Muong Khuong and Bat Xat districts in the northern mountainousprovince of Lao Cai boast high potential for tourism developmentalongside popular destinations like Sa Pa town and the Bac Hamarket.
The districts are endowed with strikingnatural scenes and rich cultures suitable for developing eco-tourism andcommunity-based tourism.
Sitting in the northeastpart of Lao Cai, Muong Khuong is home to 16 caves scattered across 15communes and towns, including Ham Rong, Ta Lam, Nam Ooc and Seo Tungcaves.
The People’s Committee of Muong Khuongdistrict has set aside 34.4 billion VND (1.67 million USD) to restoreand upgrade local heritage sites between 2011 and 2015.
The district has been upgrading clusters of caves and building moretraditional craft and cultural villages such as brocade weaving villagesin Sa Pa, Coc Ngu, Na An and Di Thang.
Alonghighway 4E connecting Muong Khuong and Si Ma Cai – dubbed the sleepingprincess in Bac Ha district – visitors can pop into cultural villagessuch as Sin Cheng, Can Cau and Bac Ha.
Vice Chairmanof the district’s People’s Committee Pham Ba Uyen said the five-yeartourism development project is intended to move a number of workers inagriculture production to trade and services sectors in order topreserve and promote the traditional cultures of ethnic groups.
Located in the southwest part of Lao Cai, Bat Xat district is famous for its Y Ty primary forest and A Mu Sung Mountain.
Tourists can take a nearly 150-kilometre journey by car or motorbiketo visit Sa Pa and Bat Xat towns or Y Ty and Muong Hum communesand explore the stunning landscapes and vibrant cultural lifestyle ofethnic minority people such as Giay, Dao, Mong and Ha Nhi.
To tap the tourism potential, Bat Xat district has been launchingtours, building community-based cultural sites such as Lung Lo, LaoChai, Den Sang, Muong Hum and Ban Xeo, each featuring the unique cultureof different ethnic groups and becoming a must-see destination forforeign visitors.
Authorities have also built adevelopment strategy to create a new tourism image in the district,including better management of tourism services and opening trainingcourses for tourism staff.
They also encouraged theinvolvement of businesses and families while activating promotionprogrammes and building infrastructure systems to developcommunity-based tourism, said Chairman of the local People’s CommitteeBui Huu Loi.
According to the local Department ofCulture, Sports and Tourism, Lao Cai welcomed over 1 million visitors inthe first six months of 2015, a year-on-year rise of 15 percent.
The tourism sector garnered nearly 2.3 trillion VND (103 billion USD)in revenue in the period, a yearly increase of 15 percent.
Sa Pa, Bac Ha, Bat Xat and Muong Khuong are the most populardestinations with 20-30 percent growth in the volume of visitors.-VNA
The districts are endowed with strikingnatural scenes and rich cultures suitable for developing eco-tourism andcommunity-based tourism.
Sitting in the northeastpart of Lao Cai, Muong Khuong is home to 16 caves scattered across 15communes and towns, including Ham Rong, Ta Lam, Nam Ooc and Seo Tungcaves.
The People’s Committee of Muong Khuongdistrict has set aside 34.4 billion VND (1.67 million USD) to restoreand upgrade local heritage sites between 2011 and 2015.
The district has been upgrading clusters of caves and building moretraditional craft and cultural villages such as brocade weaving villagesin Sa Pa, Coc Ngu, Na An and Di Thang.
Alonghighway 4E connecting Muong Khuong and Si Ma Cai – dubbed the sleepingprincess in Bac Ha district – visitors can pop into cultural villagessuch as Sin Cheng, Can Cau and Bac Ha.
Vice Chairmanof the district’s People’s Committee Pham Ba Uyen said the five-yeartourism development project is intended to move a number of workers inagriculture production to trade and services sectors in order topreserve and promote the traditional cultures of ethnic groups.
Located in the southwest part of Lao Cai, Bat Xat district is famous for its Y Ty primary forest and A Mu Sung Mountain.
Tourists can take a nearly 150-kilometre journey by car or motorbiketo visit Sa Pa and Bat Xat towns or Y Ty and Muong Hum communesand explore the stunning landscapes and vibrant cultural lifestyle ofethnic minority people such as Giay, Dao, Mong and Ha Nhi.
To tap the tourism potential, Bat Xat district has been launchingtours, building community-based cultural sites such as Lung Lo, LaoChai, Den Sang, Muong Hum and Ban Xeo, each featuring the unique cultureof different ethnic groups and becoming a must-see destination forforeign visitors.
Authorities have also built adevelopment strategy to create a new tourism image in the district,including better management of tourism services and opening trainingcourses for tourism staff.
They also encouraged theinvolvement of businesses and families while activating promotionprogrammes and building infrastructure systems to developcommunity-based tourism, said Chairman of the local People’s CommitteeBui Huu Loi.
According to the local Department ofCulture, Sports and Tourism, Lao Cai welcomed over 1 million visitors inthe first six months of 2015, a year-on-year rise of 15 percent.
The tourism sector garnered nearly 2.3 trillion VND (103 billion USD)in revenue in the period, a yearly increase of 15 percent.
Sa Pa, Bac Ha, Bat Xat and Muong Khuong are the most populardestinations with 20-30 percent growth in the volume of visitors.-VNA
