Despite starting to develop tourism later than some other localities, with the potential described as having both "Sa Pa and Ha Long Bay” in the midst of mountains as well as a typical cultural identity and a new direction, Da Bac district is gradually winning the hearts of travellers.
A high-end and modern resort attractive to tourists in
Vay Nua commune, Da Bac district.
At present, though Da Bac has yet to be truly
popular on the tourism map of Vietnam, such local names as Sung and Da Bia
hamlets, Lord Thac Bo Temple, or some resorts like Mo Village, Vayang Retreat,
Maida Lodge, and Xoan Retreat have proved attractive to travel lovers.
Ban Kim Quy, Vice Chairman of the Da Bac
People’s Committee, said that instead of rushing to tourism development that
may ruin natural landscapes, the district opted to capitalise on its advantages
in agriculture, rural areas, culture, and ecological environment. It has
shifted from pure agricultural production to agricultural economy connected
with developing services and tourism in the vicinity of Hoa Binh Lake so as to
gradually improve the quality of residents’ material and spiritual lives.
He noted Da Bac is focusing on equipping locals
with tourism skills and, especially, recovering, preserving, and bringing into
play ethnic groups’ traditional cultures to sustainably develop tourism and
generate high economic benefits.
There are now 30 accommodation establishments
across the district, including 18 homestay facilities, 11 hotels, and one
two-star hotel. Da Bac welcomed 170,100 tourist arrivals and earned over 80 billion
VND (3.1 million USD) in tourism revenue last year. Both figures increased
during the first half of 2024 compared to the same period of 2023.
Da Bac targets more than 550,000 visitors and
165 billion VND in tourism revenue in 2025. It looks to raise the respective
figures to over 660,000 and 198 billion VND by 2030, Quy added.
Nguyen Van Toan, Standing Vice Chairman of the
Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee, said Hoa Binh Lake spans five
district-level localities, of which Da Bac is home to the largest water surface
area. The lake has met three of the five criteria for a national tourism area –
a status the province hopes to secure by 2030.
Sixteen service, culture, and tourism investment
projects in the lake’s vicinity have been licensed or granted investment
certificates so far. They cover about 1,444ha of land and have total investment
of over 3.3 trillion VND. The projects aim to meet tourism, relaxation, and
entertainment demand at the same time with planting and protecting forest and
preserving culture.
The provincial administration will strongly
direct relevant agencies and sectors to provide maximum procedural assistance
for the projects to be carried out on schedule. Besides, authorities will also
exert efforts in completing transport, tourism, and communication
infrastructure to create momentum for the accommodation system and tourism
products to develop quickly and contribute to local growth, Toan remarked.
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.
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