Departing from Bac Kan city, it took just over an hour for us to reach the core zone of Ba Be National Park. The road around Ba Be Lake curves like a silk strip; along the way, ancient trees shade down to the lake surface. For a long time, Ba Be has been likened to a pearl amidst mountains and forests. The blue lake surface reflects tree lines; occasionally a few boats glide in the morning mist; the scenery is like a fairyland. 

Ms. Trieu Thi Xuyen, a resident of the lake area who has worked in tourism here for many years, guided us that it takes three hours to explore Ba Be Lake by motorboat. We departed from the north bank and sat on a motorboat, gliding gently on the clear blue lake surface. The trees on both banks had begun to change leaves. Ba Be Lake is both wild, majestic, and poetic, peaceful. Taking a boat on the lake, the heart suddenly feels strangely relaxed.

The boat glides, the waves rustle, and the chirping of birds on the bank sounds like a harmony echoing throughout the mountains and forests. Tourists feel like they are lost in a fairyland, and their souls are vibrated by the beautiful natural picture.

During the journey of discovery, we went to Ba Goa Island, a place name associated with the legend of the formation of Ba Be Lake. This is a small island with lush green trees and tree roots embracing the flags that have been colored over time. 

The next stop is Fairy Pond, an extremely unique tourist destination. This is a small lake completely independent from the large lake area. Although its terrain is higher than the main lake surface, Fairy Pond is full of water all year round; the water surface is as flat as a mirror.

In the wetland of Ba Be Lake, Puong Cave is where the Nang River passes through the limestone mountains. In the cave, erect stalactites with many strange shapes create magic and evoke imagination.

Regarding natural scenery, Ba Be Lake is also blessed by nature with Dau Dang Waterfall, Hua Ma Cave, and poetic and charming flooded mudflats. Ba Be Lake is a place with the harmonious combination of mountains, forests, and rivers and a cool climate, so tourists can visit in any season of the year.

Regarding landscape and geology, this is an area that clearly shows the historical imprint of the periods of formation of the earth's crust. Regarding geology and geomorphology, this is a large ancient limestone area with very special tectonic characteristics. The interesting thing is that during the process of geological change, limestone has turned into patches of granite. The bottom of the lake has a layer of clay up to 200 meters thick. It is this clay stratum that does not allow water to drain, thereby forming the lake.

Ba Be National Park was established in 1992, with an area of more than 10,000 hectares. The Park's center is Ba Be Lake. In 1995, Ba Be Lake was recognized by the World Lake Conference as one of the world's 20 special freshwater lakes that need to be protected.

Ba Be Lake has a unique geological landscape and the outstanding value of geology, geomorphology, and biodiversity. This is the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam, about 500 hectares wide at an altitude of 178 meters above sea level. The average depth of Ba Be Lake ranges from 17 to 23 meters; the deepest point is up to 29 meters. 

Ba Be Lake receives water from the Ta Han, Nam Cuong, and Cho Leng rivers. These three rivers form the floating hydrological system in the South of the Park. Ba Be is a unique special-use forest in the special-use forest system of Vietnam. In addition to the forest, this place also has an extremely diverse freshwater habitat, including many small ponds and wetlands.

Coming to Ba Be, it would be a great pity not to see the vast primeval forests that are rarely preserved anywhere else. From Pac Ngoi village, we followed small winding roads from the foot of the mountain, curving through slopes to go deep into the vast Burretiodendron hsienmu forests. Along the way, there were many Burretiodendron hsienmu trees that could not be hugged by three people, shading over the entire area.

Ba Be National Park has nearly 80% forest coverage, of which the area of rich and medium forests accounts for 60%, and the natural forest reserve reaches 1.3 million m3. The forested land area and biodiversity value meet the criteria for special-use forests and national parks according to the Government's Decree No. 156/2018/ND-CP.

The 2021 survey results of the Center for Forestry Resources and Environment initially determined that in Ba Be National Park, especially the area around Ba Be Lake, there are currently 978 species of vascular plants, distributed in 571 genera in 157 families.

According to Vietnam Red Book standards, Ba Be National Park has 34 precious and rare plant species that are at risk of extinction and need to be protected. Of these, there are 12 endangered species and 22 vulnerable species. Endangered species include meranti; black Curculigo orchioides Gaertn; Annamocarya sinensis; Fassia pasquieri H.Lec; Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H. Wright; Anoectochilus setaceus; Dendrobium amabile; Dendrobium chrysanthum Lindl; Dendrobium nobile Lindl; multi-leaf Paris, etc.

22 species are at the vulnerable (VU) level, such as: Selaginella delicatula Alston; broad-leaved Cycas; Asarum balansae; Markhamia stipulata; Chinese black olive; Circus japonicus; Gynostemma pentaphyllum; Jiaogulan; Dipterocarpus retusus; Castanopsis tesselata; Phoebe amplifolia; Strychnos nux-vomica; Aglaia spectabilis, etc.

Surveys by scientists show that Ba Be National Park has a significant number of rare plant species in Vietnam and the world. This further confirms the value of limestone mountain plants in Northeast Vietnam. 

According to statistics from Ba Be National Park, the Park currently has nearly 400 species of vertebrates. The species composition is typical of limestone mountains mixed with wetland mountains in the Northeast. Among them, there are 88 endangered and rare animal species, accounting for more than 22% of the total number of recorded species. Of which, there are 30 species of mammals (accounting for 7.5%), 32 species of birds (accounting for 8%), 14 species of reptiles (accounting for 3.5%), one species of amphibians, and 11 species of fish (accounting for 2.8%) of the total number of recorded species.

Among the 30 endangered, precious, and rare wild animal species, 16 species are recorded in the IUCN Red List (2021), 19 species are recorded in the Vietnam Red Book (2007), 20 species are recorded in Decree 06/2019/ND-CP, including nine species of group IB, and 20 species are recorded in the CITES Convention (2019).

Among the 32 endangered, precious, and rare forest bird species, three species are recorded in the IUCN Red List (2021), six species are recorded in the Vietnam Red Book (2007), 27 species are recorded in Decree 06/2019/ND-CP, including three species belonging to group IB in the appendix of species prohibited from exploitation and use, and 13 species are recorded in the CITES Convention (2019).

Among the 14 endangered, precious, and rare reptile species, nine species are recorded in the IUCN Red List (2021), 11 species are recorded in the Vietnam Red Book (2007), seven species are recorded in Decree 06/2019/ND-CP, and seven species are recorded in the CITES Convention (2019).

In wetlands, there are 11 endangered, precious, and rare fish species, of which seven are recorded in the IUCN Red List (2021) and six are recorded in the Vietnam Red Book (2007).

Ba Be National Park has five communes located in the buffer zone and core zone, with a population of up to tens of thousands of people. A long time ago, illegal hunting and exploitation caused animal and plant species in Ba Be National Park to increasingly decline. In addition to being used as food, animals also become highly profitable goods for wildlife hunters, shooters, and traders. Commonly hunted animals are chamois, deer, roe-deer, zibet, civet, and some primates.

Ba Be National Park has dozens of villages and hamlets in the buffer zone. In order to have productive land, people encroach on forest land for making fields and roads and freely graze livestock in special-use forests, causing loss of habitat for wild animals. Populations live in fragmented and increasingly narrowed habitats, leading to a decrease in quantity.

Besides, climate change causes changes in temperature and rainfall, affecting the growth and development of animal and plant species and causing natural disasters, floods, droughts, and extreme weather phenomena that cause damages to the ecosystem.

Faced with the above challenges, in recent times, the Ba Be National Park Management Board has reviewed the area and boundaries of the inner and outer buffer zones, developed management and protection plans, and implemented activities to preserve the ecosystem and natural landscape.

Mobilize people to actively participate in protecting biodiversity, resources, and natural landscapes and preserving rare animal and plant species. Provide education on law to raise awareness for students and people about biodiversity conservation and rare wildlife protection. 

Ba Be National Park also focuses on improving the monitoring and management capacity of forest rangers, increasing patrols, and handling violations. Make detailed conservation planning, identify key areas that need protection, and create biological corridors connecting important ecological areas. Organize environmental education programs for local people and tourists to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity conservation.

Ba Be National Park also conducts investigation, monitoring, and cataloging of existing animal and plant species, thereby assessing the current status of endangered and rare species. Update changes in information and scientific data on behavior, ecology, status, distribution, structure, density, and quantity of individuals and populations of existing species, thereby building protection priority plans and programs.

Along with that, functional forces strengthen patrols, inspections, detection, and handling of violations in activities of hunting, shooting, catching, trapping, buying, selling, transporting, raising, and growing wild animals and plants, especially endangered and rare species that are prioritized for protection. In addition, many destructive fishing violations in the Ba Be Lake area were prevented.

With the efforts of Ba Be National Park, the management and conservation of rare animals and plants in recent years have seen many positive changes. The number of violations related to rare animals and plants has decreased much more than in previous years. There are no longer hot spots or complicated spots for buying, selling, processing, and consuming rare animals and plants. 

Mr. Trieu The Khoi, Director of the Ba Be National Park Management Board, said that Ba Be National Park is not only an important conservation area of Vietnam but also of the entire region, with high biodiversity value. Currently, the Park is implementing strict conservation measures to contribute to maintaining and developing biodiversity. In recent years, forest management and protection have become increasingly effective, and incidents of animal hunting and deforestation have decreased significantly compared to before. In previous years, there could be hundreds of cases/year, but in recent years, there have been only 3-4 cases/year on a small scale.

Besides human impacts, Ba Be Lake's wetlands also face increasingly serious sedimentation. According to a previous study by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, since the 2000s, the average amount of sediment deposited into Ba Be Lake each year is about 400,000 m3. The point with the most sedimentation is the Cho Leng estuary, with about 180,000 m3 of mud and sand/year. In addition to the Cho Leng River, the Nam Cuong and Ta Han Rivers also carry a large amount of sediment into Ba Be Lake. Compared to the 1960s of the last century, the mudflats have encroached about 700 to 800 meters into the lake bed.

According to scientists' calculations, with this sedimentation rate, if no remedial measures are taken, Ba Be Lake may disappear within the next 70-80 years. Many areas that used to be lake beds have now turned into sandy beaches, rice fields, and corn fields of people in the lake area. In filled areas, the landscape of wetlands has changed; some species of animals and plants have disappeared, threatening biodiversity. 

According to many experts, to limit the negative impacts of alluvial sedimentation in Ba Be Lake, it is necessary to conduct systematic and comprehensive scientific research, assessment, and forecasting. Bac Kan province needs to continue to plant and protect upstream forests and special-use forests in the river basins flowing into Ba Be Lake. Strengthen the management of the buffer zone of Ba Be National Park. Build a mechanism to effectively manage and handle illegal sand mining activities in the Nang River basin and activities that cause landslides and alluvial sedimentation. Develop policy mechanisms to increase the participation of lakeside resident communities and, at the same time, have a mechanism to share benefits from livelihood activities based on the service values provided by the Ramsar Site of Ba Be National Park.