Cam Son Lake is a popular tourist destination in Bac Giang province (now Bac Ninh province). Cam Son is an attractive tourist destination, with poetry and lyrical natural landscape, a tranquil water surface, rows of trees reflecting on the lake surface, and the occasional sight of people rowing dugout canoes fishing, creating a fascinating scenario. Cam Son Lake is reminiscent of Ha Long Bay on land, with its untamed, rustic, and lyrical natural beauty.
Cam Son Lake is located in the communes of Son Hai, Ho Dap, Tan Son, and Cam Son, Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province (now Son Hai and Tan Son communes, Bac Ninh province); bordering Lang Son province, is a majestic natural landscape that attracts tourists seeking sightseeing and relaxation.
Cam Son Lake is the country's fourth largest irrigation project, with the goal of providing adequate water for agricultural development. The typical lake surface area is 2,600 hectares, but during the summer, when there is a lot of rain, it can grow to more than 3,000 hectares. The lake is almost 30 km long, 7 km wide, 200 m thin, and 47 m deep. It has many islands. The residents living near the lake are ethnic minority villages of Nung, Tay and Kinh. The people in the area around the lake are mainly ethnic minorities. People here travel mainly by boat, and have preserved many unique cultural features that create beautiful landscapes. That is why there is a saying:
“Áo chàm xuống núi bơi thuyền;
Khăn nam phân phất như tiên dưới trần”.
Visitors to Cam Son Lake will enjoy the magnificent surroundings as they cruise by boat. The sensation of swaying while first getting off the boat fades into the pleasure of the lake's expanding wide expanse. Visitors will also hear the stories told by locals who live near Cam Son Lake. People who live near Cam Son Lake continue to narrate legends and fascinating stories about the origins of Ba Hon Mountain, Cam Stream, Moc Stream, Vay Rong Stream, Kin Mountain, Man Village, and Lan Loc Island... Legendary stories have brought the environment to life, making each mountain range and woodland surrounding the water's edge appealing in ways that few places can match.
If you visit Cam Son during the summer, you will most likely see the lake at its most magnificent. Because the space is open at this time, you can sightsee as well as camp and swim in the lake. From June to July, visitors can also enjoy the grandeur of the Luc Ngan hills, which become crimson as the lychee season arrives. Enjoy the lychees and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a harvest season for the hill people. Furthermore, autumn is the best time to visit Cam Son Lake because the temperature is pleasant, there is little rain, and the trees are changing leaves, resulting in a fresh and highly romantic natural area. Not only that, but the large Cam Son Lake is rich in fish and shrimp; on rainy nights, the ethnic people here's nets can catch several hundred kilos of fish in a single batch, with fish weighing up to 40 - 50 kilograms.
When visiting Cam Son Lake, you must try the rustic but equally appealing dishes of this land, such as fried or grilled lake shrimp, boiled hill chicken with the fragrant smell of lemon leaves, large pieces of local pork grilled on red charcoal, boiled wild bamboo shoots with salt and chili, and sipping a cup of spicy fermented rice wine on the small island... all of which are extremely delicious and imbued with the national identity of this place.
Currently, Bac Ninh is promoting the development of eco-tourism, community tourism, agricultural tourism, "green" tourism with criteria on protecting the natural environment associated with exploration activities, experiencing indigenous culture, bringing livelihoods to people, in which Cam Son lake is one of the destinations that Bac Ninh province focuses on, interested in promoting tourism.
