Bo Lac Lake: Anticipated to Be a New Tourism Highlight

Nestled at the foot of the majestic Sang mountain range, Bo Lac Lake (Tam Son commune) has long been known as an important irrigation work that ensures water supply for agricultural production in many localities. Along with the new development orientations of Phu Tho province, Bo Lac Lake is standing before an opportunity to transform itself into a large-scale eco-, resort, and spiritual tourism area, promising to become a new highlight on the province’s tourism map.

From a “Green Gem” Amidst the Vast Forest to an Eco-Tourism Area

Built in 1982, Bo Lac Lake is an important irrigation facility in the region. The lake has a catchment area of about 8.6 km2 and a capacity of 2.75 million m3, of which the useful capacity is about 2.5 million m3; ensuring a stable irrigation water source for about 370 hectares of agricultural land in Tam Son and Hai Luu communes.

Bo Lac Lake viewed from above.

In addition to performing the tasks of water storage, flow regulation, drought prevention, and aquaculture, the lake is also blessed by nature with a charming landscape of mountains and waters. It is this pristine beauty that has made this place a familiar destination for those who love exploration.

Mr. Dang Ngoc Duc, a local resident living next to Bo Lac Lake, said that many young people from neighboring localities choose this place for camping, boating, and picnicking every weekend. However, these activities are mainly spontaneous because the area has not yet received methodical investment in tourism infrastructure.

The special feature of Bo Lac Lake is that it is located within a complex of rich and valuable tourism resources. From the lake, it takes only a few minutes to reach Tue Duc Truc Lam Zen Monastery; further away are Bay Waterfall, De Tham Cave, Binh Son Tower, and the entire Sang mountain range with its rich forest ecosystem. This provides favorable conditions for forming tour routes that combine eco-tourism, resorts, nature exploration, and spiritual tourism.

An important milestone opening up new expectations for Bo Lac Lake was when the Phu Tho Provincial People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1708/QD-UBND dated May 28, 2026, approving the 1/2,000 scale construction zonal planning for tourism and service development in the area around Bo Lac Lake, Tam Son commune.

According to the planning, the study area spans more than 939 hectares with the orientation of becoming a tourism and service area combined with housing and public works that are synchronously and modernly invested. It aims to meet the needs for resorts, entertainment, sports, and commerce, while contributing to shifting the labor structure and promoting local socio-economic development. It is expected to welcome around 220,000 tourist arrivals per year by 2030.

Bo Lac Lake is located within a complex of rich and valuable tourism resources.

The planning project defines many functional sub-zones that complement each other. The east of the lake will develop spiritual tourism associated with Tue Duc Truc Lam Zen Monastery; the lakeside area is oriented for building resorts, hotels, vacation villas, meditation areas, and healthcare centers; the downstream area of the lake will shape a golf course and large-scale landscape spaces; interspersed is a system of greenery, water surfaces, parks, walking paths, and amusement parks to maximally preserve the natural landscape.

A notable point in the planning is the concept of developing in harmony with nature. The entire design capitalizes on the natural terrain, strictly limiting ground leveling, protecting protection forests, preserving the ecosystem, and minimizing impacts on the environment. The works are arranged to hide under the forest canopy, directing their views toward the lake surface to create a true eco-resort.

Not stopping at spatial planning, the technical infrastructure is also synchronously calculated—from transportation, electricity, water, and wastewater treatment to the telecommunications system—creating a foundation to attract major investors in the coming time.

Creating New Motivation for Tam Son

In the development orientation of Tam Son commune, tourism is identified as one of the important economic sectors. Bo Lac Lake holds a central role in the connection chain of Tue Duc Truc Lam Zen Monastery - Bay Waterfall - Sang Mountain - Binh Son Tower, creating a deeply layered tourism product instead of the detached destinations as before.

Tue Duc Truc Lam Zen Monastery casting its reflection on Bo Lac Lake.

Reality shows that despite limited infrastructure, Tam Son still attracts tens of thousands of visitors to its historical relics and scenic spots. However, tourism activities have mostly remained on a small scale, products are not yet diverse, and accommodation and entertainment services are still lacking. Therefore, the planning of Bo Lac Lake is expected to create a boost to complete the local tourism value chain.

According to the Secretary of the Tam Son Commune Party Committee Le Dang Tam, developing tourism in association with digital transformation is precisely the path for Tam Son to make a breakthrough, both developing the economy and improving the People’s lives, while affirming the local identity in the era of integration. The new tourism area will not only generate revenue from services but also open up opportunities for economic structure shifting. The formation of resort projects, hotels, golf courses, homestays, and farmstays will bring about a massive demand for labor in the fields of accommodation, cuisine, transport, commerce, experiential agriculture, and support services.

Along with that, the commune has determined to combine digital transformation in destination promotion, digitizing tourism information, building digital maps, and developing smart tourism products to bring the image of Bo Lac Lake closer to domestic and international tourists. This is also the direction that Tam Son is determined to deploy to improve the competitiveness of its tourism industry.

Bay Waterfall with its majestic beauty, attracting tourists to explore and experience.

“The potential is clear, the planning is ready, but there is still a lot of work to be done for Bo Lac Lake to truly become a new tourism highlight,” emphasized Secretary of the Tam Son Commune Party Committee Le Dang Tam.

The most important thing is to attract investors with the financial capacity and experience to develop high-quality eco-resorts. In parallel is investing in connecting transport systems, developing auxiliary services, training local human resources, and building tourism products with their own unique identities.

The rest stop for tourists at Bay Waterfall is being refreshed.

From a water reservoir serving agricultural production, Bo Lac Lake stands before the opportunity to become a “green gem” of Phu Tho tourism. When the planning is synchronously implemented, strategic investors are successfully attracted, and the inherent natural advantages are well promoted, this place will become a new destination, contributing to making Tam Son one of the eco-, resort, and spiritual tourism centers of the province in the coming time.

Ngoc Tuan