Thac Ba Lake - “Wonders on the Mountain”
Thac Ba (Thác Bà) Lake deserves to be called a mountain wonder because of the numerous islands of various shapes floating on the blue lake with clouds.
In 1971, Thac Ba Lake was formed by damming the flowing river to construct the Thac Ba hydropower (Yen Binh, Yen Bai). There is one main dam in Thac Ba and 18 sub-dams.
The reservoir is 45 kilometers long, has a surface area of 235 kilometers, and a total capacity of nearly 2.5 billion cubic meters. Thac Ba Lake is one of Vietnam's four largest artificial reservoirs.
Thac Ba Lake is known as a wonder of Yen Bai province and has been designated as a National Scenic Historic Site since 9/1996.
The large and small islands of various shapes on the surface of Thac Ba Lake are the tops of bowl-style hills resembling midland terrain. These islands will be used to grow specialized crops.
Thac Ba Lake is exploited for tourism with a variety of accompanying services, such as sightseeing boat rides on the lake, based on its charming landscape.
On Thac Ba Lake, a local fisherman catches shrimp and fish.
Initially, the primary function of Thac Ba hydropower was to provide a stable source of electricity to meet the living needs of people in the North, which served as the foundation for the construction and development of key economic sectors. Later, the lake will be used to regulate and mitigate floods in the delta, as well as to develop Yen Bai tourism and to improve the environment and natural ecosystem.
The Thac Ba Hydropower Dam Memorial, located on the dam's surface, honors those who helped build, fight for, and sacrifice for the North's first hydropower project.
The lake's water source is the Flowing River itself; the lake has a clear blue watercolor and is surrounded by lush green vegetation. The lake is located in the Yen Bai province's districts of Luc Yen and Yen Binh.
In addition to the flowing river, Thac Ba Lake has another river system that pours in, increasing the lake's large amount of silt and abundance of species.
This area had two strong-flowing waterfalls known to locals as Thac Ong (Thác Ông) and Thac Ba (Thác Bà) before being exploited to build a hydroelectric dam.
Currently, in the rising water season, the water surface area is greater, the islands are lower, and the landscape is changing as a result. Tourists believe that during the shallow water season, Thac Ba Lake will be more beautiful and that the color of the lake bed will be more diverse.
Aerial view of the Thac Ba hydropower lake.
Source: Hữu Nghị