Ba Be Lake – The Largest Natural Lake in Vietnam

If you feel bored with the crowded city life, give it a try to Ba Be Lake. At this destination, you can immerse yourself in the pristine majestic nature and enjoy the peaceful scenery during your weekend.

Where is Ba Be Lake?

Ba Be Lake is within the precinct of Ba Be National Park. It is located in Nam Mau Commune, Ba Be District, Bac Can Province, about 240 Km from Hanoi. Ba Be is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world and is recognized as a national tourist resort in Vietnam. The lake surface is immense with an area of 650ha, the average depth of 20-25 m, running over 8km. Locals call Ba Be Slam Pé, meaning three lakes. The lake is the intersection of three river branches: Pe Lé, Pé Lu and Pé Lèng. That is the source of the lake’s name

The ideal time to visit 

It is a mountainous region with a cool climate all year round. Therefore, the atmosphere will always be fresh and pleasant. Visitors can come to Ba Be at any time of the year. However, the best time to travel to Ba Be Lake is in the summer, early autumn or spring.

How to get to Ba Be Lake?

Ba Be Lake is about 220km from Hanoi, and it takes about 5 hours to drive.

By motorbike: From the center of Hanoi, follow Nhat Tan Bridge, then continue driving along Highway 3 to the territory of Bac Can province. After arriving at Ra Market, ask for directions to Ba Be Lake. Note, this road is quite small and has many vehicles and zigzag road, so be careful with your journey.

Private car: You can rent a private car for your initiative.

By coach: The ticket price from My Dinh to Bac Kan bus station is 100,000 VND / person. From Bac Kan bus station, you continue to catch a bus to Ba Be lake, the ticket price is 50,000 VND / person.

Places to visit 

Puong Cave

Puong cave is a landscape in Ba Be National Park area, a karst cave in Lung Nham limestone mountain on Nang river.
This is a particularly interesting place for those who are passionate about the natural beauty of Ba Be National Park as well as those who love to learn about the diversity of river bats here.

Fairy Pond

About 100 meters walk from Ba Be Lake, Fairy Pond is about 3,000 m2 wide, surrounded by limestone mountains and primeval old forests, cool, clear pond water. Fairy Pond has many kinds of precious fish such as glass carp, lentils, fried fish …

Visiting Fairy Pond, visitors can also see the footprints on the rock and hear the legendary story about the hunter and the seven fairies.

Dau Dang Waterfall

Dau Dang Waterfall is located on Nang River, at the border between Bac Kan and Tuyen Quang province. The majestic Dau Dang is about 4km from Puong cave and it has length of 1000 meters . The waterfall forms three steps, the upper level is different from the lower steps from 3 to 4 meters in length.

Dau Dang Waterfall is located between two limestone mountains, with a large slope, where the Nang River is blocked by large and small rocks stacked with a slope of about 500m, forming a magnificent waterfall with the primeval forest landscape.

What to eat here?

Grilled fish

Grilled fish in Ba Be is a favorite dish for many visitors because of the fishy odor, though small size but the aroma is attractive. Fish are preliminarily processed, washed, soaked in turmeric, salt, pepper, chili just enough to harden the skin. Then a bamboo stick is used to grip, grill on charcoal for about 15 minutes. This gets the fish cooked yellow and not cracked meat.

Sticky rice

The glutinous rice grains are soaked in water for several hours before being put into the wooden basket, cooked by steam. At this time, the rice grain is soft, hot, non-sticky, becomes an attractive sticky rice when you eat. You will see a different aroma of sticky rice and the interesting thing is that you are less tired.

Hopefully the information shared above will help you have interesting experiences to Ba Be Lake.