Why Is It Called Bó Lù?

In the Ba Bể lake area, beside the rocky mountain ranges, tropical forests, and the silent springs flowing through the earth, there is a village with a simple name that evokes much curiosity: Bó Lù.
When exploring the name, one can start with the word “Bó” in Tày and Nùng languages. According to local explanations, “bó” usually refers to a source of water that flows, gushes, or wells up from the earth. A familiar example is Pác Bó in Cao Bằng, where “bó” is associated with a water source, while “pác” means the head or mouth of a spring.

Photo: Homestay Ba Be Jungle Houses

However, for the Bó Lù village, the story is not entirely that simple. According to Mr. Mạnh Cầm, the water source in Bó Lù was not the kind of “bó” that clearly wells up at the foot of the mountain, but mainly water seeping from the rock walls, from the spring on the mountaintop. Initially, the water flow was very small, and as it flowed lower, it became more abundant. If considered in the usual understanding, “bó” typically lies at the foot of the mountain, while the water source of Bó Lù begins from the upper part of the mountain. Therefore, the name Bó Lù cannot simply be understood as “the place where water flows out” in the common sense of the word “bó.”

Photo: Homestay Ba Be Jungle Houses

Although there are no documents or legends that definitively explain why the village is called Bó Lù, locals can still trace clues from the village's ancient geography. Before the provincial road ran in front of the village, the Bó Lù area was about 6 to 7 meters lower than it is today. At the current drainage culvert, people could once paddle boats back and forth. On both sides of the village are high mountains, covered with tropical forests, and the space back then was still wild, damp, and more isolated than it is now. The old village had only about 7 to 8 rooftops.

Photo: Homestay Ba Be Jungle Houses

Perhaps it is this geography, a low village situated among mountains and forests, near water, surrounded by nature, that contributed to the name Bó Lù. This name may not only refer to a specific water source but also evokes the image of a low-lying, damp area with water, mountains, forests, and the long-standing life of the Tày people by Ba Bể lake.
According to memories and local information, this area was once called Nam Môn village. By around 1906, the name Bó Lù appeared, at which time the village belonged to the Nam Mẫu commune. This indicates that Bó Lù is a place name with a long history, linked to the changes of the Ba Bể area over many generations.

Photo: Homestay Ba Be Jungle Houses

Today, although the exact meaning of the name Bó Lù still needs to be further explored through elders, ancient documents, and community memories, this ambiguity adds value to this place name. Because each village name is not just a name on a map, but also traces of geography, water sources, language, memories, and the lives of the local people.
Bó Lù, therefore, is not just a village by Ba Bể lake. It is also a piece of memory of the Tày people in the Northeast mountains and forests, where the village name still holds silent stories about water, mountains, forests, and people.