"I never imagined the Ba Be landscape would be so romantic and peaceful," said Ta Quang Khanh, a Viet kieu from Belarus who spent a week with his family at the national park, which features a picturesque lake, caves, and waterfalls.

Khanh also marvelled that Ba Be National Park, named after its famous lake, has yet to become one of Viet Nam’s most popular tourist attractions.

Bui Van Dinh, director of Ba Be National Park, said Bac Can Province is compiling an application for the park to become an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"We will build our case on the lake’s natural landscape, biodiversity, cultural and historical sites, and special geography to win UNESCO’s recognition," Dinh said.

The national park includes Na Phoong, Puong and Tien caves, Tien Pond and Dau Dang Water Fall. Many domestic and foreign experts have come to Ba Be to research how such a large lake can rest in a limestone mountain range without evaporating, he added.

Another appeal of Ba Be is the cultural diversity offered by its ethnic minority groups, who have lived in the region for centuries.

Don Den Resort, located in Ba Be Park, sits 800m above sea level and has an average temperature of 22oC. Bac Can Province plans to invest about US$400 million (from a variety of domestic and foreign investors) to preserve and protect the historical sites, including Cho Don, which President Ho Chi Minh and other Vietnamese leaders used as a headquarters during the French war, said Dinh.

Idyllic setting

Ba Be means three lakes – Pe Lam, Pe Lu and Pe Leng – but it is actually one large body of water that is 8km long and 2km wide, and 35m at its deepest point. However, the lake’s contours hint at the rationale behind its name: two narrow channels make it look like three separate bodies from above.

The lake is fed by three streams, Ta Han, Nam Cuong and Cho Leng, which connect with the Nang River that flows down from the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang.

Situated at 178m above sea level and surrounded by limestone cliffs, the beauty of Ba Be contends with any lake in Viet Nam, and this is a country full of lakes. Two islands rest in the middle – Ba Goa (widow) and An Ma (reigning horse in water).

While tranquillity envelops the lake like a fog and bewitches its visitors, the daily lives of the lake’s residents, who come from nine villages, are rather hectic. They wake at dawn and begin their tasks with quiet efficiency. Along the maze of trails, children start their long walk to school and adults set off for the lake’s terraced fields.

"School children have to walk for hours to get to school, so they must get up at 5 or 6am to arrive on time," said a teacher in Khang Ninh Commune.

Located 70km from Bac Can provincial town and 245km north of Ha Noi, the Ba Be National Park has 440 households belonging to five ethnic groups: the Tay, Dao, Mong, Nung and Kinh. They practice subsistence living, growing rice, maize, and vegetables and fishing for their food.

The locals also depend on the park’s forest for food, building materials and medicines. While hunting is now discouraged, many still harvest the forest’s bamboo shoots, mushrooms and medicinal plants.

The residents have had very little interaction with the outside world. The nearest market, Ra, where the people gather twice a week to exchange goods and information, is 15km away. This relatively isolated existence has given the locals a rather reserved nature, which is sometimes difficult to read.

"They don’t hate people from other areas, but many of them are not used to answering even very simple questions," said Dinh. "However, once you make their acquaintance, you will see these people are actually very hospitable and friendly."

"When you visit their homes and join in their activities you will understand their hearts," he said.

Keeping it sustainable

Ha Si Toan, deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, said the communication problems also cause difficulties in promoting sustainable development.

The park management board has confiscated thousands of guns from residents to stop hunting, and the practice has reduced remarkably compared with a couple of years ago. However, it is difficult for the rangers to convey why this is necessary to the residents.

"You seize their rifle today, and tomorrow they have another. Maybe a hand-made one. They also make their own bullets from guano [animal droppings]," said Toan.

The park hosts nearly one-third of all the known mammal species in Viet Nam, many of which are bats. The park is also one of the last refuges of several species threatened with extinction, including the Francois Leaf Monkey, Owston’s Palm Cilvet and the critically endangered Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey.

The other exotic birds, plants and insects that fill the 7,610ha park are also essential to Viet Nam’s biodiversity.

The park management wants to develop the area as an ecotourism site with residents’ participation. While few food stalls and tourist services are currently in operation, officials say a beginning has been made.

Director Dinh said Bac Can authorities asked the park management board to devise a detailed plan for the eco-development of Ba Be. He added, however, that the park needs co-operation, as well as investments, from the province and relevant central agencies to upgrade roads from Bac Can Town to the park.