A space with a strong identity
In Lai Chau, some villages with strong ethnic identities are becoming tourist attractions. At Si Thau Chai community tourism village (Ta Leng commune), visitors are captivated by the colorful scenery of colorful fences interspersed with rows of rustic stone fences - a typical mark of the highlands.
Located at an altitude of over 1,400m, this place is covered with clouds all year round, the air is fresh, creating a feeling of relaxation right from the first steps. Si Thau Chai is one of the typical community tourism destinations of the province, where the Mong people still preserve their traditional lifestyle and customs. Tourism products such as homestay, Mong cuisine , ethnic art performances, experiencing local crafts... are considered to create great attraction for visitors who love to explore.
Also making a special impression, Lao Chai 1 village (Khun Ha commune) owns a green, fresh space, with wooden houses and environmentally friendly homestays. The stilt houses are delicately designed, using local materials such as bamboo, rattan, stone, and wood to help preserve the traditional rustic features while still ensuring comfort. Each family's campus grows many types of flowers and native trees - contributing to creating a harmonious ecological landscape. Not only beautiful in architecture, Lao Chai 1 also scores points thanks to the community's awareness of green tourism, from keeping the environment clean to decorating with recycled materials and indigenous handicrafts. This is considered a model of sustainable community tourism in Lai Chau .
Meanwhile, Sin Suoi Ho village (an ASEAN-standard community tourism destination) offers a profound experience of Mong culture. The people are professional in tourism but still maintain their simplicity and hospitality. Visitors to Sin Suoi Ho can visit craft villages, highland markets, enjoy traditional cuisine and admire unique orchid gardens. The harmony between tourism development and landscape and cultural conservation is what makes this village stand out on the regional community tourism map.
According to Mr. Tran Quang Khang, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lai Chau province, if in the past, Hanoi travel agencies only considered Lai Chau as a stopover between Sa Pa and Dien Bien, now the image of Lai Chau tourism has changed. The locality has positioned its brand with typical products such as: Adventure tourism destination "Flying over the roof of Indochina" associated with Dao culture in Si Thau Chai; O Quy Ho Heaven Gate tourist area; Pusamcap cave complex - "The first cave in the Northwest"; Putaleng ancient rhododendron forest, the largest in Vietnam; and a series of trekking and hiking products that are attracting young and international visitors.
Currently, the province has 2 tourist areas, 21 provincial-level tourist spots, 1 ASEAN-standard spot; 138 accommodation establishments with more than 1,500 rooms (including 5-star hotels); 150 ethnic cuisine restaurants and 16 transportation units. This is an important foundation for Lai Chau to expand and attract new tourist streams.
One of the key factors expected to create a breakthrough is traffic infrastructure. The Lai Chau – Lao Cai – Hanoi expressway, when completed, will shorten travel time to about 2 hours. In December 2025, the Hoang Lien tunnel project will also start construction, helping to reduce the time to cross the pass from 30 minutes to 8 minutes – opening a “new gateway” for tourists to Lai Chau.
Towards professional, international standard tourism
Mr. Duong Xuan Trang, Director of Mai Viet Travel, a unit specializing in French tourists, said: In fact, the unit has brought tourists to community tourism sites in Lai Chau for several years now. However, compared to other community tourism sites, although Lai Chau has beautiful landscapes, the long distance makes tourists waste time traveling. The tourist attractions are not rich enough and regional connectivity is limited. Local tour guides are not professional and lack explanation skills. Mr. Trang suggested that the province add high-class accommodation areas, build a space for a museum of ethnic culture and arrange art performance hours to suit the tour group's schedule.
Representative of Phoenix Voyages – a unit specializing in welcoming inbound tourists – Ms. Dang Thi Tho assessed that Lai Chau is exploiting the advantages of local culture and attracting more and more international tourists. However, she said that the villages still need to add medical hotline numbers, first aid kits at homestays and improve hygiene in some facilities.
Regarding the European market, Ms. Thu Huong (Lux Travel DMC) said: Lai Chau is very suitable for Western tourists who love trekking, nature and culture. However, in Si Thau Chai there are still many iron pillars and roofs that affect the aesthetics; while Lao Chai still retains its identity better thanks to covering natural materials on modern structures. Each village should have its own identity, homestays need open space and ensure privacy.
It can be seen that Lai Chau is facing a great opportunity to break through but also has to face the requirement of improving service quality and perfecting infrastructure. The province's community tourism products have been creating their own mark, but need to be standardized according to international criteria, especially safety standards, hygiene and the ability to serve long-stay guests.
To attract international visitors, Lai Chau needs to promote communication, link the region with Sa Pa - Dien Bien - Lai Chau into a complete tour chain; at the same time, train a team of local tour guides with better cultural and foreign language knowledge.
With the advantage of pristine nature, unique cultural identity and the participation of the government and community, Lai Chau has a golden opportunity to become a prominent destination of the Northwest in the international tourist market. The road ahead still has a lot of work to do, but the strong movements from infrastructure, products to tourism practices show that the province is determined to make a new mark in the journey of sustainable tourism development.
Article ordered by the Department of Legislation, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/du-lich/lai-chau-huong-toi-thu-hut-khach-quoc-te-bang-nhung-san-pham-dam-da-ban-sac-20251207111341492.htm
Comment (0)