Detian Falls
Encyclopedia
Detian - Ban Gioc Falls (Chinese: 德天瀑布 & 板約瀑布 - Vietnamese: Thác Bản Giốc & Thác Đức Thiên) are 2 waterfalls on the Quây Sơn River or Guichun River straddling the Sino-Vietnamese border, located in the Karst hills of Daxing County in the Chongzuo
prefecture of Guangxi Province, on the Chinese
side, and in the district of Trung Khanh
, Cao Bằng province
on the Vietnam
ese side, 272 km north of Hanoi
.
The waterfall
falls thirty meters. It is separated into three falls by rock
s and tree
s, and the thundering effect of the water hitting the cliffs can be heard from afar.
It is currently the 4th largest waterfall
along a national border after Iguazu Falls
, Victoria Falls
, and Niagara Falls
and was one of the crossing points for China
’s army
during the brief Sino-Vietnamese War. Nearby there is the Tongling Gorge accessible only through a cavern from an adjoining gorge. Rediscovered only recently, it has many species of endemic plants, found only in the gorge, and in the past was used as a hideout by local bandits, whose treasure is occasionally still found in the cliff-side caves.
A road running along the top of the falls leads to a stone tablet that marks out the border between China and Vietnam in French
and Chinese
. But there were unclear definitions in the legal documents on border demarcation and the placement of markers between the French
and Qing administrations.Vietnamese Embassy: On the settlement of Vietnam-China border issue vietnamembassy-usa.org
There are controversies regarding the border demarcation at this location specified in 1999 Viet Nam-China Treaty on Land Borderline. Some Vietnamese claim that the entirety of these falls belongs to Vietnam, and that the stone tablet had been moved there some time during or after the brief Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979
. In China, local people hold the historical view that the falls are all parts of their territory.
Chongzuo
Chongzuo is a prefecture-level city in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is home to one of China’s largest Zhuang populations.- Geography and climate :...
prefecture of Guangxi Province, on the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
side, and in the district of Trung Khanh
Trung Khanh
Trung Khanh is a district of Cao Bang Province in the Northeast region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 50,189. The district covers an area of 469 km²...
, Cao Bằng province
Cao Bang Province
Cao Bằng is a province of northeastern Vietnam. The province has borders with Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang, Bắc Kạn, and Lạng Sơn provinces within Vietnam. It also has common international border with Guangxi province of the People's Republic of China...
on the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese side, 272 km north of Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
.
The waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
falls thirty meters. It is separated into three falls by rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
s and tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s, and the thundering effect of the water hitting the cliffs can be heard from afar.
It is currently the 4th largest waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
along a national border after Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River originates near the city of Curitiba. It flows...
, Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls
The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.-Introduction:...
, and Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
and was one of the crossing points for China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
’s army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
during the brief Sino-Vietnamese War. Nearby there is the Tongling Gorge accessible only through a cavern from an adjoining gorge. Rediscovered only recently, it has many species of endemic plants, found only in the gorge, and in the past was used as a hideout by local bandits, whose treasure is occasionally still found in the cliff-side caves.
A road running along the top of the falls leads to a stone tablet that marks out the border between China and Vietnam in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
. But there were unclear definitions in the legal documents on border demarcation and the placement of markers between the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Qing administrations.Vietnamese Embassy: On the settlement of Vietnam-China border issue vietnamembassy-usa.org
There are controversies regarding the border demarcation at this location specified in 1999 Viet Nam-China Treaty on Land Borderline. Some Vietnamese claim that the entirety of these falls belongs to Vietnam, and that the stone tablet had been moved there some time during or after the brief Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979
Sino-Vietnamese War
The Sino–Vietnamese War , also known as the Third Indochina War, known in the PRC as and in Vietnam as Chiến tranh chống bành trướng Trung Hoa , was a brief but bloody border war fought in 1979 between the People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam...
. In China, local people hold the historical view that the falls are all parts of their territory.
External links
- Cao Bằng Provincial Government website (English version)
- Cao Bang
- Falls photo gallery