Located in Ba Be national park in Bac Kan province, Ba Be lake is well-known as the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam and one of the 100 largest ones in the world.
Bac Kan province has made efforts to take advantage of the “treasure” as a motivation for promoting local tourism.
The lake was formed from the tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia more than 200 million years ago and features many unique geological and geomorphological aspects. It is fed by the three rivers, Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng. The three rivers meet in Nam Mau commune, Ba Be district, Bac Kan province which creates Slam Pe (in the local language it means three lakes). This is also the origin of the name "Ba Be". It is the only geographical structure that brought together various ecosystems with majestic scenery around Ba Be lake.
Tourists are fascinated by the beauty of Dau Dang waterfall in Ba Be. Photo: VNP
The lake has a water surface area of about 500 hectares and a length of more than 8 kilometers. The widest area is nearly 2 kilometers and the deepest is 35 meters. It is home to numerous species of fish that are recorded in the red book of Vietnam including Chep Kinh, Ram Xanh, and Chien.
The turquoise water makes the lake look like a giant mirror, reflecting the clouds, mountains and forests that seems like an inked painting. Thanks to the cool weather all-year around and beautiful small islets on the surface such as Ba Goa and An Ma, the lake area has become an ideal destination to relax and get back to nature.
Peaceful landscape on Ba Be lake. Photo: VNP
Pac Ngoi and Bo Lu are two large hamlets in Ba Be. Pac Ngoi is bustling and convenient because it has been developing tourism for a long time. Bo Lu still has its pristine features and peacefulness. Both hamlets are located near the lake so most homestays and hostels have an airy and dreamy lake view
Amazing stalactites inside Puong cave with strange colors. Photo: VNP
Discovering the cliffs inside Puong cave. Photo: VNP
Ba Be lake is considered a “green jade” of the northeastern mountains and forests. However, during the two years of the pandemic, the lake was a “sleeping beauty”. The Bac Kan provincial authorities have sent a message to take advantage of the potential of the tourist trade. According to Ha Van Truong, director of the provincial department of culture, sports and tourism, the locality wants to diversify the types of tourism in Ba Be. These will focus on creating a native cultural value with distinct scenery endowed by nature. Besides using the available
resources, they need to affirm the brand name of each resource. They have coordinated with Tuyen Quang province to prepare a dossier of Ba Be lake to seek World Heritage recognition.
The determination to develop tourism in Ba Be lake in Bac Kan province has been conducted, attracting large investments from Sun Group, FLC, Truong Thanh and Tai Anh. Businesses and investors have proposed about 20 projects to build luxury eco-tourism resorts, tourism models associated with local agricultural and forestry products and adventure zones. They also want to build anadventure tour to explore the national park.
Story: Phan Thu
Photos: VNP & Vu Hoang Giang
Designer: Trang Nhung