Vietnam TravelTravel Special FeaturesBa Be Lake - Where heaven and water meet

Ba Be Lake - Where heaven and water meet

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I took only 40 minutes to escape the early morning traffic mayhem of Hanoi to arrive amongst corn stalks and recently harvested rice fields. As we ventured farther north, the produce become readily visible with corn cabs and threshed rice drying on the roadside. Our tour guide, Ms. Thao, screwed up her nose when asked what the corn tastes like. The orange corn that is visible in November is grown to feed animals, especially pigs. Corn for human consumption is light yellow and usually picked earlier in the year.

The hills through Thai Nguyen Province are dotted with plantations of the famous local tea, the dark green providing a contrast to the rice. There were also more animals as we headed into the mountains. How do you fit ten pigs onto a motorbike? Easily! And four dogs playing outside the Thit Cho restaurant were oblivious to what was happening behind closed doors.

Ba Be was declared a 5,000 hectare National Park in 1992. The hunting of animals and the cutting of trees is strictly forbidden. Developing tourism in the area is seen as an opportunity to enhance the income of local people, many of whom come from the ethnic minority groups of Nung, Tay, Dzao and H'mong.

Located in Bac Kan Province, 240km northeast of Hanoi, the Park's most famous attraction is Lake Ba Be, which is actually three smaller lakes joined together. Almost 8km long, the tranquil waters of the lake provide a romantic spot to relax. Visitors will also observe a number of local people engaging in their traditional fishing routines. Small pieces of bamboo floating on the water indicate someone's shrimp net, while plastic bottles mark a fish trap.

Nestled amongst the unpicked corn not far outside the Park entrance is the boat station for river and lake cruise. Mr. Chin welcomed us abroad his tour boat, complete with sun roof and life buoys. With a crank of the engine and a cloud of smoke, we were off. Well, almost, but the second attempt was successful, and we settled in for a delightful afternoon meander down the Nang River under a clear blue sky.

Not far into the journey, we entered Puong Cave, which cuts right through the limestone mountain. With caverns 30-40 meters high, it is home to thousands of small bats screeching and whistling to the passing boat traffic, much of which is narrow wooden punts propelled by a simple oar at the stern.

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