BA Be Lakes

The freshwater Lake Ba Be is the only significant natural upland lake in the North of Viet Nam. From Thai Nguyen City, capital of Bac Thai province, you drive along Highway 3 to the towns of Bac Can and Phu Thong. After another 16 km you will arrive at Ba Be Lake, which is about 225 km from Hanoi. Ba Be is some 145m above sea level, 8 km long, 3 km wide and about 20-30m deep. Ba Be Lake lies in the middle of a vast limestone mountain range of Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province, 180 km north-west of Ha Noi, belong to the commune of Nam Mau, Khang Ninh, Cao Thuong, Quang Khe, Cao Tri. It has been recognized as National historical and cultural relics in 1996 and now Ba Be has been proposed to be recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lakes actually consists of three lakes called Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng, and derives its name Ba Be (which in Vietnamese means Three Seas) from this, Lake Ba Be is surrounded by limestone mountains and thick forest, home to many species of rare birds and animals. You can take a dugout canoe to visit the small islands of Po Ga Mai and An Ma, and Puong Grotto. The Grotto is about 300m long, and 30-40m in heights and width. The stalagmites and stalagmites inside the grotto are beautiful and diverse in forms. Some of them look like a reclining Buddha, a sitting tiger, climbing monkeys and so on. If you have time, you can travel one hour by boat to visit Dau Dang Fall. The 100-m, three-level waterfall makes the scenery even more magnificent.