Ba Be Lake

Welcome to Ba Be Lake

Located in Bac Kan province, Ba Be Lake is a freshwater lake, showing up the list of one hundred of the world’s largest freshwater lakes. Ba Be Lake is located in Ba Be National Park, which is recognized as a national tourist site in Vietnam. The lake was formed more than 200 million years ago due to geological tectonics. The greatest value of the lake is the unique geological landscape, outstanding geomorphological value and enormous value for biodiversity. Ba Be Lake is also the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam.

After the ups and downs of nature, Ba Be Lake still has wild beauty and poetic beauty. The landscape of the lake is like a picture and the lake is like a mirror in bold mountain clouds between the mountains of limestone with calm blue water. Located at an altitude of 150m, nestled between the Ba Be National Forest, the atmosphere of Ba Be Lake is fresh and pleasant.

In 1995, Ba Be Lake was recognized as one of the 20 special freshwater lakes of the world that need protection. At the end of 2004, Ba Be National Park was recognized as the ASEAN Heritage Park. On September 27th, 2012, the Vietnamese government ranked Ba Be Lake as a special national monument.

1. When is the best time to visit Ba Be lake?

Ba Be lake is a place where the harmony of mountains, rivers, water and cool climate of the mountain so visitors can visit the lake at any time of the year. However, the ideal time to visit the lake is in summer, early autumn or spring.

By the end of May, October rice starts to ripen. From January to early May, June to early September, the valleys are covered with a calm green of rice.

If you travel to Ba Be Lake, remember to go on the weekly markets. It is a great opportunity to get together in a vibrant life with local people. Markets in Ba Be Lake:

1. Nam Cuong market on 02.07, 12.17 (lunar calendar)

2. Quang Khe Market on 03.08, 13.18 (Lunar calendar)

3. Khang Ninh Market, Cao Thuong Market (Day 04.09, 14.19 … (Lunar calendar)

4. Cho Ra, Ba Be town on 05, 10, 15,20,25,30 (lunar calendar)

The 10th of January is An Ma Temple Festival. It is a great time to travel to Ba Be Lake to participate in the local cultural activities of indigenous peoples.

2. What to see when in Ba Be lake?

2.1 Puong Cave

It is the most beautiful and most worth seeing in Ba Be Lake. The cave has a length of 300 m, higher than 30 m. Thanks to its height, boat can move in, the stalactites in the cave create a lot of interesting shapes, attractive visitors. The Nang River has taken millions of years to create the great Puong cave. View from Puong cave can satisfy the most difficult people. The only downside is that it is slightly … foul because there are many bats with thousands of live and live. Most of the boats stop here when traveling to Ba Be Lake

2.2 Hua Ma Cave

It is a scenic tourist Ba Be. The cave is located on the Leng river, halfway between the mountain of Co Don, between the forest and pine forests (wood Ma) green, rugged. Hua Ma grottoes is located deeply into the heart of the mountain in the direction of south – east. Road from the foot of the mountain to the cave was built into the steps, visitors have to climb 300 meters to the Hua Ma cave with the entrance having 3 meters wide, 5 meters high. Hua Ma grotto has a very wide cave of about 1 ha, length up to over 700m, the ceiling has a wide and high to 40-50m, contains many walls, stalactites.

2.3 An Ma Temple

Located on An Ma Island between Ba Be Lake, this is the ancient temple was rebuilt in 2006. Temple of Buddha, Mau Thuong Ngan, Son Trang, Duc Thanh Tran, the deities of the Mac Dynasty in the war Le dynasty feudalism, after losing the battle was rushed to the Puong cave and died there. In memory of the deities, the people here have built the temple Mac family, but afraid of being revenged by the Le dynasty renamed the Ma temple. An Ma is in the Tay ethnic means “quiet grave” in the rest of the Mac dynasty. An Ma Temple is a place of religious activities of local people, cross-visitors and also the spring festival celebrated Ba Be Lake held on January 10 every year.

3. How to go to Ba Be lake ?

Only two main means of traveling Ba Be Lake are cars and motorbikes. The lake is about 240 km from Hanoi. If you take the car, go to My Dinh wharf, Gia Lam. If you go to Bac Kan, waiting for the car to Cho Ra is long. So when the car arrives in Bac Kan, you should hire a bike to Ba Be: 50 km.

If you take the night bus Hanoi – Bac Kan, you will have to sleep in Bac Kan to the next morning to Ba Be Lake. With this option you have to take care of the hotel so it seems a bit inconvenient.

Best of all, you take day bus on Hanoi – Thai Nguyen – Bac Kan – Cao Bang. At Phu Thong junction, you get off to the car to hire a bike to Ba Be Lake: about 30km with beautiful road.

4. What to eat in Ba Be?

4.1 Grilled fish

Grilled fish in Ba Be is a favorite of many visitors because of the smell of fish. Although fish are small like fingers baby but the aroma is attractive so you can eat both meat, bone and head. After cleansing, the fish are removed the bile and intestine, then use the bamboo stick clamped, baked on charcoal for about 15 minutes, until turning yellow. Grilled fish is also available at Ba Be Lake.

4.2 Sour shrimp

At Ba Be Lake, people often eat sour shrimp with pork leg or boletus with sauteed sourdough dish, green banana, turtle … In the midst of poetic nature, sipping sour shrimp with a cup of little spicy corn wine, Visitors will feel smoothly, penetrating the fleshy sour taste of the meat, feel spicy chili peppers with spicy aromas … Sour shrimp is sold in Pac Ngoi village, Po Lu, Ba lake boat Bellows…

4.3 Thit gac bep

Like some other ethnic groups, the Tay people live around the Ba Be Lake hanging meat on the stool,often buffalo meat and pork. The smoke from the firewood make the eat blacken every day, so the flesh hangs for the whole year isn’t stable. Today, although people don’t have to store meat but in the Tay people around the Ba Be Lake there is always a little hanging meat like this to welcome guests, Tet holidays or other important day

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