Accordingto Ly Trung Kien, Vice Chairwoman of Dong Van district People’sCommittee, thousands of visitors thronged popular destinations in thearea, including the Dong Van ancient street, Lung Cu flagpole whichmarks the country’s northernmost point and the old mansion of the Vuongfamily who used to be the King of the local H’Mong ethnic tribe.
Kien said around one third of the tourists were foreigners, and mostof domestic tourists were from the central and southern regions.
Recognised as a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks(GGN) in 2010, Dong Van plateau is spread over the four districts ofQuan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van.
AsVietnam’s first geological park and the second of its kind in SoutheastAsia, after Langkawi Geological Park in Malaysia, the 2,356 squarekilometre plateau is 80 percent limestone and contains the fossils ofthousands of species of prehistoric creatures from 400-600 million yearsago.
It is also home to 250,000 people from17 different ethnic groups, who boast unique cultures that have beenfostered over the centuries.
Vice Chairman of Ha Giang provincial People’s Committee Sen Chin Ly saidthe local authorities have taken a range measures to ensure securityand safety while meeting the demands of tourists. The districts havebeen organising many cultural activities with the participation ofethnic people to welcome visitors.
He added thatthe completion of upgrading work on the National Highway 4C from HaGiang city to the four districts on the stone plateau has helpedattracted more visitors.
Towards developing tourisminto a main income source, Ha Giang authorities are making steps toattract investors and promote the province’s attractions throughupgrading infrastructure at main local destinations and building moretourist products with local characteristics.
Last year, the province welcomed some 440,000 tourists, up 5.3 percent from 2012, with 130,000 coming from abroad.-VNA