Dien Bien tourism is undergoing a transformation.

Located in the northwesternmost part of the country, and marking the glorious victory of the Dien Bien Phu battle, Dien Bien province boasts a complex of 45 Dien Bien Phu battlefield relics, with prominent sites such as Hill A1, Muong Thanh Bridge, the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Post, De Castries Bunker, the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument, the Martyrs' Memorial at the Dien Bien Phu Battlefield, the General Vo Nguyen Giap Memorial Area at the Muong Phang Campaign Command Post, the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, Hoang Cong Chat Temple, and the National Martyrs' Cemeteries of A1, Him Lam, Doc Lap, Tong Khao, etc.

Furthermore, Dien Bien is blessed with majestic and picturesque landscapes, creating a strong foundation for developing community tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism, culinary tourism, and adventure tourism. Dien Bien is also home to 19 ethnic groups, each with unique and fascinating traditional cultural values related to customs, practices, production, daily life, and beliefs. In recent years, many traditional festivals in Dien Bien have been preserved, honored, and developed, becoming distinctive cultural features such as the Hoa Ban Festival and the Thanh Ban Phu Festival.

Tourists visit Hill A1.

To capitalize on the aforementioned potential, since 2021, the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee has issued Resolution No. 03-NQ/TU on the development of Dien Bien tourism until 2025, with a vision to 2030. The goal is to build Dien Bien into an attractive tourist destination in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region by 2025, based on effectively exploiting its potential and advantages while preserving the cultural identity of ethnic groups and historical relics, protecting and improving the ecological environment, enhancing the material and spiritual lives of the people, maintaining political security, social order and safety, and national border sovereignty.

In implementing Resolution No. 03-NQ/TU, over the past years, Dien Bien has deployed many investment projects to develop tourism infrastructure; at the same time, creating favorable conditions for individuals and businesses to participate in investing in the tourism sector, creating landmark projects and unique attractions for the province's tourism industry.

In particular, with the 2024 National Tourism Year event "The Glory of Dien Bien Phu - Endless Experiences" and many cultural and experiential activities associated with the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, Dien Bien tours have become a highlight attracting domestic and international tourists since the beginning of the year. According to statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, from January 1st to May 7th, 2024, Dien Bien province welcomed over 1 million tourists. Of these, approximately 4,800 were international tourists. Total revenue from tourism activities reached nearly 1,900 billion VND. During the peak period from April 30th to May 7th, Dien Bien province welcomed over 371,000 tourists; total revenue from tourism activities reached over 390 billion VND.

Tourists take photos with the panoramic painting "Dien Bien Phu Campaign".

Sharing his feelings about his first visit to the historical land of Dien Bien, Mr. Mai Van Tam, a tourist from Hanoi, said: "This time, my family had the opportunity to visit famous historical sites in Dien Bien such as the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Headquarters, De Castries Bunker, the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument, etc. Especially, the people of Dien Bien are very enthusiastic and hospitable; the homestays here are all of good quality and fully meet the needs of tourists."

In reality, with the synchronized and comprehensive involvement of all levels and sectors, Dien Bien's tourism industry has been undergoing a strong transformation. The tourism infrastructure has received significant investment, fundamentally meeting the local tourism service needs. In particular, the transportation system at tourist areas and destinations has facilitated connections and shortened travel times for tourists, thus promoting the province's tourism development. The completion of the Dien Bien Airport expansion project has created a major breakthrough in connecting transportation with localities nationwide and internationally.

In addition, the system of accommodation facilities, cultural services, entertainment, etc., is also being built and developed. The entire province currently has over 220 tourist accommodation establishments with nearly 3,000 rooms, about 5,300 beds… and 11 cultural tourism villages; 6 homestays, 14 entertainment and picnic spots capable of serving 85,000 visitors simultaneously; and more than 120 restaurants with a capacity to serve from 100 to 1,300 guests at a time. Investment promotion and the promotion of Dien Bien's tourism image are also carried out regularly, with many diverse and appropriate forms.

Thanks to this, in 2023, Dien Bien province's tourism sector reached the milestone of welcoming 1 million tourists for the first time, an increase of nearly 25% compared to the same period in 2022; total revenue from tourism activities reached over 1,700 billion VND, an increase of nearly 27% compared to the same period in 2022. Reaching the 1 million tourist mark has created a solid growth momentum for Dien Bien province's tourism industry; at the same time, it has made a positive contribution to the overall growth of localities throughout the province. Tourism is also playing an important role in the process of economic restructuring, job creation, increasing people's income, and enhancing Dien Bien's position and image on the national tourism map.

Building on the achievements already made, strengthening investment in the comprehensive development of tourism infrastructure, coupled with the preservation of traditional cultural values, promoting tourism, and diversifying distinctive tourism products will be the "key" to Dien Bien's tourism continued strong transformation. This will help realize the goal of making Dien Bien an attractive tourist destination in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region by 2025; and simultaneously, make the tourism industry a driving force for Dien Bien's socio-economic development, contributing to the preservation of the cultural identity of ethnic groups throughout the province while directly increasing income and improving the material and spiritual lives of the local people.

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