%%Cao Bằng is a mountainous province in North-Vietnam. Its provincial capital is under the same name. It shares a border of 314km with China to the north and the east, and is inhabited by many ethnic groups. Some 60km from the provincial capital is Pắc Bó, a small hamlet in Truong Ha commune, Hà Quảng district, close to the Vietnamese-Chinese border. In the local dialect, Pắc Bó means watershed, where springs of clear water run. Behind Pắc Bó hamlet is a mountain which houses the Coc Bo Grotto where Hồ Chí Minh returned in February 1941 after 30 years of living abroad in search of a way to liberate the country. Coc Bo Grotto is about 30 square metres dotted with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. President Hồ Chí Minh made a statue of Karl Marx out of one of the stalagmites, and named the spring running in front of the grotto entrance after Lenin and the highest mountain peak after Karl Marx again. In this grotto, President Hồ presided over many important meetings to discuss ways to bring the Vietnamese revolution to final victory. From Thái Nguyên City, provincial capital of Bắc Thái province, you drive along Highway 3 to the towns of Bắc Cạn and Phu Thong. After another 16km, you will arrive at Ba Bể Lake which is about 225km from Hà Nội. The lake actually consists of three lakes called Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng, so it is called Ba Bể (Three Seas). Ba Bể Lake is surrounded by limestone mountains and thick forests, home to many species of rare birds and animals.