Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has suggested the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien pay more attention to spiritual tourism, as it is gearing up for the 60 th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory.

As Dien Bien boasts many relic sites and shares borderlines with Laos and China, it is well placed to launch spiritual tourist routes via Thailand and Myanmar, Doan recommended.

She also hailed the province for ensuring social welfare for all families of war heroes, adding that it should keep up with this activity in the future.

Local authorities pledged to provide all available resources to upgrade the provincial Social Welfare Centre. They asked for the construction of centres serving the elderly and disabled children, and more long-term scholarships for poor and underprivileged children.

On the occasion, Doan presented 60 gifts to families of local war heroes and ex-volunteer youths who fought during the Dien Bien Phu campaign and the anti-French resistance war.

She also donated 1.5 billion VND (70,000 USD) to the local Fund for Children. The sum will be spent on building two kindergartens in the districts of Tua Chua and Muong Ang.

Earlier, she paid tribute to the dead at a requiem ceremony for those that lost their lives in the campaign.-VNA