Ba Be Lake is a place with some of the most wonderful sceneries in Vietnam. The lake is in Ba Be National Park, which is about 250km north of Hanoi. It is near Bo Lu and Pac Ngoi villages, the home of Tay ethnic people.
Ba Be Lake is on a limestone mountain, at a height of 150m above sea level. As it looks similar to Halong Bay, the lake is also called "Halong Bay on the mountain." It has a water surface area of 500ha. It is more than 8km long, nearly 2km at its widest, and 20-35m deep. The lake is made up of three river branches - Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng.

Around the lake are primeval forests and mountain peaks with the height of more than 1,000m. Seen from above, the lake shrinks in the middle and looks like a corridor between cliffs. In the center of the lake, there are islets with many species of orchids and birds. The lake has an abundant source of freshwater aquatic animals, with precious kinds of fish such as giant carp.

Two outstanding features of Ba Be Lake are its original scenery and geological conditions. It is one of the few lakes in the world on a limestone mountain. Studies show that the region of karst has been in existence for 450 million years. After millions of years, the limestone has been transformed into unique scenery for the lake.

Travelers to Ba Be Lake can boat on the lake or visit nearby tourist places in the national park such as Tien Pond, Po Gia Mai Island, Puong Cave and Dau Dang Waterfall. If they visit at the time of Long Tong Festival on the 10th and 11th days of the first lunar month, they can see traditional games, performances of martial arts, and the horn dance of Tay, Dao, Mong, Nung and Kinh tribal groups.

In 1995, at the world freshwater lake conference in the United States, Ba Be Lake was recognized as one of 20 special freshwater lakes in the world that should be protected. In September, 2005, the Vietnamese Government had its officials apply for world natural heritage site recognition for the lake.

Getting there

Transportation
Bac Kan Town is 166km from Hanoi. It is located on the Hanoi - Cao Bang inter-provincial No. 3.

Bac Can province

Area: 4857.2 sq. km.
Population: 296,200 habitants (2004).
Capital: Bac Kan Town.
Districts: Ba Be, Ngan Son, Cho Don, Na Ri, Cho Moi, Bach Thong, Pac Nam.
Ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Tay, H’Mong, Dao...

 

Bac Kan is a mountainous province, sharing its border with Cao Bang Province to the north, Tuyen Quang Province to the west, Lang Son Province to the south-east, and Thai Nguyen Province to the south. The topography is mainly midland, mountainous. The province has a complex network of rivers and springs.

Climate:

 

There are two seasons: dry and cold lasts from April to October and hot and rainy from November to December. The cold season lasts longer in the north region. The annual average temperature is 25ºC. The annual rainfall is about 1,400mm – 1,800mm. The weather has drizzling rain and high humidity in March, April and August.