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Ba
Ham Lake
 Situated
on the south-west side of Ha Long Bay, Ba Ham Lake is found on
Ðau Bê Island (Calf
Head Island) in Lan Ha Bay. This island is part of the range of
islands at the farthest end of Ha Long Bay, bordering the immense
zone Long Châu Sea. Ba Ham Lake is situated in the middle
of a narrow, rectangular area, with the all four sides enclosed
by vertical cliffs.
The lake is a system comprising three wide and round pits, linked
together by a narrow and meandering tunnel. Stalactites hang from
the ceiling in a myriad of strange, coloured forms. The silence
is disturbed only by the sounds of the boat’s oars. On the
island are many species of plants such as orchids, benjamin figs,
banyans and cycads, which blossom throughout the year. It is also
the home of yellow-haired monkeys, birds, flying squirrels and
bats. Under the deep blue surface of the water are the animated
lives of shrimp and fish.
Although 25
km from the shore, it has long been considered an ideal tourism
zone. The entrance is a open semi-circular hole in the flat stone
wall on the north-west side of the island, 4 to 5 m above the
sea.
Starting from the entrance, tourists enter the first tunnel, which
boasts a forest of stalactites and stalagmites in different shapes
and various colours. They fall down the water surface like the
roots of banyan or ficus trees. The deeper one pushes into the
tunnel, the darker it becomes. The river is deep yet so clear
that one can see shoals of fish swimming. Some 100 m from the
entrance one finds a shaft of light coming from the roof of the
tunnel, which reveals different kinds of orchids clinging to the
cliff, cycads growing here and there, trúc duôi gà
(a kind of reed with cock’s tail-liked yellow leaves) flourishing
in clumps. In the southeast cliff of the second tunnel there grows
an old carambola tree, which bears fruits all year round. Tourists
can find groups of monkeys, flying squirrels, or silver-headed
parrots gathering in its branches. Lying one cliff away from the
second one, the third tunnel is home to various species of bats
and butterflies.
Amidst the tranquil atmosphere, you feel like boating in an abyssal
well walled by mountains. Ba Ham Lake is one of the beauty spots
of Ha Long Bay.
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