Awakening the tourism potential of the Thien Phu mountain range

Visitors discover the wild beauty when coming to Thien Phu.

"Song" in the middle of the forest

When coming to Thien Phu, don't miss the Muong Khang market - where the colors, sounds and flavors of the mountains and forests meet. The market takes place twice a month, on the second and fourth Saturdays. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the bustling atmosphere, exchange simple smiles, and buy and sell local products with the locals. In addition, there are exciting folk sports activities such as crossbow shooting, tug of war, throwing balls, volleyball, balloons, and a colorful cultural exchange night. The xoè dances, khạp singing, and bamboo rafting resound in the firelight of the great night, making people want to melt into the intoxication of the mountains and forests. Each market, each piece of music, each smile is a part of the soul of Thien Phu, connecting people and culture, past and present - so that visitors not only come, but also want to come back.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city to find a peaceful place, Thien Phu is the ideal stop. The rustic stilt houses located in the middle of green nature bring a feeling of closeness and familiarity like returning to your own homeland. Here, you can enjoy local specialties and stories about the life and customs of the local people. In particular, you can participate in the experience of farming, preparing dishes, weaving brocade, picking bamboo shoots, cutting bamboo, or preparing festivals with the locals...

Leaving the village, following the winding roads around the mountainside, visitors will come to Nang Mon cave - the "hidden gem" of Thien Phu community tourism area. The path leading to the cave is a journey filled with emotions, where majestic mountains and forests and pristine landscapes blend to create a mesmerizing natural picture. The space in the cave is like another world : sparkling stalactites, a cool and clear underground stream flowing through the mountain. Standing in the middle of the cave listening to the echoing sound of water, you will feel your soul being washed, leaving only the peace and magic of nature.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, coming to Thien Phu, visitors can immerse themselves in pristine nature, feeling the fresh, pure breath of heaven and earth. This is not only a place for tourism, but also a place to find balance and peace of mind.

Awaken your potential

Once known as a remote mountainous area with villages hidden among vast bamboo forests, Thien Phu is now changing day by day. With more than 147km2 of natural area, nearly 90% of which is natural forest and planted forest, this place has long been considered the "green lung" of the upper Thanh Hoa region. Bamboo trees used to be the source of life and pride of the people, but if they only rely on exploiting bamboo, they will remain poor. The difficulty lies not in the lack of resources, but in the way of thinking and doing. It is this awareness that has paved the way for Thien Phu to find a new direction - turning forests, mountains and villages into unique tourism products, creating sustainable livelihoods from culture and nature.

Realizing the potential of nature, the commune government has proactively surveyed and oriented the development of community tourism associated with forest ecology and ethnic culture. Thien Phu owns a majestic cave system, notably Nang Mon cave, which is more than 2km long with a clear underground stream. Along with that, the caves in Bau village preserve ancient archaeological vestiges, opening up a direction for tourism development to explore and learn about prehistoric culture. The mountainous terrain, many streams and winding roads around the mountainside are also very suitable for adventure activities such as trail running, mountain biking, and forest trekking. On those roads, Thai and Muong villages with stilt houses and traditional customs are ideal conditions for forming homestay and farmstay models with strong highland identity.

Along with the people, Thien Phu authorities have shown strong determination in renewing management and development thinking. Chairman of the People's Committee of Phan Van Dai commune said: "We are building a master plan for the period 2025-2030 with three focuses: conserving the forest-cave ecosystem; developing tourism infrastructure associated with national identity and training local human resources. Thien Phu does not only want to do tourism, but also wants to do green, responsible and sustainable tourism." This vision is helping the locality create a solid foundation for the future.

Along with that, Thien Phu commune also cooperated with organizations supporting the highlands to open training courses on community tourism, instructing people on skills of welcoming guests, serving food, promoting products, and preserving the environment. Many stilt houses were cleaned and decorated with natural materials. Households boldly opened homestays, food services, and guided tours; Bat village, Bau village, and Luong village gradually became favorite destinations for tourists.

The locality also focuses on developing typical OCOP products such as dried bamboo shoots, dried stream fish, leaf-fermented wine, bamboo handicrafts... so that tourists can bring them back as gifts, contributing to increasing local income.

From a remote and isolated land, Thien Phu is gradually becoming a bright spot of green - unique - sustainable tourism in Thanh Hoa.

Article and photos: Tran Hang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/danh-thuc-tiem-nang-du-lich-nbsp-noi-dai-ngan-thien-phu-267404.htm