Love paddle boarding? There are so many beautiful places in the Northern of Vietnam for enthusiastic paddlers to explore. Go SUP boarding and find yourself in the great wild of rocky mountains and rivers, and enjoy the true freedom.

Here is 6 of the best destinations for paddle boarding in Northern of Vietnam

1. Hoa Binh Lake

Hoa Binh Lake is the largest artificial reservoir in Vietnam. You can reach the lake with ease from Hanoi by taking the bus from My Dinh bus station. It is a good getaway from the city, the driving is just about 2hrs from Hanoi. This is considered one of the best location for paddle boarding in Vietnam. The lake is enormous and you can choose where to start your paddle. In my opinion, there are two ways that you should start you exploration:

Come to the first one, from Hoa Binh city, you can turn right and head to Da Bac Town. Find your way to Huu Thao Homestay in Hien Luong Commune. From there you can start your exploration of Hoa Binh Lake. The scenery is astounding-guaranteed, with the enormous peaceful lake and greenery. Stick to the right side of the lake and you will reach Paradise Cape, which is a peninsula and a perfect spot for camping. However you can only camp here from March to July, which is the dry season. From August to February, the water is high and you can’t even see the cape. If you decide to go in rainy season, I recommend going back to Huu Thao Homestay to spend the night, since it’s a long way to get to an accommodation if you keep going (about 10km paddling from the cape).

You can start your paddle from Thung Nai wharf as well. Take left at Hoa Binh city and you will get there in about 1hr. Thung Nai is on the opposite side of the lake from Hien Luong Commune. Start there and stick to the left, you will see a very different scenery from the other side of the lake. You can see karst formation with impressive limestone rock cliffs. It is quite similar with what you can experience in Ha Long Bay – one of the World Heritage Site. There are two places for accommodation if you follow this route. You can stay in Ngoi Hoa Village, which is not very far from Thung Nai. This option is for novice paddlers, looking for a relax and easy trip. But if you are an experienced paddler, you can continue your paddle to get to Ba Khan Commune and earn your rest at Ba Khan Village Resort. In Ba Khan, you can do some trekking around the area. Tourism is new in the region. You will find beautiful mountain scenery with vast corn field and peaceful local villages of Muong people, waiting for you to explore.