Long He exploits the potential and advantages of the local area.

Visiting Long Hẹ these days, we clearly feel the peaceful beauty of a rural area that still retains its pristine charm amidst the mountains and forests of Northwest Vietnam. Following the Nặm É stream, lush green rice fields stretch out, waterwheels tirelessly turn day and night bringing water to the fields, and glimpses of Mong and Thai villages still preserve many traditional cultural features. After the merger of Long Hẹ and É Tòng communes, this land has more opportunities to exploit its untapped tourism potential.

A corner of Long He commune center with a peaceful landscape and traditional houses of the highland people.

Currently, Long He commune has 23 villages with over 8,500 inhabitants from various ethnic groups including Thai, Mong, Kho Mu, Khang, and Muong, all living together. This cultural diversity has created unique characteristics for this land, from the Mong flute music accompanying people to the fields, the graceful Thai dance, to the festivals, customs, and traditions that are still preserved by the people. In addition, nature has bestowed upon Long He commune lush green forests, streams, and natural waterfalls that still retain their pristine beauty. This is a significant advantage for the locality to develop community tourism , linked to the preservation and promotion of ethnic cultural identity.

Along with its diverse cultural identity, Long He is also a land rich in revolutionary traditions, boasting the Long He Guerrilla Base, a provincial-level historical site. This location commemorates the revolutionary struggles of the ethnic groups in the Son La highlands. Beyond its educational value in preserving traditions, the site also offers potential for developing heritage tourism, combining sightseeing, historical exploration, and experiencing local culture.

Hmong women (belonging to the White Hmong branch) in Cha May village, Long He commune, wearing traditional clothing.

As a predominantly agricultural commune, Long Hẹ also has the advantage of developing experiential tourism linked to the local characteristic agricultural production models. Many livestock and crop farming models are gradually being exploited to create highlights, offering tourists experiences close to the life of the highlands. Regarding the success of the free-range black chicken farming model following biosafety practices, Ms. Lo Thi Buoi, Director of the EFARM É Tòng Ecological Agricultural Cooperative, said: The cooperative currently has 7 members and links with more than 10 households in the commune to develop free-range chicken farming, raising native black chickens. The development of this model has contributed to increasing the income of cooperative members and creating more characteristic products to serve tourists when they come to experience and explore the highlands of Long Hẹ.

Recognizing the potential for tourism development, many households and cooperatives in the commune have renovated and cleaned their houses, and planted more flowers to create scenic landscapes and experiential attractions for tourists. Ms. Lo Thi Than, from the É Tòng Agricultural Cooperative in Long Hẹ commune, shared: "My family has renovated our flower garden and built a gazebo to welcome visitors for sightseeing and experiences. In the future, the cooperative will continue to expand the area for flower cultivation and add more services to attract tourists to visit, explore, and experience tourism in the locality."

Despite its abundant potential in terms of natural landscapes, cultural identity, and historical relics, tourism in Long He has not developed to its full potential. Poor transportation infrastructure, limited accommodation and experiential activities, and inadequate promotion and tour coordination have resulted in a low number of visitors to the area.

Preserving traditional culture is helping the revolutionary rural area of ​​Long Hẹ open up a path for tourism development.

To gradually unlock its tourism potential, Long He is implementing the "Project for the Preservation and Promotion of the Cultural Identity of Ethnic Groups in the period 2025-2030" with many contents, such as: preserving the language, traditional costumes, handicrafts, and ethnic festivals. This is also considered the foundation for the commune to develop community tourism, gradually creating tourism products with unique characteristics of the Long He highlands.

Mr. Lo Van Quy, Chairman of the People's Committee of Long He Commune, said: "The locality has great potential for economic and tourism development associated with historical relics, natural landscapes, and ethnic cultural identity. The commune is gradually encouraging people to preserve the environment, conserve traditional cultural values, and build sustainable community tourism. Especially when the Dien Bien - Son La expressway is invested in and completed, Long He will have more opportunities to break through. The road will shorten geographical distances, open up opportunities for trade connections, attract investment, and bring tourists closer to our land rich in cultural identity."

Leveraging its natural, historical, and cultural potential, Long He is gradually and effectively exploiting its local advantages to develop tourism, aiming to become an attractive destination on the journey of exploring Son La province in the coming years.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/du-lich/long-he-khai-thac-tiem-nang-loi-the-dia-phuong-9T2qxCAvg.html