Favored by nature, with the winding roads of spectacular natural scenery which is pristine, imbued with regional cultures, the Northern mountainous provinces have been vividly developing community tourism, recognizing this as a "specialty" with its sustainability of the region tourism.
Dien Bien - the attraction by its history
As an area with potentialities of economy and tourism development, in those last years, the city of Dien Bien Phu has intensified the investment into infrastructure system and cultural institutions in order to create rich, diverse tourism products in which the community tourism is the highlight.
With the products of material and intangible culture, many tourism products of Dien Bien Phu have been attractive such as: historical tours, eco-tours, spa-tours and national culture tours.
Not only as an emphasis on historical tourism, Dien Bien Phu city also has the strength of cultural tourism. Dien Bien Phu has 14 ethnic groups living together. Each one has their own unique traditional culture, customs and practices. Folk songs, festivals, ethnic foods are attracting visitors. A number of cultural tourism villages has been interested, investing in order to restore and develop community culture to being destinations of tourists, such as Him Lam 2, Phieng Loi, Noong Bua, Noong Chun, Mo..
In 2004, the province began to construct the model of community tourism in 8 villages of Dien Bien district and Dien Bien Phu city in the form of the State and the people work together which highlights the Phieng Loi village, Him Lam (Dien Bien Phu city) and Men village (Dien Bien district).
Located about 6km to the north of Dien Bien Phu city, Men village has more than 110 households with about 500 residents who all are of Thai Den ethnic, 6 households of which are doing community tourism. From a distance, Men village looks as pretty as a picture with the back to the mountains, facing a vast field. Featured on the green background of trees, under the blue sky are pretty small stilts houses, retaining traditional characteristics. Every locality has chosen a different direction in order to develop community tourism activities which benefit the native people. For this type of tourism more attractive, attract more tourists, the province should have close links, contributing to the creation of tourism products rich, diverse, bearing the mark of each locality.
Ha Giang - Community tourism associated with the new rural area
As the gathering place of the 22 ethnic groups, each ethnic stored unique values, cultural characteristics, creating a unique cultural identity, Ha Giang has promoted community tourism as a breakthrough in the development of local tourism. Ha Giang Tourism has cooperated closely with all departments to develop a model of the cultural villages. Typically, Ha Thanh village has 117 households with 558 residents, almost are Tay ethnic, in which five households involved in community tourism. The village has established a team of instructors consisting of 3 persons (1 male, 2 females) to lead the visitors. Visit Ha Thanh, visitors will enjoy the fresh air, the beautiful landscape of blue palm hills, ancient rocks scattered throughout the terraced fields. Visitors can also have the opportunity to participate in a tourism program "30 minutes as Ha Thanh villager" with such exciting activities as: fishing, bail at canal, enjoy the dishes of wilderness..
Lao Cai - eco-tourism and cultural tourism development
Lao Cai focuses on community-based tourism development, exploitation associated with restoration, contributing to people's lives development. Lao Cai has many favorable factors for the development of tourism in three types: historical and cultural tourism; ecotourism, adventure tourism and concentrated in the areas with the advantage such as the city of Lao Cai, Sapa, Bac Ha.
However, due to some limitations in infrastructure, roads, geographic distance; management capacity, low public awareness, the three localities need more efforts to develop community tourism, making tourism a key economic sector in the region.
