Enjoy experiential travel

Recently, experiential tourism has been booming, gaining popularity among many travelers. This type of tourism offers a cyclical experience, combining sightseeing and exploration with direct experiences of the local life, customs, and traditions.

Enjoying experiential travel The "Who's Best at Balancing on a Monkey Bridge - The Swinging Bridge Dance" game at Yen Trung Tourist Village (Yen Dinh) attracts tourists.

Therefore, many localities in the province have quickly seized the opportunity and, leveraging their existing strengths in cultural identity, natural conditions, landscapes, and environment, have focused on developing experiential tourism with diverse and attractive content.

During the sweltering summer days, many tourists, seeking solace in experiential travel, eco-tourism exploring nature and local culture, and immersing themselves in the daily lives of the local people, have flocked to Yen Trung Tourist Village (Yen Dinh). To meet this demand, Yen Trung Tourist Village has actively invested in and developed a diverse range of tourism products, especially experiential tourism. Therefore, visitors can immerse themselves in the fresh air of a Vietnamese countryside village, explore centuries-old houses preserved to this day, and discover everyday items associated with agricultural life such as wood-burning stoves, cupboards, and stone mortars, all arranged systematically within the houses. In addition, visitors can explore the clean farm, where various vegetables and fruits such as cantaloupe and cucumbers are grown, and experience the life of farmers through activities such as using a fish trap, fishing from boats, and learning about the lifestyle and customs of the local people. In the evening, many activities such as bonfires, outdoor movie screenings, and singing and dancing are organized to entertain visitors.

Especially this summer, to enhance the visitor experience, Yen Trung Tourist Village is launching many new and exciting folk games such as: "Who's the Best at Balancing on a Monkey Bridge - The Swinging Bridge Dance," the "Jump Rope Champion" competition, the "Super Archer" competition, building embankments to catch fish, magic shows "Talent Revealed," and boat racing festivals. Particularly noteworthy is the jet surfing sport on the Cuu Ma Giang River. This motorized surfing activity provides players with a thrilling sensation as they ride the waves.

As someone who loves experiential travel and exploring new tourist destinations, Ms. Nguyen Hong Anh (Thanh Hoa City) said: "I've been to Yen Trung Tourist Village several times. What I like most here is the peaceful, romantic green space. The natural scenery is fresh and clean, and the resorts are modern and high-class... In addition, when I come here, I get to participate in many agricultural activities closely related to the lives of the local people. These spaces close to nature and these hands-on experiences create a fresh, vibrant atmosphere and leave a lasting impression, attracting more and more tourists."

This summer, tours in the highlands are becoming attractive destinations for tourists thanks to diverse experiential and exploratory activities. In Thuong Xuan district, from the beginning of the year until now, it has attracted more than 197,000 visitors, generating tourism revenue of over 22 billion VND. The reason the district attracts so many tourists is due to its advantages of being blessed by nature with beautiful, lush green scenery, the Xuan Lien Nature Reserve, along with pristine, romantic waterfalls and peaceful villages rich in the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic people... Based on developing these potentials and advantages, the district has focused on building many attractive tourism products, including experiential tourism. Therefore, when visiting Thuong Xuan, tourists will have the opportunity to explore, visit, and experience many activities. First and foremost is visiting the system of historical relics and unique scenic spots, most notably the Cua Dat Temple - a scenic area where mountains and water meet. This area is famous for its two sacred temples dedicated to the hero Cam Ba Thuoc and the Goddess of the Mountains. Next, visitors can explore many attractive tourist destinations such as Ma village, Vin village... and immerse themselves in the life of the Thai ethnic people, enjoying unique folk songs like "khua luong" and "dancing on the bamboo pole," and savoring local dishes such as boiled pork, wild vegetables, sour bamboo shoots, and grilled chicken...

In addition, visitors can explore the Cua Dat hydroelectric reservoir – one of the district's famous tourist destinations, with its picturesque landscapes, cool air, and the vast, lush green forests of the Xuan Lien Nature Reserve. Here, visitors can admire the pristine beauty of the verdant primary forests, discover a rich variety of flora and fauna, and experience and conquer the wild, majestic waterfalls with their crystal-clear, cool water. These include Thien Thuy waterfall, shimmering like a silver thread amidst the deep green forest; Hon Yen waterfall, with its many tiers resembling a white silk ribbon; and Canh Ma, Mua Phun, and Tien waterfalls... Each waterfall possesses its own unique beauty that captivates visitors.

In recent years, to make experiential tourism more attractive to visitors, Thuong Xuan district has focused on investing in infrastructure development, environmental improvement, human resource training, and connecting tourist destinations within the district to create a complete tour... Along with that, it has encouraged households to participate in experiential tourism models and design other tourism products such as community tourism, festival tourism, and spiritual tourism... to both generate economic value and promote the image of the locality.

In fact, over the years, along with other tourism models, experiential tourism has been identified as a promising type of tourism and has become a popular choice for both domestic and international tourists. Experiential tourism allows visitors not only to visit places with stunning natural scenery but also to directly immerse themselves in the lives of local people. Keeping pace with this trend, many tourist areas and destinations in the province have been focusing on investing in and developing experiential tourism with diverse and varied forms, such as the Pu Luong Tourist Area (Ba Thuoc), Ben En National Park (Nhu Thanh), Golden Cow Farm (Thuong Xuan), T-Farm (Dong Son), Queen Farm (Quang Xuong)... These tourist destinations attract a large number of visitors from both within and outside the province.

Overall, experiential tourism in the province has spread and gained the consensus of local people to participate in tourism activities. However, this type of tourism is still at a "potential" stage. Furthermore, spontaneous development with a "every man for himself" mentality has led to inefficient and unsustainable experiential tourism. If there is a coordinated effort from all levels of government to every citizen, it will create more attractiveness for tourists, contributing to making Thanh Hoa a year-round tourist destination.

Text and photos: Nguyen Dat

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