Three tributaries of Pé Lam, Pé Lu, and Pé Leng all intersect at one point in Nam Mau commune, Ba Be district, Bac Kan province to create Slam Pé lake, which means three lakes. Vietnamese people often call it Ba Be Lake, a beautiful scenic spot more than 230 km away from Hanoi. 

General Information about Ba Be Lake

The greatest value of Ba Be Lake is the unique geological landscape, outstanding geological geological value and great value for biodiversity. This place has mountains, forests, rivers and lakes and especially the fresh, cool climate of the highlands. The clouds blend together, making people enjoyable and feel attached to this place. This is the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam.

In 1995, Ba Be Lake was recognized by the World Freshwater Lake Conference held in the US as one of the 20 special freshwater lakes of the world in need of protection. In late 2004, Ba Be National Park was recognized as the ASEAN Heritage Park.

The legend of Ba Be Lake

In the old days, in the northern regions, every year the villagers of Nam Mau held a big Buddha worship ceremony, called the Priceless ceremony. People from all over the coastal region gathered in large numbers. One day, an old woman with leprosy came to the village to attend the ceremony. Her clothes were ragged and tattered. The grandmother had a stench, very unpleasant, and kept everyone away. This old woman jerked this house to beg for food, was chased and scolded. People are afraid of spreading leprosy. However, there are people who feel compassion. It was a widow, living with her son. She was not disgusting, asking the old woman to come in and feed her enough. After that, she agreed to let the old beggar sleep for a night, in the corner of the barn, in the tent. At midnight, the mother and daughter suddenly woke up and heard a violent rumbling from the barn. Opening the barn door, there was no old lady leper, but a big dragon ball curling up like thunder. The mother and daughter were scared back, awake, afraid, and could no longer sleep.

In the morning, I saw the old woman coming out from the barn and said, "I really am not human, I am a dragon, just pretending to be a beggar to test the charity of male and female faithful who come to the village of the Five Mau Buddha . Everyone chased me away, except for her mother and daughter. They are all Buddha's mouth, will inevitably punish my superiors entrusted to me to execute, it is a great flood. Whenever you see a source water starts pouring here, mother and daughter, hurry up and run to the top of the mountain to avoid accidents. These two pieces of rice husks will help me to save people ”

After saying that, the old woman immediately disappeared. The next day, while everyone was jostling each other to attend the Buddha's ceremony in the middle of the village, suddenly, wherever the water flowed in all directions, poured into the valley. People climbed onto the roofs, climbed trees. But the water kept overflowing, flooding the roofs and tall trees. Everyone suffocated, except for the mother and daughter of the widow who quickly escaped to the top of the mountain, released two pieces of rice husks with two boats. Wearing heavy rain, the mother and daughter rowed to save people. On the mountain, mother and daughter built a small house to live in. This place, which later became a crowded village, is still known today as Nam Mau village. The whole valley was flooded by water, it turned into 3 large and immense lakes, so it was called Ba Be Lake. Water circulates in the three lakes, but boats cannot go from lake to lake because large rock dams prevent it. Ba Be Lake is vast and expansive, the water is clear as jade, stands out among the majestic mountains of the uplands of North Vietnam. In the middle of the lake is a small island, the local people call it ‘Gò Bà Góa’.

When should you travel to Ba Be?

The entire Ba Be lake is surrounded with rocky mountains and primary forests, so Ba Be is always very cool. You can go to Ba Be Lake in summer to enjoy the cool feeling of a mountain lake.

Come in spring to join the Ba Be Lake festival held on the 9th and 10th of the first lunar month each year. Boating, throwing, wrestling, archery and performing traditional dancing and singing of the ethnic groups are held during the festival.

Interesting Activities to do in Ba Be Lake

Many tourists who plan to visit Ba Be Lake or have just visited Ba Be Lake have missed many interesting things, unique activities. Ba Be Lake is actually an ideal place for different types of water activities. If you're not a water person, the cliffs and villages around can be a great place for hiking and bicycling.

Kayaking

This activity is probably quite new to Vietnamese tourists but has become the most attractive activity for most tourists in the world whenever they visit a certain bay or lake. If you enjoy floating in the middle of the vast lake, observing the mountain scenery at close range or looking for the best angles to see the lake, hunting for beautiful pictures, then kayaking is a great choice for you.

Kayaking to Puong Cave | Source: drone-made.com

Motor boats / canoes

If you want to explore the vast panorama of the lake, visit all the attractions on Ba Be Lake such as a waterfall, you can rent a motorboat (carry up to 10 people) or experience a single boat ride Moc with the charming Tay girls in traditional indigo dresses.

Motor boats in Ba Be Lake | Source: blog.traveloka.com

Walking, trekking

For those who want to try their best, want to fully understand the lives of the people here, trekking is a fascinating activity and will definitely be the most memorable memory of your trip to Ba Be. In the area of Ba Be National Park, there are many climbing paths of varying difficulty and total length (about 20-50km), visitors will have the opportunity to walk through primary forests, or follow the mountain trails of the people here, directly feel the daily life of the people and especially: overnight in the villages of the Tay, Dao or H'mong.

Trekking in Ba Be

Swimming in Ba Be lake

Ba Be is the deepest natural lake in Vietnam and swimming in Ba Be lake should be considered carefully. Widow Island is the most suitable site for swimming since it's only 18m deep. You can also jump from the island into the lake, from a height of 5 meters. However, consult your tour guide before swimming. 

Swimming in Ba Be Lake | Source: tripadvisor.co.uk

Listen to Then sing, harp, dance stall, set bonfire

Then singing with the special instrument called Tinh (Hát Then đàn Tình) is the typical cultural beauty of the Tay people. At night, listen to the smooth singing and the harmonious sound of the mountains and forests create the rustic feelings. Immerse yourself in the traditional stall dance, together with cheers holding hands and dancing around the campfire, then love, friendship, human love are warmer and closer.

Other famous destinations in Bac Kan

1. Ba Be National Park

Ba Be National Park | Source: sapatoursfromhanoi.com

Regarding the beautiful Bac Kan, it is impossible to ignore the complex of Ba Be National Park - an attractive and ideal eco-tourist destination for those who love to immerse themselves in nature. It is recognized as the ASEAN Heritage Park with a rich flora and fauna. According to records, there are 322 species of birds residing in the forest, and up to 106 species of fish live in Ba Be Lake, besides there are 533 species of insects, 1281 types of plants (including about 182 orchid varieties). , 81 types of animals, ... of which there are 66 species listed in the World Red Book. Such an impressive number, right?

Coming to Ba Be National Park, visitors on Ba Be Lake tour will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the clear blue water here, listen to the vibrant sound of wildlife and immerse in the majestic yet poetic mountains and forests.

2. The Fairy Cave

The Fairy Cave - Bac Kan | Source: alltours.vn

The Fairy Cave is a national cultural heritage associated with the legend of seven beautiful fairies. One fine day, all seven girls decided to admire the world and were absorbed in the shower and forgot to go to heaven. At that time, the gate of heaven was locked, forcing the fairies to take refuge on earth. The god of mercy has created a cave for the girls to stay overnight. Since then, people have called the cave Tien Tien.

The Fairy Cave is located about 60m deep in the mountain with countless natural stalactites, creating a magnificent inner scene. The cave has small nooks for light and air to help tourists not feel any suffocating during the sightseeing. Around the cave, there are also many restaurants serving the attractive Bac Kan specialties.

3. Puong Cave

Puong Cave | Source: baobackan.org.vn

Another unique tourist destination you cannot miss is Dong Puong - a small cave about 5 km from Cho Ra town. The cave is next to the Nang river, which is floating all year round. Occasionally, a section of a river falls into a ravine, forming small hollow caves with geysers flowing with fruit - as unique as the Doi pagoda relic in Soc Trang.

4. Dau Dang waterfall

Dau Dang waterfall | Source: yeudulich.com

Dau Dang Waterfall is a waterfall located on the gentle Nang River in the complex of Ba Be National Park. Located between two large rocky mountains and blocked by large and small rocks, the water in the waterfall falls from a height of up to 500m straight down the river, forming a beautiful white dust rain.

In particular, below the waterfall is the home of an extremely rare fish called Fried Fish. This fish has a large, healthy shape, some even weigh more than 10 kg.

What to eat in Ba Be ?

When traveling to Ba Be, do not forget to enjoy the culinary taste of Bac Kan highland people. These dishes are often available and can be easily found when coming to Ba Be.

Pac Ngoi grilled fish

There are many fish in Ba Be lake, often caught by hand. The quantity of fish is not much, but the quality is great because the meat is white, firm and has a sweet taste. People choose the fish only as small as the thumb. This fish is gobby and like a fish in the downstream to make grilled fish.

To get grilled fish, the people here have to go through a scrupulous process, despite not being difficult but it takes time. Fresh fish, after being caught, selects the same ones, removes the intestines and wash them, then puts them in the pot until they are cooked. Next, people use bamboo braces to form clips, each clip about 8-10. Bring fish clips to dry in the sun. Exposing about 3-4 sunlight is fine. When eating, you just need to remove the fish from the bamboo splint and use alcohol to bake (like squid grilled), or leave the grilled fish sandwiches on the charcoal stove (grilled with fish charcoal will taste better). No need to bake too carefully because the fish is eaten once. If you cook too much, the fish will be bitter and your food will be less delicious.

Roasted suckling pig

Pigs, after puncturing their bloodstream, use the water to cook guava leaves to shave off their hair, dissect and clean the stomach and then stuff in the belly of the pig with ingredients such as bile fruit, anise ears, cardamom, cinnamon ... and then roasted. When roasting, people often use a wet towel to wipe the pig so that the outside skin does not burn. When the pig is nearly ripe, use a tattoo stick to puncture the pig to let the water and fat melt.

Leave the pork for about 1 hour to reduce the heat and allow the meat to be cut into a plate that won't be crushed. The plate of roasted pork meat is delicious. Biting the roast meat has the sweet taste of cooked meat, the aroma of the leafy honey, the greasy taste of the barbecue, the richly marinated meat. Once eaten, you will remember forever.

Chicken

A specialty of the mountainous regions, the chicken is raised by paddy and they are free to move around, so the chicken is firm, sweet and fragrant, especially the crispy skin is delicious.