About Co La Waterfall (Thác Cò Là)
The Co La Waterfall (Thác Cò Là) was a series of wide, travertine-type cascades that I’d argue would be a Wet Season only waterfall for reasons I’ll get to shortly.
It’s apparently named after some time of tree that’s common in the Tay ethnic community, which I’d imagine are the primary ethnic group at this waterfall.
As far as what the waterfall can offer, these travertine waterfalls seem to support plunge pools formed by naturally-forming travertine dams that may act as swimming holes when there’s enough water.
Our Cao Bang guide even pointed out that there was a prop house that was used in a movie called “A Tourist’s Guie to Love”, which sat just below the bottommost tier beneath a bamboo bridge.
So this waterfall certainly had its share of notoriety despite a narrow access road to it that seemed more suitable for motorbikes than the car that we were driven in (see directions below).
Timing The Co La Waterfall
Now concerning the waterfall’s disappointing flow (which you can see from the photo above), our visit took place in mid-April 2025.
The curious thing about this, however, was that the Co La Waterfall shares the same river (Quay Son River or Sông Quây Sơn) as that of the Ban Gioc Waterfall!
So if the more famous waterfall further downstream was flowing (even before its scheduled release of water), why didn’t the Co La Waterfall perform as well?
In fact, we saw that there was definitely water in the Quay Son River even in the immediate area upstream of the Thac Co La Waterfall.
However, a dam (Thoong Got Hydroelectric Plant) as well as the presence of many rice fields made me realize a lot of the water is being used to generate power and irrigate those farms.
I guess I don’t blame the locals for doing this because we learned that they’re always trying to make ends meet by constantly hustling (whether it’s farming, part-time tourism, hawking, etc.).
Thus, I can totally understand why growing rice has been prioritized over making the waterfall perform in this instance.
Anyways, regarding the timing of the Thac Co La Waterfall, I’d argue that April is the tail end of the Dry Season in Northern Vietnam.
That said, I’ve seen some websites in the literature claiming that the high water season is from April to September.
Personally, I think the main Wet Season for this region is more like May or June through September (who knows if Global Warming might have shortened the Wet Season?).
Nevertheless I’ve come to realize that the Co La Waterfall really needs more water than “normal” (assuming the “normal” baseline holds Global Warming notwithstanding) thanks to irrigation practices.
So if I had to put money on the most optimal time to see this waterfall flow, I think around June through September or even October would be those months.
Experiencing The Co La Waterfall
As for the visit itself, due to the lack of water going over the waterfall, we only spent about 15-20 minutes away from the car.
This encompassed descending from the road and going across the bamboo bridge towards the prop house and back.
It also included briefly exploring another trail going further upstream to see some of the waterfall’s other would-be upper tiers.
I tend to think that this waterfall is merely a short detour and stop between Cao Bang and Thac Ban Gioc Waterfall, and it would be a worthwhile stop if there’s enough water.
Authorities
The Co La Waterfall resides in the Chi Vien Commune within the Trung Khanh District of the Cao Bang Province, Vietnam. It may be administered by the Trung Khanh District Government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism website.
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