Lang Son promotes values of Viet Bac heritage sites

(LSO) – The tourism development cooperation programme joined by the six northern mountainous provinces of Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang was luanched in August 2009 in Ha Giang with the theme “Through Viet Bac Heritage Sites”.

After the first in 2013, the 11^th edition of the programme is being held in Lang Son from November 3-5, 2019, with an art shows jointly performed by artists from the six provinces, along with many interesting activities such as contests for good tour guides, exhibitions, tourism promotion pogrammes, and sports activities.

Through tourism events, a survey programme organized by the provincial Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism in cooperation with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Vietnam Tourism Association, has focused on building typical tourism products of the six provinces such as: Dong Van Karst Plateau, Hoang Su Phi terraced fields in Ha Giang; Tan Trao historical relic and Na Hang hydroelectricity in Tuyen Quang;  Ba Be lake in Bac Kan; Ban Gioc  waterfall and Pac Bo historical relic area in Cao Bang;  Coc mountain lake, and  Dinh Hoa Safety Zone in Thai Nguyen; and Mau Son tourist area, border gate tourism in Lang Son.

Visitors at the Mau Son Tourism Festival 2019

The development of tourism areas has helped promote tourism infrastructure development in the six provinces. Accordingly, a road system connecting inter-regional tourist routes has been upgraded, repaired and newly built, including National Highway No. 3 connecting Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan, National Highway No.  4 connecting Cao Bang  and Lang Son, and National Highway No. 279  connecting Lang Son,  Cao Bang,  Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang.

Additionally, tourism cooperation and promotion activities among the six provinces has importantly contributed  to attracting investment and diversifying tourism products, with outstanding projects such as building the plan of the national tourism area of the Dong Van Karst Plateau (Ha Giang), the Tan Trao national tourism site (Tuyen  Quang),  the Ba Be tourism site (Bac Kan), the Mau Son tourism site (Lang Son), the Pac Bo special national tourism site  (Cao Bang). Many investment projects to develop tourism sites, resorts and high quality accommodation establishments in the provinces have attracted a large number of enterprises, including Vingroup, Muong Thanh Group, and Saigon tourist.

   Opportunities for Lang Son’s tourism sector

As one of the members joining in the tourism development cooperation programme, since 2010, Lang Son has regularly attended  conferences and workshops and tourism promotion events held in the six provinces. It also invited other localities to participate in events such as Cherry Blossom Festival; Culture, Sports and Tourism Week; and Mau Son Tourism Festival.

Through programmes for tourism survey, cooperation and development in the six provinces, many new tourism products of Lang Son have been developed, including community-ecological tourism in Bac Son, Huu Lung and Binh Gia districts. These tourism products attract hundreds of domestic tourism businesses, including Saigon Tourist, Vietravel and Hanoitourist to build new tours in Lang Son and others tours to connect with the six provinces.

As a result, the number of tourists to Lang Son has been on the rise. The growth rate in the 2013 – 2018 period was 5.3 percent. In the first nine months of 2019, Lang Son welcomed over 2.2 million visitors, up 11.2 percent year on year.

Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Phuc Ha said in the coming time, Lang Son will continue to focus on promoting tourism cooperation with the other provinces and organising key linkage activities, especially tripartite connections between managers; travel, accommodation and transportation businesses and tourist destinations./.