Visiting some mountainous border provinces in the North of Vietnam was my highlight of the year 2020. I already shared about Ban Gioc waterfall, Ha Giang, and Sapa in my journey in October last year on my blog a while ago.
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Ha Giang is outstanding with the mountainous area, pass, terrace field, and just a great destination for adventure seekers.
Sapa is famous for its spectacular natural landscapes and the fascinating diversity of ethnic groups and cultures.
Cao Bang is well-known with Ban Gioc waterfall, which considered as the gorgeous waterfall of South-East Asia & the 4th largest cross-border waterfalls of the world
And today, I'm so excited to take you to visit Ba Be Lake that belongs to Bac Can province- a region in the Northeast of Viet Nam. It was really a fantastic and memorable experience. If you want to experience an authentic rural Vietnam, Bac Can is just a perfect place.
Ba Be Lake is known as one of the world's 20 unique freshwater lakes in need of protection - ranked by UNESCO. It took us 5 hours and 150km to get there from Hanoi to Bac Kan by sleeping bus. However, the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen-Chu Moi expressway only takes 2 hours. There was not much transport to this place during the time we traveled due to not many tourists. We departed from Ha Noi at 7 pm and arrived there around 12 am.
I remember only 2 of us (2 ladies) were the last passengers on the bus. Why am I telling this? 😅 Because this is a mountainous border region & this was the first time we traveled to Bac Can. We were very anxious and scared of being kidnapped. Lol, we just kept quiet the whole way and texted to each other, "hey, we should never take the late bus anymore 😂. I guess we were overthinking. Just sharing our feeling and this was one of the most unforgettable memories..!!
There are two distinct seasons in Bac Kan: the rainy season from May to October and the dry season from November to April. I visited during the rainy season to avoid the central region's storm last year and wanted to indulge in a perfect space of mountains and forests. The greenery landscape absolutely surrounded me.
I was told that the Ba Be Lake Festival held on the 9th and 10th of the first lunar month. There are competitions such as sailing, throwing, wrestling, archery, and traditional dance performances. Sounds interesting and I will definitely join next time once I come back 🙂
Ba Be Lake has a clean and plentiful water source, so there are countless different types of fish living here. You can rent a boat to see the beauty of this place. While sitting on a boat, it is fascinating to see nature's beauty and listen to the lake's legend through the boating's story. You can see the seaweed and aquatic plants on the bottom because the water is so clear.
At Ba Be Lake, I visited Puong Cave, Dau Dang Waterfall, Hua Ma Cave, and Tien Pond. Each place has its characteristic features. Besides, do not forget to enjoy dishes by Bac Kan highland people; these dishes are often available and can be easily found when coming here, such as Pac Ngoi grilled fish, roasted suckling pig, grilled chicken, sticky rice, steamed bamboo shoots with meat ......
My tips after the trip are for you first to wear soft-soled sneakers because we have to walk a lot, secondly to bring a lot of cash. After all, there are not many ATMs, and lastly is insect repellent because we are close to nature, we are susceptible to insect attacks, and it isn't easy to find a pharmacy in the mountains.
