|
 Situated
on the south-west side of Hạ Long Bay, Ba Hầm
Lake is found on Ðầu Bê Island (Calf Head
Island) in Lan Hạ Bay. This island is part of
the range of islands at the farthest end of Hạ
Long Bay, bordering the immense zone Long Châu
Sea. Ba Hầm 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 Hầm Lake is one of the beauty spots of Hạ
Long Bay. |
