Young Generation Travel Company in Ho Chi Minh city has launched a tour linking Dong Van Highlands in Ha Giang Province and Ba Be Lake in Bac Kan Province.
The tour operator says this journey is unique because it links the two attractions by waterway instead of the long-

distance overland route. “Tourists normally feel tired with one day by overland from Dong Van to Ba Be. We can shorten the time by the new waterway through the Gam and Nang rivers, ” said Tran The Dung, deputy director of the tour operator. The tour departs HCMC by plane for Hanoi and then immediately heads to Ha Giang Province, around 290 kilometers away, by car. Dong Van Highlands comprise four mountainous districts in the north of Ha Giang Province, Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van, and covers more than 574 square kilometers with limestone on the surface of more than 80 percent of the park. Visits to Lung Cu Flag Tower, H’Mong and Lo Lo ethnic villages, Ma Pi Leng Mountain Pass and Quan Ba Heaven Gate in Quan Ba District are included. The trip to Ba Be Lake on the fourth day will mostly be spent floating on the river. From Quan Ba District, tourists will go to Bac Me District by car and across the Nam River to Tuyen Quang Province for some attractions there and then cruise along the Nang River to Ba Be Lake. The next two days are to explore Ba Be National Park and other attractions in Hanoi. “I wanted to arrange the overland river combination tour early this year. I made two fact-finding trips, by myself and with the national tourism authority, ” says Dung. Dung says the six day tour will save one and a half days compared to the normal tour and give the best feeling for visitors when traveling on the new route that links the two impressive attractions. The tour costs from over VND8.7 million to VND9.6 million per tourist depending on the type of hotel.