Through the green Ba Be to immerse yourself in the peace of the mountains and forests

Ba Be with its blue water, mountains and forests and people who have devoted their youth to preserving this land is a destination worth experiencing.

I arrived at Ba Be on a clear morning in early winter, when the mist still wrapped around the lake like a thin silk scarf. The small road leading to the lake opened up a green space before my eyes.   If the Northeast is a colorful brocade, Ba Be is the green thread.   embellishments,   where people find their own peace.

Ba Be Lake is as beautiful as a watercolor painting. (Photo: Thanh Tung)

Ba Be becomes more special in the stories of the people, in the slow pace of life like the breath of the forest, and in the way nature here retains its pristine beauty over the years.

I   realized that Ba Be is beautiful not only because of the blue lake. That beauty starts from the people who have lived their whole lives by the lake, considering the water as a part of their flesh and blood.

Ba Be people make a living on the lake. (Photo: Le Hanh)

Ms. Trieu Kim Xuyen, Head of the Ba Be Tourism Association, was the first person I met when I visited Pac Ngoi village. A small Tay woman with a deep voice and eyes as bright as the surface of a lake in the morning. She told me that she started doing tourism when the whole village had only one house to welcome guests.

Ms. Trieu Kim Xuyen, Head of Ba Be Tourism Association, shared with PV of PLVN Newspaper. (Photo: Thanh Tung)

“I am a Tay ethnic and also one of the first people to start providing services here. When the village only had one house to welcome   guests, I built a second home. No one believes tourism will survive. But I believe , I   believe in Ba Be Lake   she shared

That simple belief turned out to be the seed that paved the way for community tourism here.   From that second stilt house, the whole village learned how to welcome guests. Farmers who were previously only familiar with plowing now learned to cook authentic food, clean rooms, and welcome guests with a gentle smile.

Older sister   Cross   told me more, his voice soft as if wanting to embrace every memory :   “There are days when no one reminds us, people pick up trash around the lake themselves. Everyone understands that the lake is the livelihood of their children and grandchildren. Keeping the lake clean is keeping our future.”   Listening to her, I understood that Ba Be does not develop through big projects. Ba Be is supported by the love of the homeland of the people.   people here

Ms. Xuyen said that the lake is most beautiful before dawn and it is true. I woke up at around 5am to see the water surface covered in a thin layer of mist. The surrounding mountains and forests were so quiet that I could hear the sound of oars gently splashing in the lake .   The lake is so quiet in the morning that even with a light paddle you can hear the echoes from the cliffs .

The beautiful scenery at Ba Be Lake captivates visitors. (Photo: Le Hanh)

I kayaked into Puong cave .   one of the experiences that captivates visitors to Ba Be. As the boat goes deeper into the cave, the light turns into streaks, the sound echoes chaotically between the sound of bats, the sound of water, and even one’s own breathing.

Ms. Xuyen said:   "Entering Puong cave is to listen to Ba Be sing."   And really, it's like singing ,   in its own way, in the language of stone and water.

She said, there were afternoons when she sat on the porch, watching each boat return. The sunlight gradually faded behind the mountains, reflecting thin golden streaks like threads on the lake surface. That was when people started to light the stove, blue smoke rose, mingling with the smell of wood, new rice, and the smell of the wood stove in the stilt house.   Those moments cannot be built by projects.   Cannot be created by massive advertising.   That's the beauty of real life.

In each homestay, I clearly felt the hospitality of the people. The meal only had wild vegetables, grilled fish, and a bowl of sour bamboo soup, but what I remember is not the food but the story.   people here said .

A homestay owner told me while serving dinner, his voice honest and simple: “Customers come to eat here not because the food is better than elsewhere. They eat here because they want to hear the village story through the food.”   That is something that expensive resorts can hardly provide , this place has   sincerity in every little detail

Ba Be does not try to be a luxurious place. Ba Be does not follow the flashy check-in trends. Ba Be chooses to keep itself simple and original, enough for visitors to come back many times.

A tourist I met at the pier said: “I came to Ba Be to sightsee. But I left Ba Be with one thing.   more precious , that is   feeling   relax when   to slow down   Perhaps that is the biggest attraction of this lake area.

When the administrative units merged, Ba Be was located in the center of the eco-tourism area. The advantage of regional connectivity helps tourists easily travel around the entire Northeast .   instead of discrete points as before.   In a conversation with Mr. Dang Van Hung, who has many years of experience in managing and connecting local tourism, I understand more about this transformation.

Mr. Dang Van Hung, Owner of Ba Be Farm homestay, Coc Toc village, Ba Be commune, Thai Nguyen province. (Photo: Thanh Tung)

He spoke to me very calmly like someone who was used to living with the rhythm of the lake:   “The merger does not make Ba Be lose its identity. On the contrary, it helps Ba Be stand in its rightful place.”   To be   an ecological core of the whole region. When well connected, tourists do not just come and leave, but stay longer, experiencing more deeply.

He calls regional connectivity a seamless journey of landscape, where each destination is not separate but connected by identity and space.   In his eyes   Hung , Ba Be carries the value of silence ,   of the pristineness that few places still retain. And the   taciturn   That is what makes this lake area's position on the new tourist map.

Home Stay Ba Be Farm of Mr. Dang Van Hung. (Photo: Thanh Tung)

Ba Be tourism in recent years has grown not only thanks to nature, but also thanks to changes from the people themselves.   Ba Be Tourism Association organizes many training courses ,   from how to classify garbage, how to make a clean room, how to cook safely, to learning foreign languages, learning   advertisement   to introduce homestay.

Ms. Xuyen shared:   “We want guests to come more than once. We want them to remember Ba Be with beautiful stories and recommend it to their friends.   "If you want to do it sustainably, people must change first."

The change was not loud, not noisy, but very real.   Change   takes place in every clean meal, every garbage-free street, every homestay that is taken care of every day.   It seems that anyone who comes here can clearly feel it.   Ba Be attracts tourists not by its prosperity, but by its peace.

In the afternoon, I let the boat out into the middle of the lake. The sky was so blue that I thought I could touch the clouds. The wind blew, carrying the smell of the forest, the smell of wood stoves from the villages along the lake, the smell of a land that still retains its pristine breath.

Ba Be Lake is as clear as a gem in the middle of the forest. (Photo: Le Hanh)

At that time, I understood why the local people call Ba Be the breath of the mountain.   I walked through Pac Ngoi village, watching children running on the red dirt road, watching women sewing old clothes, watching men carrying bundles of firewood from the forest. It was like a slow-motion movie where every detail had the beauty of real life.

There are no bright lights here , no massive buildings , no traffic noise , only peace that makes people want to stay longer.   to enjoy.

Before leaving Ba Be, I sat by the boat dock, looking at the blue lake tilted in the afternoon sun. I remembered what Ms. Xuyen said when we parted: “We don’t want Ba Be to become a noisy place. We just hope that everyone   You can feel its true beauty. If we can keep that, no matter how much tourism develops, Ba Be will still be peaceful.

Ba Be is not inviting with its bustle. Ba Be does not keep you with flashy entertainment. Ba Be opens its heart with the sound of water, with the mist, with the sincerity of the villagers.

Like the story of the people   indigenous people,   those who quietly live, preserve, and continue the dream of a green lake.

And when I left, I knew I would definitely return. Not only to admire the scenery, but to find a part of peace within yourself in the calm lake surface that seems to be able to see through your soul.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/qua-mien-xanh-ba-be-de-dam-minh-cung-binh-yen-nui-rung.html