Elevating Ba Be Lake tourism to a new level in the new era.

As the national tourism industry enters a new era and moves towards sustainable development, elevating Ba Be Lake (Thai Nguyen) to the status of a national and international destination is an urgent and strategic requirement. To achieve this, various levels and sectors, from the provincial to the local level, have been implementing numerous solutions.

A view of Ba Be Lake.

Great potential, lasting impact.

A verdant gem nestled amidst the vast forests of the Northeast, Ba Be Lake has long been renowned for its picturesque scenery, diverse ecosystem, and unique geological value. Not only a tourism symbol of the former Bac Kan province, Ba Be is also recognized as an ASEAN Natural Heritage site and the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam, situated in the mountains. Ba Be Lake is part of Ba Be National Park, one of the first 20 national parks in the country.

The total area for ecotourism, resort, and entertainment activities in Ba Be National Park is over 3,593 hectares, of which 61.25 hectares are used for the construction of tourism-related facilities.

Spanning nearly 500 hectares and stretching over 8 kilometers, the lake is surrounded by pristine forests, waterfalls, caves, and majestic limestone mountains. It is not only beautiful in terms of scenery but also valuable in terms of ecology and biodiversity.

This place also boasts many unique elements of intangible cultural heritage, culinary culture, and rich local traditions of the Tay, Nung, Dao, and Mong ethnic groups… It has a system of rare flora and fauna, including many endemic species listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world .

Despite its immense potential, Ba Be National Park has not been adequately exploited for economic development, attracting tourists remains limited, and the unique cultural values ​​of the local ethnic communities have not been fully promoted.

Therefore, in early 2025, the People's Committee of Bac Kan province (formerly) issued Decision No. 64/QD-UBND, dated January 16, 2025, approving the Project on ecotourism, resort and entertainment in Ba Be National Park for the period 2021-2030.

The objective is to concretize the "Sustainable Forest Management Plan for Ba Be National Park, 2021-2030," ensuring the management, protection, and promotion of the potential values ​​of natural landscapes, historical, cultural, scientific, and aesthetic values ​​of Ba Be National Park and Ba Be Lake; creating jobs, increasing income, and improving the material and spiritual lives of local people; and serving as a basis for attracting investment in the development of ecotourism, resorts, and recreation in special-use forests as stipulated in Government Decree No. 156/2018/ND-CP dated November 16, 2018.

Canoe racing on Ba Be Lake.

Mr. Trieu The Khoi, Director of the Ba Be National Park Management Board, shared: Based on directives from higher authorities, the unit is gradually implementing a roadmap and plan to exploit and promote the potential natural values ​​of landscape, environment, cultural diversity, and historical relics; developing tourism products, routes, and destinations for ecotourism, relaxation, and entertainment within the Ba Be National Park area. This creates conditions for local people and communities living near the forest to participate in tourism activities, thereby contributing to local economic development. It also creates a legal basis to attract domestic and foreign businesses and investors...

The goal set for Ba Be National Park by 2030 is to attract approximately 8 investment projects leasing forest land; attract 450,000 tourists per year, of which international tourists account for 20%; encourage tourists to stay in the area for at least 3 days; create regular jobs for about 2,000 workers; and ensure that tourist sites and routes comply with regulations on environmental protection and nature conservation.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Du, former Secretary of the Bac Kan Provincial Party Committee: Currently, Ba Be National Park has received investment in infrastructure to meet the needs of tourism development, most notably the road connecting Bac Kan ward to the lake, a distance of just over 40km; the road around the lake has also been upgraded and expanded to facilitate travel for tourists and locals. Tourist attractions and resorts have received infrastructure investment, and accommodation facilities have been upgraded in terms of service quality… If the leaders of Thai Nguyen province pay more attention to appropriate mechanisms and policies, invest sufficiently and with a long-term vision, tourism at Ba Be Lake will experience a new, sustainable development.

Bamboo pole dance is one of the cultural performances often featured at major events held in the Ba Be Lake area.

Facing challenges head-on, moving towards sustainable development.

Despite its great potential, tourism in Ba Be Lake has not developed to its full potential. Tourism services are fragmented and inadequate; products lack diversity, technical infrastructure is insufficient, and connections with major tourist centers are not well established. Many resources remain underutilized, and conservation and development efforts are still unbalanced…

The current challenge is how to develop Ba Be without disrupting its original ecosystem, while ensuring livelihoods for local people and preserving the environment and indigenous culture.

Therefore, to elevate Ba Be Lake to a new level in the modern era, a comprehensive, long-term development strategy is needed, with several key solutions such as: Planning and managing sustainable tourism development; linking regional tourism planning with ecological and cultural conservation; limiting mass development and focusing on building high-quality highlights.

Hua Ma Cave - one of the scenic tourist destinations on Ba Be Lake.

Develop distinctive tourism products such as ecotourism tours, village experiences with local people, kayaking on Ba Be Lake, and experiences in pristine forests… Connect tourism at Ba Be Lake with the Dinh Hoa Revolutionary Base Area and Na Hang Lake (Tuyen Quang), creating a chain of inter-provincial tourism products.

In particular, in the new era, to maximize the potential and strengths of Ba Be Lake, the Ba Be National Park Management Board and local authorities need to further strengthen management of land, construction, and the environment, and promote the application of digital transformation in tourism management and promotion.

Digitizing destinations, developing smart travel guides, boosting communication through mass media and various social media platforms, and collaborating and forming diverse partnerships with domestic and international organizations are all efforts to bring the image of Ba Be to the world.

Proactively advise competent authorities on the construction of appropriate infrastructure projects to serve tourism, aiming to make good use of the natural landscape and forest resources according to the principles: "Do not alter the natural landscape; do not negatively impact terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna; do not reduce biodiversity; do not cause environmental pollution."

The famous fragrant green squash of Ba Be commune is one of the tourism products.

In addition, supporting local people in developing community tourism requires coordinated and systematic efforts, training in service skills, homestay management, and tourism communication for local people. Support should also be provided for building OCOP (One Commune One Product) brands associated with tourism, such as Ba Be sour shrimp paste, herbal wine, brocade scarves, and handcrafted souvenirs.

We believe that Ba Be Lake will soon have a comprehensive tourism development plan linked to nature conservation. Based on this, a coordination mechanism will be established between the National Park, local authorities, and the community to jointly manage resources sustainably; creating a chain of tourism products offering ecological experiences, indigenous culture, and nature exploration...

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/du-lich-thai-nguyen/202507/dua-du-lich-ho-ba-be-vuon-tam-trong-ky-nguyen-moi-b580a83/