A large proportion of the number of tourists coming to Ha Giang are veterans, relatives of martyrs, agencies, businesses and people from all over the country who come to Vi Xuyen to pay tribute to those who died in the fight to protect the northern border, revisit the old battlefields, learn about legendary places such as: "Century Lime Kiln", "Meat Grinder", "Underworld Waterfall", "Soul Calling Valley" and many other names that just by hearing them evoke a heroic memory.

Ha Giang Province Tourism Association pays tribute to heroic martyrs at Vi Xuyen National Martyrs Cemetery.

Ha Giang tourism industry has seized that opportunity and identified this as the province's strength. Through discussions with Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Huong, Deputy Director of Ha Giang Tourism Promotion Center, we learned that, based on the objective reality of Ha Giang tourism, the Board of Directors of the Department of Culture and Tourism has promptly advised the Provincial People's Committee to develop a thematic resolution and has timely instructions to identify spiritual tourism and memory tourism as a strength and a new effective direction for the province's tourism. Directing the Ha Giang Tourism Association to develop old battlefield tourism products, build tours, and memory spiritual routes to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for approval. Tourism activities are associated with paying tribute to martyrs, educating traditions, and promoting the image of Ha Giang land and people. Ensuring that tourism activities and tourism products do not affect the environment and diplomatic relations.

Mr. Tran Quy Binh (middle), former officer of Regiment 122, Division 313 (Military Region 2), now Deputy Director of the Vi Xuyen-Ha Tuyen Front Veterans Club, President of the Bac Me District Veterans Club helping each other to do business, with his comrades on a memory tour.

During these days of July, coming to Vi Xuyen National Martyrs Cemetery, we encountered thousands of people on their journey back to their roots. At peak times, there were more than 300 groups of visitors coming to visit/day and starting their journey to Ha Giang. On the morning of July 27, among the hundreds of groups of visitors to the cemetery, there was a delegation of Ha Giang Province Tourism Association representing 150 travel agencies, restaurants, hotels and accommodation establishments coming to offer incense to the heroic martyrs.

At the memorial yard, Mr. Lai Quoc Tinh, Chairman of the Ha Giang Provincial Tourism Association shared: In the first 7 months of the year, Ha Giang welcomed more than 1.5 million tourists, 90% of which visited the cemetery to burn incense, 30% of which wanted to learn about the Vi Xuyen war, including many foreign visitors. Recently, following the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Ha Giang and the Provincial Tourism Association have built many memorable tourism products, typically following his footsteps with tours through legendary places: "Blood Stream" of Pinh village - Coc Nghe - "Spring trench" - "Death Gate" 673 (Nghe beach) - Na Toong - 468.

Revisit the old battlefield in Vi Xuyen.

Mr. Lai Quoc Tinh said: This is a new tourism product so there are still some limitations. In the future, the association will advise on the installation of signboards, introduce landmarks, hold seminars to collect opinions from veterans - living witnesses about historical documents, from there organize training for tour guides, propose to restore some relics, such as: Thanh Thuy arch bridge, preserve Thanh Thuy - Pa Han suspension bridge, the last intact relic. Propose to ask for permission to bring tourists to some legendary places such as Lang Lo cave, Na Cay cave currently located in the military construction management area.

Spiritual tourism, tourism to visit the old battlefield... collectively called Vi Xuyen memory tourism is truly a correct and practical direction for Ha Giang tourism. Looking at the images of convoys of vehicles with banners: Revisiting the old battlefield, images of veterans, relatives of martyrs choking at the cemetery, then eagerly going to Thanh Thuy, to Minh Tan - the Dong Song Lo battlefield that once gloriously defended the border... will see more clearly that besides the economic efficiency, promoting the land and people of Ha Giang, this type of tourism also has the effect of educating traditions, inspiring patriotism for generations.

Article and photos: TRAN QUY BINH

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