(HBO) – Mai Chau district is an outstanding tourist draw in Hoa Binh province. The provincial People’s Committee has approved a master plan to develop Mai Chau district into a national tourism site with local homestays hanging "Homestay ASEAN” award during 2016-2018. Currently, the district is focusing on calling for investments in tourism, seeing it as a spearheaded economy.
Photo:
Suoi Lon resort in Tan Mai commune (Mai Chau district) is being constructed.
Upon completion, it will serve demand of tourists inside and outside the
province.
Seeing
the significance of tourism development in Mai Chau district, the Resolution of
the 25th Congress of the provincial Party Organisation for 2015-2020
period set target of developing community-based tourism in companion with
building new-style rural areas. Particularly, in October 2016, the provincial
People’s Committee gave the green light to a master plan to develop Mai Chau
into a national tourism site by 2030. Thus, the district’s culture-sport division
has been entrusted to popularise Mai Chau’s images to attract investment.
Due attention has been given to developing workforce in tourism sector and
technical infrastructure. Currently, Mai Chau houses 146 accommodations with
seven hotels, 21 guest houses and 117 homestays. There are 13 community-based
villages with standout accommodations like Mai Chau Ecolodge resort (Na Phon
commune), Villas Mai Chau (Mai Hich commune), Lac village (Chieng Chau commune),
Pom Cong (Mai Chau town) and Hich village (Mai Hich commune).
Diverse tourism products have made Mai Chau attractive to both
domestic and foreign tourists. Revenue from tourism services, as a result,
remarkably increased, contributing to increasing state budget collection and
improving local livelihoods. Last year, the district earned over nearly 89.38
billion VND from welcoming 324,536 tourists, including 99,314 foreigners and
225,222 domestic travellers.
The district has attracted investors in various projects like Mai Chau
Ecolodge, Sol Bungalows together with branching out community-based tourism in
Lac, Van and Poom Cong villages.
According to the province’s master plan, 710 hectares will be zoned off for
tourism development with 16 investment projects and 12 others supporting tourism
development. Key areas will be Mai Chau town, Chieng Chau commune and communes
in the vicinity like Tong Dau and Na Phon.
By the end of 2017, the district has seven tourism projects with total
registered capital of 83 billion VND, 56 billion VND of which was disbursed.
Roads connecting local tourist attractions have been upgraded, repaired or newly
constructed.
Also, the district is calling businesses to expand investments in Phuc San, Tan
Dan and Tan Mai communes. Some eco-tourism projects are being carried out in
Tan Mai and Noong Luong communes with total investment of tens of millions VND.
Once completion, the communes will be alluring destinations for domestic and
foreign visitors.
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.