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.
Da Bac’s tourism flourished in 2023 following the COVID-19 pandemic. The district recorded 30 accommodation establishments, including 18 homestays, 11 motels, and one two-star hotel, which hosted over 170,000 visitors last year. Tourism revenue was estimated at 80 billion VND (3.2 million USD).
Luong Van Thi, chairman of the district People’s Committee said over the past year, the district has implemented many tourism promotion programmes. In 2023, the district successfully organised a cultural and sports festival in Hien Luong commune with many unique activities, attracting more than 1,000 visitors. In addition, the district coordinated with the media to promote images of nature, people and cultural features imbued with national identity of Da Bac to domestic and international friends.
Besides, the district conducted a survey of potential tourism spots in the Hoa Binh lake national tourist area and developed tours and tourist routes; participated in the 2023 Expanded Northwest Provinces Community Tourism Village Festival in Mai Chau district, he said.
The chairman emphasised that the district has opened training classes to help improve tourism human resources. However, the district’s tourism development still faces challenges such as incomplete infrastructure, monotonous tourism products and under-qualified human resources in the industry, among others, which have hindered the locality’s tourism growth.
The chairman said in 2024, the district will continue to actively participate in tourism promotion programmes and events held by the provincial People's Committee and functional sectors.
He also asked the provincial authorities to support the district with capital from national target programmes, official development assistance capital and other sources to invest in transport, power infrastructure and tourism products while creating favourable conditions for potential businesses and investors to invest in tourism development projects in the locality.
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.
Da Bac district, bestowed with stunning landscapes, is developing ecological and resort tourism offerings. Several tourist sites, put into operation this year, has attracted throngs of high-spending and young domestic visitors.