Hot springs heat up the tourism market

When the weather turns to autumn, the mist begins to cover the mountain slopes, which is also the time when the hot mineral springs in Van Chan, Hanh Phuc, and Tu Le gently radiate warmth, inviting visitors. Immersing in the warm mineral water spreading throughout the body, visitors clearly feel the relaxation and peace amidst the majestic and fresh natural scenery of the mountains and forests.

For a long time, people have considered hot springs as a natural therapy to help relax, restore and improve health. However, hot springs are not common, but only appear in areas with special geological structures. Therefore, owning natural hot springs has become a valuable advantage of Van Chan, Hanh Phuc and Tu Le communes ( Lao Cai province).

Seizing that potential, many local households have boldly invested in building mineral baths, health care and community tourism facilities, turning available natural resources into unique tourism products imbued with the identity of the highlands. Mineral baths in Hanh Phuc, Van Chan and Tu Le are gradually asserting their position as attractive destinations, contributing to enriching the tourism picture of the province.

Autumn, winter and spring are the ideal times for tourists to come to hot mineral baths. In the chilly weather, being immersed in natural warm water from 35 - 45°C, the feeling of relaxation, blood circulation, and fatigue relief makes everyone want to come back. In modern life, wellness tourism is becoming a strong development trend, aiming to bring physical and mental recovery experiences to tourists. With a system of natural mineral springs, pristine landscapes and unique indigenous cultures, the communes of Hanh Phuc, Van Chan and Tu Le have great potential to become ideal destinations for this type of tourism.

Hoai Giap Homestay, Van Chan commune with hot mineral swimming pool service attracts many tourists.

In Van Chan commune, there are currently about 7 mineral spring service establishments, with a capacity of 40-60 guests/establishment. The number of visitors to mineral baths in the commune at the end of the year doubles compared to the summer. Many homestays in Van Chan commune are fully booked on weekends.

The facilities providing hot mineral spring bath services are diverse, combining hot mineral pools, saunas, herbal baths, etc. Hot mineral spring tourism in Van Chan commune is gradually becoming a familiar choice for tourists in their journey to find a balance between relaxation and healing, restoring energy after stressful working days.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai, Thac Hoa village, Van Chan commune, shared: “I often take hot mineral baths, this activity is very good for my health, especially in the fall and winter. Soaking in the warm hot mineral water relaxes my muscles and relaxes my mind after stressful working days.”

Huong Kim Homestay, Van Chan Commune has hot mineral swimming pool, hot mineral bath and culinary services. Ms. Sa Thi Quynh Nhu, Huong Kim Homestay, Van Chan Commune said: “The homestay invested in building a community guesthouse serving up to 50 guests/day and upgraded and expanded single baths and hot mineral swimming pools. Each year, the homestay welcomes about 700 guests, thousands of guests use mineral bath and culinary services; creating regular jobs for 3-4 local workers. From September until now, the number of guests coming to the homestay to experience mineral spring bathing has increased 2-3 times compared to the summer”.

Since the beginning of the year, Van Chan commune has welcomed more than 80,000 visitors, mainly long-term visitors to experience mineral bath services. Revenue from tourism activities reached about 85 billion VND. Identifying mineral spring tourism as a key service economic development direction, the commune set a target of attracting 500,000 visitors by 2030, achieving revenue of 370 billion VND, gradually affirming and building a Van Chan tourism brand with its own unique identity.

In Hanh Phuc commune, homestays and natural mineral bath eco-zones are located on the mountainside, with year-round hot, crystal-clear water. Many homestays and eco-zones here are well-invested, combining spa services and highland cuisine, giving visitors a complete experience between nature and indigenous culture.

In particular, Cuong Hai hot mineral spring eco-zone has a clear, warm water source, with an average temperature of 35 - 40 degrees Celsius. Cuong Hai hot mineral spring eco-zone includes two communal baths and large and small rooms. On average, the eco-zone welcomes about 50 - 70 guests per day. On weekends or holidays, especially in the fall, the number of guests to the resort is up to 300 guests per day.

Comrade Truong Manh Cuong - Vice Chairman of Hanh Phuc Commune People's Committee said: "Hanh Phuc Commune aims to develop tourism in a synchronous, high-quality and diversified direction, in which hot mineral spring resort tourism is the highlight and differentiating factor to overcome seasonality and attract many tourist markets. The commune identifies tourism as a key economic sector, expecting to create jobs, increase income, and contribute to poverty reduction for ethnic minorities. To realize this goal, the locality focuses on attracting investment, raising public awareness, promoting and developing diverse tourism products based on available potential, especially effectively exploiting hot mineral springs and resort tourism associated with local cultural identity".

A corner of Cuong Hai hot mineral spring eco-tourism area, Hanh Phuc commune.

In the first 9 months of 2025, Hanh Phuc commune welcomed over 74,550 tourists, with revenue from tourism activities reaching 56.6 billion VND; Tu Le commune welcomed over 62,780 visitors, with revenue reaching over 12.5 billion VND.

In recent times, the service economy in localities with hot springs has clearly improved. In Tu Le, Hanh Phuc, and Van Chan communes, many households have switched from farming to homestays, opening mineral bath and culinary services and selling local products such as Tu Le sticky rice, rice wine, honey, herbs, etc. People's income has increased 2-3 times compared to before.

In the coming time, the commune authorities will focus on investing in transport infrastructure, attracting businesses to invest in high-class hot mineral resorts associated with training local human resources, encouraging community tourism models associated with preserving landscapes and indigenous cultures, and orienting the connection of mineral bath and resort tours and village exploration to both enhance the value of the experience and aim for sustainable development and conservation of natural resources.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/khoang-nong-lam-nong-thi-truong-du-lich-post884354.html