ĐẠI LẢI LAKE

Đại Lải Lake is in Xuân Hòa Town, Mê Linh District, Vĩnh Phúc Province. It is a valley sur-rourided by mountains. In the 60’s, the Government invested in the transformation of the Lake into a hydraulic work and a resort, thus enhancing notably its economic and cultural value.
With its content of 30 million m3, the Lake supplies water to the agro-irrigational systems of Mê Linh and Sóc Sơn Districts. Its clear blue water mirrors the forest of encalyptus or the surrounding hills. The Lake also helps improve the ecological conditions of the whole area. Its beaches are very attractive to young people.
The Lake is endowed with a picturesque landscape. The mountains on all sides are covered with a green coat of forests. The Than Lằn Mountain Range stretches from the North-West to the West direction. To the North and the West, there are small nice hills. A little farther are Dõm and Cánh Diều mounts belonging to the Sóc Sơn Mountain system. Besides the pleasure of swimming, visitors can freely climb mountains and taste the delicious fruits there such as guavas, myrtle, etc.

Đại Lải Lake covers an area of 525 ha; its average depth is 21.5 m. In the middle of the Lake emerges the Chim (Bird) Island whose area is 3 ha and the highest place on which is 23 m. When the water level is low, there appear some other islets in the Lake.
Water to the Lake comes mainly from the hilly regions and valleys to its North and North East, which cover an area of over 600 ha. To the West and the South-West is high Thằn Lằn Mount from which the whole site around can be viewed. The Lake has flat banks with shallow and clear beaches.
This touristic spot is endowed with favourable climatic conditions: cool summer, warm winter, a low annual rainfall (about 1300-1400 mm), and the small number of rainy days.
Thanks to the water-retaining dams, Đại Lai Lake has a rather stable hydrographic regime with a good reservoir. In case of frequent rains, the water is drained away through the spillways to protect the works of the Lake. Formerly, its water was used both for irriga¬tion (25 million nr/year) and daily use (about 6 million m3). In comparison with other natural and artificial lakes in Hanoi, Đại Lài has the water of the highest quality in terms of hygiene standards, which is quite suitable for swimming and other water-sports.
This touristic spot has been well-known for many years. A number of comfortable guest houses have been built by the Lake to welcome visitors. Among which, the guest house of the Ministry of Culture and Information can accommodate 70 visitors, and Xuân Hòa Hotel, 5 km from the Lake, 120 people. Coming to this beautiful touristic site is a good way of spending your weekend in Hanoi. Tourists can rest there the whole year round, relaxing or going swimming in summer. Ngọc Thanh Forest by the Lake has 500 ha of natural forest and 300 ha of newly-planled forest. Investment has been made in the programs of afforestation, fruit-tree planting, and honey¬bee and pet animal raising. This will certainly give greater satisfaction to visitors.