(HBO) – Since 2008, Pa Co commune in Mai Chau district has become a vibrant tourist destination, attracting a large number of domestic and international travelers thanks to its unique and attractive products.
Thousands of tourists experience the Mong cultural exchange night market in Mai
Chau district’s Pa Co commune every Saturday night.
Sung Y Do, the owner of "Mong Space”, which is considered a cultural space of
the Mong ethnic people in miniature, said she created the space with a desire
to preserve the cultural beauty of her community.
Visitors to Mong Space will be impressed by stone fences and traditional
housing architecture which is close to nature. They will also have a chance to
try interesting things such as picking tea buds, bathing and soaking feet with
herbal leaves.
Costumes and jewelry of Mong women which were made hundreds of years ago, as
well as flute and some items from ancient times including oil lamps and
baskets, are on display at the Mong Space.
Along with the development of the tourism economy, there are six homestays in
the commune, meeting the accommodation demand of visitors. Among them, A Pao
Homestay is the most favorite destination as it focuses on preserving the
unique identity of the Mong people.
Hua Thanh Tung, a tourist from Hai Duong province said his family and friends
were satisfied when staying at A Pao Homestay, a Mong-style accommodation.
"We enjoy our stay at A Pao Homestay a lot”, he said, adding that the host was
also very enthusiastic to take them to experience other activities, such as
hunting clouds or visiting traditional craft villages and fairs.
Pa Co village welcomes guests all year round. It is mostly crowded on weekends
and public holidays. Particularly, the Mong ethnic cultural exchange night
market, which is organised every Saturday, has become a unique and attractive
tourist product.
Phan A Song, Chairman of the commune Farmers' Association, said that the night
market model gives visitors a sense of the highland market space. They can
enjoy Mong dance performances and participate in cultural exchanges. It also
offers an opportunity for them to buy local specialities, and experience
traditional cuisine, folk games and entertainment with Mong ethnic identity.
With unique products, Pa Co commune's tourism has left many imprints on
visitors and is one of the provincial tourist destinations that attracted the
most visitors on the occasion of the country’s National Day (September 2).
It welcomed over 8,000 visitors during the National Day holiday from September
1-4./.
Hoa Binh has taken measures, focusing on removing barriers in terms of mechanism, policy, infrastructure, and upgrading technical infrastructure facilities serving tourism and the quality of human resources, to promote tourism development in the Hoa Binh Lake area.
Over the past time, Da Bac has deployed measures to lure more domestic and foreign visitors to the locality, aiming to turn tourism into the district’s economic spearhead.
Covering an area of over 52,000 hectares spanning districts of Mai Chau, Tan Lac, Cao Phong, Da Bac, and Hoa Binh City, Hoa Binh lake has strong potential for tourism development. In recent years, thanks to the attention of local Party Committees and authorities as well as support from international organisations, the advantages of tourism in the lake area have been utilised.
Mai Chau is a mountainous district and home to many ethnic groups such as Thai, Muong, Kinh, Mong, Dao, and Tay with distinctive cultural identities, creating a diverse and unique cultural treasure. Aware of its advantages, the district has paid attention to the preservation and promotion of ethnic groups’ cultural values so that culture will become a leverage for tourism and contribute to socio-economic development and life quality improvement.