When two waters reflect the same sky

The God of Ba Be Lake - an elder with white hair and beard, wearing a cloak woven from morning dew and water vapor. He is a witness to many generations of Tay, Nung, Mong people living by the lake. The clear blue water of the lake is where fish swim, birds perch, and dugout canoes glide. He carries within him the silence of the mountains, the tolerance of the water, and the loyalty of the story "The Fairy - the Poor Boy" of the past.

Báo Thái Nguyên•15/08/2025

The God of Nui Coc Lake - younger, with a gentle smile like rippling waves, wearing a scarf embroidered with images of tea hills stretching to the horizon. He carries the passionate heart of the love story of Cong and Coc, filled with loyalty, transforming into mountains and rivers. The water of Nui Coc Lake is immense, flowing through small islands like a string of pearls on a green mirror.

That day, when Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan officially merged into a single province, the heavens and earth suddenly had a good wind, white clouds rolled in. The two gods - from two lakes separated by hundreds of river bends and dozens of mountains - suddenly felt their water surface tremble, as if they were being called from the beginning of time.

They met not on the ground, not in the sky, but on the horizon reflected on the water.

The God of Lake Nui Coc spoke softly, his voice like the wind blowing through the tea hills: “You live in the deep forest, I live in the vast fields. Now, your water and my water flow into one stream.”

The God of Ba Be Lake replied, his voice like the gentle splashing of oars: “From now on, my people and your people are brothers. I bring the cool mist of the mountains and forests, you bring the warmth of spring sunshine from the plains. Together, we will keep this common water forever clear.”

Then the two gods were silent for a moment, watching the clouds and sky reflected in the water.

The God of Ba Be Lake said in a deep voice: “The new space after the merger is not just about merging land and people. It is an opportunity to combine aspirations. Our mountains and forests have precious products and pristine landscapes; your plains have bustling markets and the skillful hands of tea makers. If we know how to connect, we will have a flow of value, from villages to cities, from tea hills to lake wharves, from tourists to farmers.”

The God of Lake Nui Coc smiled, his eyes distant: “I imagine a space where tourists come to Ba Be to find tranquility, then return to Nui Coc to find excitement. Green tourist roads connect, highland markets and tea streets are in harmony. Young people from the mountains bring the stories of their villages to the plains, tea workers bring the fragrance to the great forest. All blend into a symphony, both preserving the old melody and resounding with new sounds.”

The God of Ba Be Lake nodded: “When two water surfaces reflect the same sky, it is also when two visions look towards the same future. Not only does it enrich the land, but it also enriches the soul and identity.”

They bent down together, scooping water into their hands. Drops of water from Ba Be Lake and drops of water from Nui Coc Lake merged into one, sparkling in the sunset. When those drops fell, the water surface reflected not only the clouds and sky, but also the eyes of many people looking at each other, leaving behind the distance of borders, preserving the love of mountains and rivers.

Since then, people say that if anyone sits in a boat in the middle of Ba Be Lake in the early morning, they will see somewhere the shadow of Thai Nguyen tea hills. And if they stand on the shore of Nui Coc Lake on a windless afternoon, they will hear the sound of oars in the distant Ba Be.

Because two gods have met, and two waters have reflected the same sky, the sky of new values is being woven from the old source.

Aftermath - When the promise of two gods turns into action

Since the day the two gods met, the water surface of Ba Be Lake and Nui Coc Lake seemed brighter, calmer and filled with new life. But the more miraculous thing was on the shore, where people began to shake hands.

Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan people sat down and drew a new tourist route on the map: from Thai Nguyen city, through the green tea hills, along the Cau and Cong rivers, then around the majestic limestone mountains of Bac Kan to Ba Be. They called it the "Inter-lake journey", where tourists can row a boat to watch the sunrise at Coc Mountain in the morning, drift in the afternoon amid the vast waves of Ba Be, and sleep in a homestay in a Tay village at night.

The two lakes become two pearls on the same blue necklace, associated with legendary love stories and stories told by village elders, artisans, and tour guides.

Thai Nguyen people bring the rich aroma of green tea buds; Bac Kan people contribute the sweet taste of the rocky mountain water and the clear lake surface. Together, they decided to create the brand “Tea and Water”, a unique tourism and gift product, combining specialty tea scented with highland flowers, packaged with bottles of pure water inspired by the water source of the two lakes.

Tourists who buy “Tea and Water” will receive a story - a story about two lands that were once separate but now become one, about two gods shaking hands, about the harmony of mountains and forests and plains.

Tea cooperatives in Thai Nguyen signed contracts with fish farmers and lakeside vegetable growers in Bac Kan to jointly open experience tours: visitors can pick tea, dry tea, and enjoy tea on boats in the middle of the lake. “Tea and Water” markets are held alternately in the two provinces, where people not only sell goods but also tell stories, exchange techniques, and connect with each other.

From a promise between two gods, a new space of value was formed: tourism - agriculture - culture - brand all flowing together.

And if one morning, while rowing a boat in the middle of Ba Be Lake, one sees a woman from Bac Kan pouring a cup of Thai Nguyen green tea to invite guests; or one afternoon, standing by Nui Coc Lake, one hears a young man from Thai Nguyen telling the legend of Ba Be, one will understand that the two waters now truly reflect the same sky.