, the second major street, runs its course from the town’s major intersection, passes the market, and heads north toward the Chinese border.
The hydrofoil office is on the corner to the left of the GPO. To cash traveler’s checks, get MC/V cash advances, or to change American, Australian, British, or Canadian currency, go to the Vietcombank, 2 Vñn ·n. There is a 24hr. ATM outside. Turn left onto Tr<n Phú at the main intersection and then take the next left onto Vñn ·n. The bank is at the end of the street on your right. (☎881 211; fax 881 676. Open M-F 7-11:30am and 1-4:30pm. 25,000 fee for cash advances.) There is a large pharmacy on 7 Tr<n Phú, to the left of the hydrofoil office. (☎770 536. Open daily 7am-11pm.) There are plenty of Internet parlors around the city, all charging 3000 per hr. There are a few cafes right by the post office, which sits across from the bridge at the intersection with Tr<n Phú. (☎881 101. International phones, ATM, and international mail and telegrams inside. Open daily 7am-9pm.)
Accommodations in Móng Cái are scattered throughout the city, with distinct clusters near the bus station and around the market in the center of town. Rooms are plentiful but expensive. Some hotels promise luxurious quarters but fail to deliver; others are run out of houses, stores, and pharmacies, sometimes luring visitors with a nonexistent discounted price. Bargain especially hard in Móng Cái. The prices below are written as stated by their establishment owners. Some of the better options are found near the bus station.
Móng Cái’s Vietnamese food is unexciting, but it has some tasty Chinese food. Standard ph and c£m shops can be found all over town. There is a cluster of them next to the town market and around the bus station. One popular c£m restaurant can be found near the town market, at 99 Tri\u ™ng 1. Turn right off Tr<n Phú before the main square market; the restaurant is about 15m down the street on the right. There is no menu—just point at the raw materials you want included. (Tasty c£m with seafood, meat, or veggies 15,000-20,000. Open daily 10:30am-8:30pm.) Nhà Hành Trang Nguy[n 2 is the best Cantonese restaurant in town. Heading away from the bus station, turn right on the street before the bridge and the restaurant is one block down. Run by a friendly English-speaking Hong Kong native, Nhà Hành Trang Nguy[n serves everything from seafood to dim sum. Although the prices are listed in Chinese currency, Œ·ng and US dollars are also accepted. (☎884 205. Entrees US$1-3. Open daily 10am-midnight.)
After the border crossing, the markets just might be the town’s biggest attraction. Stalls upon stalls of vendors sell fruit, food, and imported Chinese goods. Vietnamese flock to Móng Cái to buy everything from toilets to CD players at cheap Chinese prices. On the southern edge of the main market square, booths of tailors make for a warped imitation of Hÿi An. Electronic and appliance stores fill the streets near the market and line the way to the border crossing. To reach the market from the bus station, head toward the post office and hook a left onto Tr<n Phú. Continue straight until you see the three roof-covered markets on the left. Some stalls spread into nearby streets and alleys, so hunt around. The market is open daily 6:30am-6pm. The large stadium-like building near the post office is actually a clothing wholesaler (open 6am-noon).
Móng Cái has a surprisingly lively nightlife. Families and tourists meander along the bridge and through the streets that branch off from the intersection in the center of town. The cafes along the river offer a more romantic setting, and a younger crowd tends to gather along Hùng V™£ng and in the two pulsating clubs. The town’s five-star hotel has a 24hr. casino, too, but local Vietnamese are not allowed into the hotel, so the only gamblers are Chinese.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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