(HBO) - Sung is a highland hamlet in Cao Son commune, Da Bac district, with a natural area of over 780ha. It is endowed with beautiful landscapes, streams and clouds and terraced fields.
A
performance of an art troupe of Sung hamlet in Da Bac district’s Cao Son
commune.
According to local residents, Sung hamlet has existed for 500 years. It
is home to 75 Dao Tien ethnic households, whose lives depend on agricultural
production with rice, maize, and potatoes are main crops.
Since 2017, with the support of Action on Poverty (AOP) in Vietnam, some
households have participated in tourism activities. They obtained loans and
received training relating to cooking and other necessary skills to welcome
tourists.
With the advantage of unspoiled natural beauty, folk dances and the traditional
craft of brocade printing and embroidery which create many valuable products,
Sung hamlet has attracted many domestic and foreign tourists.
Currently, there are three households that offer homestay services, namely
Thanh Chung, Xuan Lan and Nhat Quy homestays, and 50 others who engage in
providing tourism services in the locality. The community guesthouses here are
highly appreciated by visitors for retaining the original architecture of the
traditional houses of the Dao ethnic people.
Households offering homestay services have gradually met the demand of tourists
by serving traditional cuisine, performing traditional music and organising
activities for visitors to experience the lifestyle of Dao ethnic people such
as cooking, fishing and learning how to dye fabric and make brocade embroidery
of the Dao people.
The number of visitors to Sung hamlet was on the rise. In 2017,
the village welcomed 600 tourists, including 450 foreign travelers, and earned
350 million VND (15,040 USD) from tourism-related activities. The figure topped
1,850 in 2019, including 1,590 foreign visitors, with a revenue of 817 million
VND. Between 2020 and 2022, tourism activities will be affected by the COVID-19
pandemic.
Ly Sao Mai, a Da Bac community-based tourism coordinator in Sung hamlet, said
community-based tourism model has created more jobs and increased income for
local people. This is a sustainable business model that exploits the strengths
of locals, while preserving and promoting the natural environment landscape and
national identity.
It does not only have a positive effect on the development of the tourism
sector but also has a profound impact on society, culture, and the environment.
However, the model requires close coordination between local residents, tour
operators and administrations at all levels to maintain its sustainability. It
has initially caught the attention of leaders at all levels and attracted
domestic and foreign tourists./.
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.