A lake like no other

      Surrounded by majestic scenery, Lake Ba Be in the middle of Ba Be National Park is the world’s only permanently filled karst lake.
Ba Be National Park is the premier tourist attraction in the northern border province of Bac Kan and takes up 23,340 hectares of Ba Be District.
A six-hour drive from Hanoi, Lake Ba Be is the centerpiece of the national park, a lush and peaceful oasis where the tropical rainforest is relatively well-preserved as hunting and fishing are restricted, and the villagers receive subsidies not to cut down the trees.
The limestone landscape around Vietnam’s largest natural lake abounds with waterfalls, caves and unusual rock formations and is dotted with small villages of different ethnic groups, creating a charming vista of both human and natural beauty.
Formed 200 million years ago, Lake Ba Be is really three lakes (that’s what “Ba Be” means) linked by wide channels. It is nine kilometers long and averages one kilometer across, and is surrounded by tall limestone cliffs covered in green.
The depth ranges from 20 to 25 meters and goes down to 35 meters at the deepest point. The rocky hills around Ba Be rise up to 1,098 meters above sea level.
Owing to its special geological constitution, Ba Be is unique in that it is the world’s only lake in limestone country that stays full all the time.
As water percolates easily through the porous limestone, karst lakes, as they are called, drain dry if not replenished by rain or an underground source - with the exception of Ba Be.
The national park is also notable for its diversity of butterflies, of which more than 300 species have been recorded to date.
Without doubt, Ba Be National Park plays an important role in wetland biodiversity and habitat conservation, in particular for freshwater fish, including several species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam.
It cost less than US$1 per person (including insurance) to enter the park, where guides are available to accompany individuals or groups around and provide loads of information.
There’s a range of accommodation to suit most tastes, from home-stays in local villages to the comfort of the national park's guesthouses, and there are a few restaurants and recreational facilities too.
Within the park’s boundary there are several small villages inhabited by members of the Tay, Red Dao, Coin Dao and White H’mong ethnic minorities. However, the colorful costumes typical of most of these groups are seldom in evidence apart from when they perform for tourists.
Some of the villages offer basic but reasonably comfortable homestays. An alternative is the park’s guesthouse, which provides the barest of accommodation only. Elsewhere, there is limited local-standard accommodation in Cho Ra, a town 18 kilometers from the park.
The recreation on offer includes boat trips around Ba Be Lake and the Nang River with stops along the way, trekking through the valleys and forests, and visits to caves. There are also cultural activities at the local villages and markets as well as musical shows.
The standard boat trip takes a full day. Boats can be boarded at Buoc Lom landing station outside the national park or next to the administration block beside the lake.
The price varies, depending on the tour. Longer tours cost $15-30. These boats are the usual form of transport on the lake and also ferry the local commuters. For big parties of up to 30 people, a larger boat can be hired for about $35 per day.
Natural appeal
With its stunning 50-meter entrance at the northwestern edge of Lake Ba Be in the heart of Lung Nham Mountain, Puong Cave must not be missed. It is home to some 10,000 bats belonging to 18 species. They are at their most active between dusk and dawn.
“Go to Puong Cave first since the cave is not artificially illuminated and it’s better to go there before dusk. There’s a short path inside the cave. It’s a good idea to take a torch with you,” is the recommendation of Finnish tourist Lauri Silvennoinen.
Ban Cam is a small Tay Village spread along one kilometer of the northern bank just before the Nang River meets Lake Ba Be.
The people of Ban Cam are traditionally users of the local dugout canoes called doc moc for which Ba Be is famous. These are carved from single trees, and although precarious-looking, are capable of carrying several people in safety.
In the center of “lake one,” about 300 meters from the main boat landing, is a small island.
“You can take pleasure not only from the natural sights, but also from the historical interest of this site; a stone tablet carved with Chinese characters, dating back to the Khai Dinh Dynasty, remains on the island,” says Canadian tourist Richard Hebert.
Nearby Dau Dang Falls is a natural rapid formed as the waters of the Nang River drop on their way west to Tuyen Quang Province.
Though hard to believe in the dry season (October to March), at the height of the rain, Dau Dang Falls can rise to just below the viewing platform in the center of the rapids. At that time Dau Dang is at its most powerful and formidable.
Due to its location, Dau Dang is an important trading post and is thus a good place to see local commerce as residents of several ethnic groups come and go between the lake and the villages further west.
At present, Ba Be National Park is home to over 3,000 people of five different ethnic groups. There are 13 villages in the national park. Usually, Tay villages are situated in low-lying areas, Dao villages at mid-elevations and Mong villages in the uplands.