Part 1: Development has not lived up to its potential.
Competing through identity
One of the most significant changes in Lai Chau's tourism industry recently is the clear identification of its competitive advantages. Lai Chau is aiming for high-quality, pristine tourism experiences. The specific direction is built around three main axes: nature exploration and experience tourism, community-based cultural tourism, and ecotourism and resort tourism.
Comrade Tran Manh Hung - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “The province aims to build Lai Chau into a ‘green, sustainable, and distinctive’ tourist destination. Green means preserving pristine nature and not sacrificing the environment for rapid growth. Sustainable means tourism brings real income to the people. Distinctive means each destination must have its own story. These elements create the irreplaceable uniqueness of Lai Chau.”
Provincial authorities and departments are getting involved with a new mindset and new actions, contributing to changing the tourism landscape of Lai Chau .
Mr. Phan Van Ngoc, Chairman of the Than Uyen Commune People's Committee, stated: "Previously, the commune developed tourism in a haphazard manner, welcoming whoever came, without a clear strategy. Now, the commune has identified specific customer segments and key products corresponding to each village and area. This is a significant shift in mindset."
The most noticeable new development in the province's current approach to tourism is the shift from "sightseeing" to "experiential learning." Instead of just offering visitors a view, tourism villages are being guided to develop products with depth. In Sin Suoi Ho village (Sin Suoi Ho commune), village head Vang A Chinh excitedly shared: "Now, households organize activities for tourists to participate in harvesting agricultural products, making cakes, learning brocade embroidery, participating in evening cultural activities, and having bonfires... Tourists love it; they say this is the kind of experience they want, not just coming to see and then leaving. Many groups return a second and third time, contributing to increased income for homestay businesses."
An aerial view of Lai Chau.
Mr. Lu A Nghi, head of Si Thau Chai village (Ta Leng commune), also informed us that the village is developing trekking products combined with learning about the Dao ethnic group's culture. The Dao people have their coming-of-age ceremony, techniques for cultivating wet rice on terraced fields, and many ancient forests that city dwellers love to explore. However, previously, the villagers didn't know how to introduce these attractions, and lacked guides and direction for their exploitation. Now, several young people in the village have been trained as tour guides and know basic English to welcome foreign tourists.
Enhancing digitalization in marketing.
From short videos on TikTok, Facebook fan pages, websites, to online booking systems, technology is gradually infiltrating Lai Chau's tourism industry in various forms. Mr. Tran Manh Hung, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, added: The Department is building a digital tourism map system for the entire province by digitizing all destinations, creating multilingual content, and connecting with international booking platforms. When a foreign tourist searches for trekking experiences in Northwest Vietnam, Lai Chau must appear in their search results – that is the goal we are aiming for.
From 2025 to the present, the websites dulich.laichau.gov.vn; dulichlaichau.vn and the Lai Chau Tourism fanpage have published 752 news articles, photo reports, and features, attracting over 16,240,000 visits. Over 12,650 publications have been released, including guidebooks, photo books, maps, and brochures. Notably, digital transformation in tourism, including electronic payments and QR code scanning, has made it easier for tourists to look up information and make payments. Simultaneously, the integration of many modern amenities such as 3D exploration, 360° virtual reality tours, smart tourist maps, and a library of visual images and videos has increased the attractiveness and appeal of tourist destinations.
Visitors should not miss this experience when traveling to Sin Suoi Ho village.
Furthermore, the province is actively promoting regional linkages with the Northwest provinces by strengthening connections and partnerships with travel businesses to form intra-city tours and intra-provincial tours from the center of Lai Chau province to tourist destinations in Tam Duong, Sin Ho, and Nam Nhun; connecting inter-provincial tours such as Sa Pa - Lai Chau - Dien Bien; Hanoi - Lao Cai - Lai Chau; Hai Phong - Lao Cai - Lai Chau... In 2025, the province is expected to welcome nearly 1,475,000 visitors (including 1,440,000 domestic visitors and 35,000 international visitors); in the first four months of 2026, the province is estimated to welcome 621,560 visitors, with estimated revenue of 561 billion VND.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Director of Hoang Gia Lai Chau Trade and Tourism Joint Stock Company, commented: "The Northwest arc route, if properly invested in, will be a 'golden goose' for the entire region, with Lai Chau potentially being the most unique highlight because it still retains its pristine nature. The key is for the provinces to cooperate and link up more frequently to stimulate tourism."
Expectations for a breakthrough.
Lai Chau province has identified 2026 as a pivotal year in its tourism development journey. Many infrastructure projects are expected to be completed, numerous new products will be launched, and, more importantly, the tourism system from the provincial level down to the villages is gradually becoming more professional.
Tourists visit and take photos at the tea hills in Lai Chau.
Comrade Tran Manh Hung - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, expressed his expectations: “The province's tourism industry aims for a significant increase in the number of tourists, length of stay, and total tourism revenue in 2026. The Department is continuing to advise the Provincial People's Committee on projects and resolutions on tourism development for the period 2026-2030, including completing the construction and planning of two national tourist areas: Sin Ho Plateau and O Quy Ho Pass; promoting tourism and proposing the recognition of traditional cultural and tourist destinations as 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) sites. Improving tourist support, cooperation, and linkages with neighboring localities to develop the Northwest tourism region.”
Lai Chau tourism is currently in a crucial transitional phase, moving from raw potential to deeply exploited value. The road ahead is not paved with roses, and many challenges remain to be overcome. But when each village becomes a destination, each resident becomes a cultural ambassador, and each experience becomes a compelling story, the "take-off" journey of Lai Chau tourism will certainly no longer be a distant aspiration.
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Source: https://baolaichau.vn/xa-hoi/ky-2-lam-moi-du-lich-tu-ban-sac-rieng-847212
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