Linking for sustainable development

With similarities in nature, history, and culture, the six provinces of Viet Bac have actively cooperated and linked together to develop tourism in recent years, aiming to exploit the natural landscapes and cultural heritage values of the provinces in the region to introduce them to domestic and international tourists.

Located entirely within the midland and mountainous region of Northern Vietnam, the Viet Bac region covers a total natural area of over 37.2 km2 and has a population of over 4.5 million people. It is a land rich in historical significance, natural tourism resources, diverse culture, and rich traditional cultural values of various ethnic groups, preserved from generation to generation. With numerous advantages, at different levels, the provinces in the region have identified tourism development as a crucial economic sector, a breakthrough for socio-economic development in each locality.

Mr. Le Thanh Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tuyen Quang province, shared that previously, cooperation and linkages in tourism development among provinces were modest, failing to create a strong impetus for tourism development in each locality. Tourism activities were still carried out in a " каждый за себя" (everyone for themselves) manner, resulting in fragmented tour connections and a lackluster creation of new tourism products. Perhaps this is why, despite possessing exceptionally attractive tourism resources, tourism in the provinces of the Viet Bac War Zone remained less appealing to tourists.

With the impetus of the "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" program, first held in Ha Giang province in 2009, a bottleneck in tourism development in the six provinces of Viet Bac was partially overcome. After many years of rotating the program among provinces in the region, the "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" program has contributed to realizing the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy to 2030, which identifies Viet Bac as one of the seven tourism regions of the country, as approved by Decision No. 2473/QD-TTg dated December 30, 2011, of the Prime Minister.

Artistic program at the opening ceremony of the 6 Northern Vietnam Heritage Region in 2022 in Ha Giang.

Tourism in the Viet Bac region is increasingly thriving. According to statistics, from 2009 to 2015, the total investment in the tourism sector from various sources reached over 20,000 billion VND; in just 5 years, the total number of visitors to the Viet Bac provinces reached over 6.5 million; total tourism revenue reached over 4,500 billion VND; there are nearly 1,100 accommodation establishments in the 6 provinces, of which 250 meet 1-4 star standards.

In addition, transportation infrastructure has been invested in, connecting localities such as National Highway 3 Thai Nguyen - Bac Kan, National Highway 3 Thai Nguyen - Cho Moi, National Highway 4 Cao Bang - Lang Son, National Highway 279 Lang Son - Cao Bang - Bac Kan - Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang Expressway… Tourism programs such as "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" are organized annually on a rotating basis, the "One Journey - Two Destinations" tour, as well as promotional activities aimed at positioning the image of tourism in the "Viet Bac War Zone" region to become increasingly attractive to tourists.

Dong Dang (Lang Son) - Tra Linh (Cao Bang) Expressway (photo 1); Tuyen Quang - Ha Giang Expressway Project (Phase 1 - photo 2);
An overpass on the Thai Nguyen - Bac Kan highway (photo 3)

Mr. Le Duc Nhan, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, said: “It’s rare to have the opportunity to explore tourist destinations in the northern provinces of our country, so my family decided to choose a historical tour, combining learning about historical sites such as the Dinh Hoa Revolutionary Base in Thai Nguyen, Tan Trao in Tuyen Quang, and Pac Bo in Cao Bang, while also learning more about the traditional culture of the local people. This was truly a very meaningful trip for my family.”

Tourists explore and experience the tourist attractions of Tuyen Quang.

With their unique potential and strengths, at different levels, the localities in the Viet Bac War Zone have all identified tourism development as a crucial economic sector for local socio-economic development. In particular, following the Politburo's Resolution 08, dated January 16, 2017, on developing tourism as a key economic sector, the Provincial Party Committees have issued resolutions on tourism development, aiming to develop the tourism industry in each locality in proportion to its potential and strengths, contributing to the development of tourism throughout the region to a new level.

To concretize the Resolution of the 17th Congress of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Party Committee, term 2020-2025, many regulations and projects have been issued and implemented by the province. In particular, Resolution No. 29 of the Provincial Party Committee (17th term) on developing tourism into an important economic sector of the province has contributed to orienting and developing the province's tourism sector in a comprehensive manner, in line with the Vietnam Tourism Development Plan and Strategy to 2030 and the Tuyen Quang Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050; the Tuyen Quang Provincial Tourism Development Project to 2025 and orientation to 2030; and the Tuyen Quang Province Characteristic Tourism Products Project for the period 2023-2030. The plan to reorganize the Thanh Tuyen Festival for the period 2022-2030… After the resolutions, plans, and projects were issued, most sectors and localities concretized the tasks into their respective programs and plans; linking tourism development with cultural and human development, helping Tuyen Quang tourism overcome difficulties and meet the needs of integration and sustainable development.

Tuyen Quang develops various types of tourism, including historical tourism, ecotourism, resort tourism, and spiritual tourism.

To realize the aspiration of developing tourism commensurate with its potential and strengths, and to truly make it an important and leading economic sector for each province, the "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" program, organized annually, is promoted by host provinces in their own unique ways, with specific plans linking events within the province and those of other provinces in the region, creating a positive effect in publicity and promotion; the content is elaborately staged to showcase the cultural characteristics and tourism strengths of the provinces and the Viet Bac region.

Opening Ceremony of the "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" Program 2021 in Thai Nguyen.

Exhibition activities are emphasized through booths showcasing products, tourism publications, tour programs, information, and images of tourist routes and destinations to promote and introduce them to visitors and potential investors. Products from craft villages, cooperatives, businesses, and production and service establishments serving tourism are diverse and unique in type, exquisite in craftsmanship, and varied in design; food stalls promoting and introducing local culinary culture attract a large number of visitors.

Notably, in 2022, for the first time, three interconnected tours of six provinces in the Viet Bac region were launched as part of the "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" program. These tours were selected based on the unique characteristics of each locality to introduce to tourists and connect the points through a consistent theme, such as: "A journey connecting UNESCO World Heritage sites: Ha Giang - Cao Bang - Lang Son Global Geopark"; "The Legend of the Gam River and the Viet Bac Revolutionary Heritage Route"; and the tour "From the Tan Trao Revolutionary War Zone to the Vi Xuyen Border Front". These are arguably the first three specialized tourism products jointly implemented by the six provinces in the Viet Bac region, contributing to affirming the shared brand of tourism in the six Viet Bac provinces for both domestic and international tourists.

The launch ceremony for the regional tourism products linking six provinces in the Viet Bac region included: “The journey connecting UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ha Giang - Cao Bang - Lang Son Global Geopark”; “The Legend of the Gam River and the Viet Bac Revolutionary Heritage Route”; and the tour “From Tan Trao Revolutionary War Zone to Vi Xuyen Border Front”.

Ms. Chau Thanh Nga, Director of Co Son Nu Trading and Tourism Company Limited (Tuyen Quang), said that previously, the company mainly organized day tours for students to visit, learn about history, or experience the traditional activities and culture of the local people. Now, thanks to the promotion of regional tourism development linkages, tourism products are more diverse, enhancing the experience for tourists, extending their stay, and the number of customers booking tours with the company is increasing. The company is also strengthening links with businesses in the provinces of the Viet Bac region to provide tourists with the best experiences at each point on the itinerary.

At the workshop "Potential, Resources and Current Status of Tourism Development Linkages in the Viet Bac War Zone Provinces" held in Tuyen Quang province in April 2023, Comrade Tran Thanh Man, Member of the Politburo and Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, affirmed that the six provinces of the Viet Bac War Zone hold a particularly important strategic position in terms of military, economic, political, and social aspects. He suggested that localities need to conduct a thorough assessment of their potential and advantages, determine goals for building and positioning regional tourism brands, promote tourism development linkages and cooperation, attract investment, and develop unique and interconnected tourism products. Simultaneously, they should identify new approaches to regional linkage development; comprehensively assess difficulties and challenges, and clearly identify bottlenecks that need to be addressed.

The workshop "Potential, Resources and Current Status of Tourism Development Linkages in the Viet Bac War Zone Provinces" was held in Tuyen Quang province in April 2023.

The 14th "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" tourism program in 2023, held in Tuyen Quang province, is one of the important events aimed at further concretizing the orientations and directions in linking and developing regional tourism.

Within the framework of the 14th "Through the Heritage Regions of Viet Bac" tourism program and the Thanh Tuyen Festival 2023, from September 20-27, a series of attractive activities were jointly organized by Tuyen Quang and the provinces of Viet Bac, such as: the Festival of Community-Based Cultural Tourism Villages of 6 Viet Bac provinces to introduce the potential of community-based tourism, creating opportunities for people in these villages to expand their exchanges, share experiences and skills in tourism activities. Furthermore, this is also an opportunity for the provinces to build, strengthen, exploit, collect, and restore traditional festivals; and at the same time, find key individuals to form the core of cultural and artistic activities serving tourism development and local events.

Community-based tourism, cultural identity… of the provinces in Northern Vietnam.

In particular, the "Cinema - Connecting Heritage and Tourism in Tuyen Quang" program connects businesses and the film industry to Tuyen Quang. A delegation of members from the Department of Cinema, the Vietnam Film Association, the Vietnam Film Institute, cultural attachés from embassies of several countries with developed film industries, directors, screenwriters, etc., will survey cultural heritage sites and scenic spots in Son Duong, Chiem Hoa, Na Hang, and Lam Binh districts. This will allow them to select suitable locations for producing feature films, television series, and documentaries.

Historical sites and tourist attractions of Tuyen Quang.

The "Exhibition and Introduction of Vietnamese Culinary Excellence" program and the Hanoi Beer Festival are places where visitors can enjoy famous regional culinary flavors prepared by the skillful hands of renowned chefs and culinary artisans.

At the Tuyen Quang Provincial Trade and Tourism Fair 2023, people and tourists from all over the country can easily choose quality agricultural and rural products, including hundreds of OCOP products from various localities.

Mr. Le Thanh Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tuyen Quang province, added that according to the 2023 tourism development cooperation plan, the six localities will continue to coordinate in promoting and providing mutual support information on the timing and content of festivals and important cultural events… They will also coordinate to effectively organize joint activities, promotion, and tourism development within the region, domestically, and internationally.

With the trend of developing cultural tourism and green tourism linked to tourism development with the preservation and promotion of heritage values and national cultural identity, strengthening regional linkages, and providing positive experiences for tourists, the magical heritage regions of Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, and Ha Giang will certainly continue to be a top choice for tourists.