Ba Be was given the designation of National Park in 1992 in an effort to protect this stunning area of rich biodiversity and unique landscapes. As well as this, it also features as an ASEAN Heritage Park. The park itself stretches over 10,048 ha and has many different ecosystems within its borders.
The ground and surrounding mountains are made up mainly of limestone karst which is characteristic of the north of Vietnam, and the forests consist of mostly evergreen vegetation with bamboo growing closer to banks of the lake.
In the heart of the park is Ba Be Lake which is the largest and highest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam. The lake is made up of three smaller lakes and surrounded by limestones karsts some of which open up into magnificent caves. The park also features many caves which have formed over years of erosion some, some of which have only been discovered recently.