(HBO) – Kim Boi district in northern Hoa Binh province is endowed with beautiful natural scenery with majestic caves, mountains and forests. It is also famous for folk culture and traditional festivals of Muong ethnic minority group. To promote its potential, the district has focused investment on improving the quality of tourism services, striving to become a high-quality tourism centre in the province.
Serena Resort in Khai Doi hamlet, Sao Bay commune, is one of
the high-class resorts in Kim Boi district.
Kim Boi has long been known for its hot mineral
spring. The spring is considered one of the best natural mineral
hot springs in
Southeast Asia.
Additionally, Kim Boi is a famous land of folk culture and traditional
festivals of the Muong ethnic minority people. Archaeological relic site of
Dong Thech ancient tomb (Chieng hamlet, Vinh Dong commune) dating back to the
second half of the 17th century with small and big stone columns carved in Han
– Nom scripts was recognised as a national relic site. Annually, a number of
festivals are held across the district such as Muong Dong festival (to pray for
good crops and happy families), spring festival, Khuong mua (xuong dong or
taking to the paddy fields), and a festival celebrating a new rice crop. Folk
community games are held at village festivals such as ‘nem con’ (cloth balls
throwing), ‘keo co’ (tug of war), and ‘day gay’ (stick pushing) along with
unique dances.
Furthermore, Kim Boi boasts a diverse system of
caves, mountains and old forests. These natural advantages enable the district
to develop eco-tourism, resort tourism and tours to explore Muong ethnic
culture. The district is home to many eco-tourism sites such as Serena Resort (
Sao
Baycommune), Cuu Thac Tu Son (site of nine waterfalls in Tu Son commune), Mat Troi
(Sun waterfall in Kim Tien commune), Thuong Tien specialised forest and
V’Resort (Vinh Tien commune).
The
number of visitors to Kim Boi district is higher than those to the districts of
Ky Son, Yen Thuy, Luong Son, Lac Son, Tan Lac and Cao Phong. However, the
figure is lower than those of Hoa Binh city, and Mai Chau and Lac Thuy districts.
Kim Boi district ranked third in the province in terms of revenues from tourism
services last year with 137.6 billion VND (6 million USD), just behind Luong
Son and Lac Thuy districts. Last year, the district’s tourism sector saw
promising signals. By the end of November, Kim Boi welcomed nearly 197,000
tourists, including 18,771 domestic visitors and 8,124 foreigners. Hotel room
occupancy reached 65 percent.
The district is planning to develop high-quality tourism to attract more
domestic and international foreigners. High-end resorts will be developed in
parallel with top quality tours and community-based tourism. It expects to welcome
250,000 visitors by 2020, 400,000 by 2025 and 650,000 by 2030. Earnings from
tourism are expected at 250 billion VND by 2020, 460 billion VND by 2025 and
900 billion VND by 2030./.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Hoa Binh province continues to implement the expanded tourism development cooperation program plan of 8 Northwest provinces with Ho Chi Minh City; deploying digital transformation content in tourism and developing a smart tourism province. Hoa Binh province received about 3.6 million views, an increase of 7.9% over the same period. In which, international visitors are about 380 visitors, domestic visitors are estimated at 3 million 220 visitors.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.