HBO – Da Bac district in Hoa Binh province boasts unique cultural and historical tradition, pristine forests, beautiful landscapes, spectacular mountains, numerous caves, streams and waterfalls. It has been included in the plan to build the Hoa Binh Reservoir National Tourist Area. These offer opportunities for the district to develop various forms of tourism, contributing to sustainable economic restructuring and improving the living conditions of local people.
People in Sung hamlet, Cao Son commune (Da Bac) introduce their special food at the 2017 northwestern region community-based tourism village festival in Mai Chau district
Da Bac district boasts its great tourism resources. Its Hoa Binh reservoir has many big and small islands and peaceful bays, which are attractive to tourists. Phu Canh pristine forest, spanning over the communes of Dong Ruong, Doan Ket and Dong Chum, houses valuable timber and animals. Lo Lan cave in the Bieu mountain nature reserve in Hien Luong commune is bestowed with temperate climate, filled with fog all year around. Bo Temple is a well-known spiritual tourism site. The district is also home to Muong, Dao and Tay ethnic minority groups with their own cultural identities, offering chances for tourists to explore and experience local lives.
Nguyen Van Hien, head of the district’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Da Bac has developed a resolution on tourism development through 2030, as Hoa Binh reservoir is planned to be a national tourist area.
Publicity campaigns have been conducted to promote the Hoa Binh reservoir national tourist site while encouraging locals to preserve the cultural identities, protect the environment and enhance their hospitality kills.
Numerous local firms have showed their interest in tourism projects around Hoa Binh reservoir. A number of community-based tourism models have been established and operated effectively, such as Ke hamlet, Hien Luong commune; Da Bia hamlet, Tien Phong commune; and Sung hamlet in Cao Son commune.
Sung hamlet is one of the attractive homestay destinations in the district, involving 376 people of 71 households. All of them are Dao ethnic minorities. With beautiful landscapes and locals’ plentiful daily activities and delicious food, the hamlet has lured crowds of visitors. Sung hamlet is around 21 km from Da Bac township. Visitors can also take a boat to Ke hamlet in Hien Luong commune and then walk for 18km to Cao Son commune, contemplating Bieu mountain, Lo Lan cave, pristine forests and yellow rice fields on the way.
In Sung hamlet, tourists can engage in locals’ daily activities such as farming, fishing, dancing and sports games; or taste their traditional food such as chicken, fish and wine.
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.