Ba Be National Park offers a “breathtaking, peaceful experience,” says The Tourist Place. There are “roaring waterfalls, endless valleys” and “murky caves,” in a “naturally blessed place” that’s recognised by UNESCO as “one of the important wetlands of the world.” The best time to visit the national park and the lake -- which is spread over 23,000 hectares “surrounded by limestone and evergreen forests” -- is during the dry season (winter and spring), from January to September, advises The Tourist Place.
Ba Be in Vietnamese means “three lakes,” explains The Tourist Place. It is believed that the lake formed 200 million years ago, which makes it “a prehistoric lake.” Ethnic tribes inhabit the area, including the three main groups of Hmong, Dao and Tay -- “they live in small hamlets that are spread around the valley and make a living by doing farming and fishing,” and trade on the shore of the lake to sell products like fish, corn, rice and fruit. The national park also serves as “a home to a variety of fauna,” including 65 mammal species, 27 bat species, 233 bird species, 43 reptiles, and Ba Be Lake “contains 106 fish families.”