If you have the opportunity to come to Ba Be Lake, visitors will not be able to miss the beautiful and so intimate "
Ao Tien", translated into "
Fairy pond", a place associated with a captivating legend. Located on Ba Be lake, it is surrounded by vast primitive forests making it one of the brightest jewels of Ba Be.
As per its name, Fairy pond is a small pond of about 3Ha wide. This lake has underground water circuits connecting it with Ba Be lake and nearby caves.
View of Fairy pond surrounded by evergreen forests
Although located about 100 meters from Ba Be lake, Fairy pond remains full of water all year round. The pond has a circle shape with stone steps covered with moss. The pond is surrounded by limestone mountains and some of the oldest forests of Ba Be National Park. All factors help create a peaceful, quiet scene but so intimate that visitors are attracted by the mystery of the place.
The pond surface is always flat and clear like a mirror reflecting the clouds and sky. Fairy pond is full of romance with the Tay ethnic girls in their traditional outfit and flicking the paddle gently on the wooden boats.
Along with its simple yet romantic beauty, Fairy pond also has few-known legends passed on by word of mouth by the indigenous people living here, from generation to generation.
LEGEND OF THE FAIRY POND
Once upon a time, in a nearby village, there was a very kind woodcutter who earned a living by cutting wood every day. However, despite his hard work, his family was too poor. Even though he was of age to get married, no girl in the village was willing to give him a chance.
One day, while he was cutting firewood in the forest, a small deer appeared running and screaming at the corner of a tree. The poor thing was being chased by a hunter! As soon as the deer saw the woodcutter, he immediately ran to him and begged him for protection. With love, the young man hid the little deer amongst his pile of wood and saved it from the hunter.
Fairy pond is named after its legend, a tale about fairies and love
Touched by the woodcutter's kindness, the deer told him a secret to thank him for saving his life. He told him that every night, fairies descend on the bank of this pond to bathe after playing chess on the flat rocks nearby. He even advised the young man to hide near the pond to catch a glimpse of these beautiful creatures.
So on the next night, following the little deer's advice, the woodcutter hid on the side of the pond and waited for the fairies. Indeed, at night falls, the fairies appeared laughing and innocent, and as told, after their game they got undressed and jumped into the pond to bathe. The woodcutter was amazed with their beauties, especially by the youngest of the fairies. Her laugh was so pure that the boy fell deeply in love with her. He had to talk to her, so to ensure that she would not run away, he hid her clothes in a bush nearby and waited for the fairies to get out of the water and fly away.
When the fairies finally returned to the shore, they their clothes back on and flew back to the sky, only the youngest got delayed searching for her clothes. After a few minutes, the woodcutter gathered enough courage to get out of the woods and introduce himself to the fairy. He offered his jacket to cover her, and to take her home to give her more clothes.
The young fairy found this man so sweet that she trusted him instantly and followed him home. She was amazed by his simple way of life and as the evening passed by, she did not want to leave anymore. Encouraged by her curiosity and her smile, the woodcutter asked her to stay with him forever and become his wife. She gladly accepted and the next day, the young couple got married!
After a few years, the fairy gave the woodcutter a beautiful son. One night however, the woodcutter saw his wife looking up at the sky with a sad look. She surely must miss her family, but at the same time they are so happy that he thought this feeling would pass.
The blue and clear water surface of Ao Tien
After the birth of their second child, the man looked back on his life and realised how lucky he had been. However, his wife's health started deteriorating, and the little fairy got sicker and sicker every day. On one afternoon, he decided to take his family to the pond where they first met, he was hoping that such happy memories would help his wife feel better for a little while.
Upon arrival at the pond, he took them to the place he was hiding that first night. What was his surprise when he saw little lights glittering through a nearby bush. As he searched inside, he found the dress he had hidden many years ago! That gift would make his wife happy without a doubt, and it did, but not for the same reason.
The fairy explained to the woodcutter that she was dying, she could feel it. Back in her kingdom with her siblings, she is immortal, so the only way to save her is to leave earth and return to the sky. Now that her dress was found, she was able to do so but it also meant that she would never be allowed to return again.
The couple thought about it during a week, and one morning, as he looked at his wife reading a story to their children, he knew what to do. He loved his family too much to see them suffer, his wife must leave and take their half-fairy children with her to save them. The family returned to the pond to say their goodbyes, and with one last kiss, the fairy disappeared with her children.
The woodcutter did not cry, he knew they were safe and knew in his heart he would see them again. From this day, he came every day to the pond and made sure the water remained clean and the bushes full. His love was so great, that the pond still is a source of inspiration today for many lovers, and will remain an enchanting destination on Ba Be lake for generations to come.