Elevating tourism in Lang Son province.

- The consecutive tourism awards and international accolades in 2024 and 2025 are not only a source of pride but also a powerful catalyst, propelling Lang Son's tourism into a phase of accelerated growth and breakthroughs, aiming for sustainable growth and international integration.

Foreign tourists experience gardening activities at Huu Lien Community Tourism Village, Huu Lien Commune.

The years 2024 and 2025 marked significant milestones in the province's tourism development, with a series of internationally recognized accolades.

"The golden key" to unlocking integration.

The beginning of this series of successes was the recognition of Lang Son Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2024, which provided a significant impetus for the province's sustainable tourism development. Following this, in early 2025, Lang Son continued to receive two prestigious ASEAN awards: the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism (CBT) Award for Huu Lien Community-Based Tourism (DLCĐ) destination (Huu Lien commune) and the ASEAN Homestay Award for the former Yen Thinh commune Homestay cluster (now Huu Lien commune). At the end of 2025, Quynh Son Community-Based Tourism Village was honored by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) as the "Best Tourism Village".

These accolades are not only international recognition but also a rigorous quality assurance mechanism, building a global brand for Lang Son tourism. The recognition has established a "dual standard": exploiting natural potential while ensuring sustainability and empowering local communities. These "brands" are the strongest levers for attracting major investors and high-quality tourists.

As a result, by the end of June 2025, over 30 strategic partners, including representatives from accommodation establishments, restaurants, and tourism businesses nationwide, along with the National Cave Association of the United States, had signed cooperation agreements to develop the UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark. From this, a series of experiential tourism programs, resort-style tourism, and specialized products such as geological exploration tourism and trekking tourism have been developed and put into operation.

Mr. Pham Van Manh, Director of Vietnam Expeditions Joint Stock Company, shared: “Last June, we officially became a partner in the tourism development cooperation of the UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark. Accordingly, to best serve tourists, our representative office in Huu Lien has been operational since mid-July 2025. Currently, we are operating a unique adventure tourism route on the geological trail "Journey to the Heart of Lan Ty Lake" in Huu Lien commune. This product is part of the in-depth tourism orientation that the company always pursues, harmoniously combining the experience of majestic nature with the exploration of cultural heritage.”

Tourists take photos at the Yin-Yang Tile Village in Bac Son commune, a tourist destination located on Route 3 of the UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark.

The success of the Community-Based Tourism Villages in Huu Lien and Quynh Son demonstrates that this is an effective approach and a driving force for local economic development. Ms. Nguyen Thuy Hoa, owner of a homestay that won an award at the Huu Lien Community-Based Tourism Village, shared: “Since receiving the award, our homestay has seen a significant increase in guests; it's almost fully booked every weekend. Thanks to the development of community-based tourism, young people no longer have to travel far for work. The award also motivates us to confidently introduce our traditional stilt houses, local cuisine, and the then, sli, and luon folk songs to international friends in a more professional manner.”

It is evident that international titles and awards have significantly contributed to the development of tourism in the province over the past year. According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the total number of tourists visiting Lang Son in 2025 is expected to reach over 4.4 million (a 5.3% increase compared to 2024), achieving the set target. Of these, international tourists will reach 305,000; domestic tourists will reach 4.13 million (a 1.5% increase). Tourism revenue is projected to reach VND 4,500 billion (a 3.5% increase compared to the previous year), contributing 5.5% to the province's GRDP.

Comprehensive investment efforts

To achieve impressive results in tourism, the province's various levels and sectors have implemented a comprehensive set of solutions in recent times, ranging from policies and infrastructure investment to promotion, advertising, and technology application.

Mr. Luu Ba Mac, Deputy Director of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: The Department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue Plan No. 113 dated April 17, 2025, to implement Prime Minister's Directive No. 34 dated April 10, 2025, on promoting tourism development, contributing to ensuring double-digit economic growth targets. The plan assigns specific tasks to relevant departments, agencies, and units and focuses on five key solution groups: promoting tourism and implementing stimulus programs; diversifying and improving the quality of tourism products and services; strengthening investment attraction for tourism development with a focus on key areas; accelerating digital transformation and green transformation in tourism development; and strengthening state management of tourism.

Accordingly, regarding solutions for sustainable tourism development, the provincial tourism sector has advised on the development of Resolution No. 19 of the Provincial People's Council, which stipulates a number of policies to support the development of community tourism in the province and promote the value of the UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark, giai đoạn 2025 – 2030. The sector also focuses on developing high-quality human resources, with approximately 10 training courses to improve digital skills, foreign languages, and cultural etiquette organized for more than 1,800 direct tourism workers.

During the year, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism conducted inspections and assessments of the minimum requirements for facilities serving tourism accommodation businesses at 23 establishments. Currently, the province has a total of 308 accommodation establishments with 4,220 rooms, of which 421 rooms meet 3-5 star standards (an increase of 6 establishments compared to 2024).

Another highlight in tourism development in 2025 is the diverse range of tourism stimulus programs implemented, from organizing traditional festivals and the Lang Son Peach Blossom Festival to the International Yoga Day... In particular, supporting businesses in promoting their products on digital platforms (Facebook, TikTok, YouTube) has helped Lang Son's tourism image quickly reach tourists. The Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center has digitized tourism data by developing automated 360-degree commentary for 31 tourist destinations, installing QR codes at historical sites, and building an integrated tourism data warehouse that has attracted over 7.1 million visits. In addition, promotional activities were strengthened through the organization of 14 survey teams to introduce community-based tourism and agricultural tourism products, and the active implementation of the "Lang Son Tourism Ambassador" program to enhance the professionalism, reputation, and quality of services throughout the province.

Ms. Tran Thanh Huong, a tourist from Hanoi, said: “I follow Lang Son on TikTok and see that the promotional campaigns are very dynamic, harmoniously combining heritage and the daily life of the ethnic people. This is a smart approach, attracting international tourists seeking authentic experiences.”

To date, the province has 55 recognized tourist destinations. Building on existing advantages, in the coming time, the provincial tourism industry will continue to prioritize maintaining and improving the quality of cultural and spiritual tourism products and traditional festivals; supplementing supporting services, experiential activities, improving landscapes, and creating artistic lighting effects to serve visitors for sightseeing, photography, and experiences.

Simultaneously, focus on developing diverse forms of ecotourism, sports tourism, cave exploration, and camping; research themed and seasonal tourism products through provincial and international cultural and sports events; maximize the potential of UNESCO Global Geoparks and intangible cultural values; and continue investing in the formation of community-based tourism destinations and agricultural tourism that meet ASEAN standards…

This is a positive sign for the future improvement of tourism infrastructure. Lang Son's tourism industry is making the most of international awards to consolidate its position, attract investment, and truly make local tourism a key economic sector, contributing to the sustainable development of the province.

With a solid foundation of unique resources, strong investment, and a clear development orientation, Lang Son tourism is facing a golden moment to break through, ready to become one of the leading destinations and an important economic driving force of the northern midland and mountainous region.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/co-hoi-but-pha-cho-du-lich-xu-lang-5066776.html