Tourists make bonfires and experience a hot dance at Surf village. Strength of community tourism Lao Chai 1 Community Tourism Village (Khum Ha Commune, Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province) is located in the middle of the mountain, a great challenge for first-time visitors because of the “crab-sleeve” slopes. But arriving, the close and friendly natural space, especially the orchid flower, makes visitors quickly forget the feeling of “suffocating” of the way up the mountain. Perhaps that is why, for a long time, Lao Chai 1 village has been named quite nicely by many tourists – “Garden of Eden”. The head of Cu A Chu village enthusiastically introduced, the whole village has 39 households of H’Mong ethnicity, of which 5 households are homestay households, more than 10 households raise livestock, the rest grow vegetables, trees, and orchids to serving tourists and beautifying the landscape and environment in the village. “All streets in the village, flower miniatures are contributed by the people to do. We divide into 4 groups, take turns cleaning every day. The fresh environment makes not only visitors like it, but also them. I also find my life happier, “said Mr. Xu A Chu. Not far from Lao Chai 1 village is Si Thau Chai village of the Dao ethnic group. Si Thau Chai is only 6km from Tam Duong town (Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province) but located on a mountain at an altitude of 1,400m above sea level. Here, visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of the vast and majestic mountains. With this charming beauty, Si Thau Chai village is the destination that attracts many groups of traveling tourists, caravan tour groups to experience. The village head, Si Thau Chai – Lu A Nghi, said that the village started to work in community tourism in 2017, in the village, there are currently 10 households working as a homestay. Since welcoming tourists, the Dao people in the village are very conscious of preserving the landscape. Besides planting perennial crops such as peaches, pears, and plums, households also plant roses around the house. “We have had a better life when doing tourism. Dao people still try to keep their identity, wear traditional costumes to welcome guests,” said Mr. Lu A Nghi. Si Thau Chai Community-Tourism Village (Lai Chau) planted many trees and roses. Not only in Lai Chau, many Northwest provinces also consider the community based tourism a tourism strength that needs to be developed. Surf village (Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La district, Son La province) is one of the community based tourism villages in the Northwest attracting many tourists. The feature here is that the white Thai community knows how to take advantage of the natural hot springs and culinary quintessence to draw visitors to experience. Mr. Lo Van Phang, the owner of a homestay facility in Surf village, shared that his establishment welcomes tourists from August 2020, in the first stage of difficulties due to the influence of Covid-19, but at the end of the year. , the number of arrivals is large, must book in advance to have a place to stay. “Everything to us was a surprise, but people understand very well, when doing tourism, you need to learn how to do services, work more disciplined”, Mr. Lo Van Phang said. The scenery in Si Thau Chai village is quite charming, the environment is clean and beautiful. Keep identity, increase travel route connection Currently, one of the raised issues is how to keep people cultural identity as well as increase connectivity between destinations in order to develop community tourism in the Northwest in a long term. Tam Duong Tan Thi Que District Party Secretary admitted that there are many ethnic groups living in the district such as Thai, Dao, Mong, Lu …, in which, many villages have lost their own culture. “We always send officers to each propaganda to preserve identity, regularly wear national costumes, promote culinary quintessence and folk dance, folk dance”, said Ms. Tan Thi Que. Lao Chai 1 village (Lai Chau) of the H’Mong people also attracts tourists because of its fresh environment and many green trees. To promote tourism development, the Northwest provinces have links with many Hanoi travel agencies to conduct product survey and construction trips. Chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association, Director of Hanoitourist Travel Company Phung Quang Thang, said that when translating Covid-19 affects the tourism industry, Hanoi visitors experience Northwest tourism quite a lot, contributing to the market. The tourist school has a certain bustle. “However, the development of tourism in the highlands still needs a methodical orientation and a closer connection with the travel agencies to introduce visitors to the experience,” said Mr. Phung Quang Thang. Over the years, Hanoi and the Northwest provinces have closely linked to making tourism products, in which the community based tourism is a highlight. Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu said that the connection between tourist regions, including Hanoi and the Northwest, creates a vibrant tourist market, but localities need a tourism strategy. in the long term, guide and train people in upland areas to become a sustainable product for community based tourism.

Tourists experience culture at Trai Hamlet, Hoa Binh. (Photo: Phung Thang) Self-holding the steering wheel Covid-19 season Starting from the National Museum of History, which holds many cultural and historical heritages of the country, early in the morning, we eagerly embark on a five-day, four-night journey to explore many different landmarks on Northwest road in the blooming season like Ngoc Chien (Son La) – Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai) – Tam Duong (Lai Chau) – Dien Bien – Hoa Binh … For veteran Luu Van Thanh living in Hanoi, this was his couple’s first trip since the Covid-19 epidemic. Therefore, when participating in this exciting experiential activity in the Northwest, he hopes to relive his youth on the battlefield. Caravan travel is not a new concept, but it is not yet popular in Vietnam with self-driving car travel or group of two or more individuals traveling by road. many different regions. Self-driving means that visitors can own the journey, can stop hunting, rest or camp at their favorite destinations, participate in festivals or learn about people’s cultural life, the land I passed through, creating a lasting impression. According to Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association, Chairman of the Hanoi Sustainable Tourism Club, due to its many advantages, caravan tourism in recent years has been favored by many tourists. favorite translation. With the impact of Covid-19, when the trend of traveling in small groups of family and friends becomes a popular choice, the caravan proves its strength because it is limited to crowds of people on the same means of transportation. . In addition, the rise of private car vehicles, the recent development of Vietnamese traffic, and the stretch of natural, cultural and historical sites in the country are also These are favorable factors for this type of tourism to become a growing trend in the coming time, especially when there is a strong entry of travel agencies. The instructions given in the tour itinerary such as ensuring safety, preventing epidemics, protecting monuments, limiting plastic waste, protecting nature, supporting communities doing tourism, volunteering … will helps stimulate sustainable and socially responsible tourism development. In particular, when combined with travel agents, safety factors in the trip will also be more guaranteed because you always have medical staff, logistics team and navigation department, key car. the first, the last post of the group. The tour operators also arrange experienced drivers who are proficient in the terrain to be able to drive instead when tourists need to rest, along with the equipment for each vehicle to facilitate communication and repair. trouble. Tourists at Ban Tham, Tam Duong, Lai Chau. (Photo: Phan Chau) Every day opens a door of history Not only is the experience tour not just an ordinary tour, the Northwest Vgreen caravan program – the recent blooming season is also a story of history. Here, visitors not only drive by themselves – ensuring safety during the season, but also experience the majestic conquest of the beautiful Northwest Pass, with a different tour program, bold nature exploration, with depth. cultural history. Along with conquering the most beautiful winding pass roads such as Khau Pha Pass, Pha Din Pass, cloud hunting in Nam Nghiep and Pu Ta Leng, or experience the feeling of flying in the air at Tam Duong; yacht on the lake of Da river (Quynh Nhai), we discover the historical story throughout the journey of human life, from the National Museum of History to the Dien Bien Museum and the Muong Culture Museum. Peace. Unlike the traditional Northwest discovery tours, this caravan tour brings us to explore many new lands, many destinations are also potential in building tourism products in the future. It was interesting that we also had the experience of being a citizen transporting food and food to the front lines at Pha Din pass. Sometimes, the uphill road with many sharp curves makes many drivers sweat, but the result is to experience a very beautiful and civilized community-based tourism version of the ethnic people. Notably, in the last activity of the journey, the convoy stopped at Xom Trai cave (Hoa Binh) – a national-level archaeological relic, with many relics about the life of ancient Vietnamese people two thousand years ago. For the first time, the tour operators, tourists and people of the Muong ethnic group here experience a return to prehistoric times by making their own costumes out of leaves and wearing masks that simulate the human face in the cave Dong Noi in Hoa Binh was excavated by the French (now this cave has lost track, all images are only in documents stored at the National Museum of History). Coming from Tien Giang, Mr. Nguyen Hien Hau was really fascinated by the beauty of the Northwest mountains and experiences bearing cultural and historical elements. After this trip, he said he would introduce his friends to join the caravan trips in a similar form. Caravan travel is not a new concept, but it is not yet popular in Vietnam with self-driving car travel or group of two or more individuals traveling by road. many different regions. Self-driving means visitors are in control of the journey Revitalize tourism activities As a tourism association product of the Hanoi Travel Association, VGreen Sustainable Tourism Club and the National History Museum, the caravan tour recently aims to build new tourism products for Hanoi and other Northwest province. This is also one of the newly selected directions of responsible tourism, sustainable tourism development, with the aim of bringing a differentiated tourism product, preserving and promoting cultural values ​​and protection. environment. According to Mr. Phung Quang Thang, the development of sustainable tourism products based on historical and cultural values ​​will give businesses an advantage to boost tourism demand when economy and life. The people’s spirit has been improved day by day. Thus, the role of the partners of tourism businesses is very important in developing and making different products, so that tourism businesses can easily convey historical and cultural values. to visitors in a gentle, attractive and diffuse way. “At a time living with the pandemic, caravan tours are being seen as a sustainable path opening opportunities for tourism recovery. The program is both finding a new way, operating and developing tourism in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic, and at the same time, hit visitors’ mentality when they are guaranteed safety in the journey ”, Mr. Vu The Share Binh – Standing Vice Chairman of Vietnam Tourism Association.

The sea tours are the most chosen by tourists during the holidays April 30 and 1-5. In the photo : The cable car route across Hon Thom sea starts from An Thoi station and ends at Hon Thom (Phu Quoc city, Kien Giang province). Photo: Quynh Danh Many incentives and attractive discounts This year, the 4-day holiday season of April 30 and May 1 is a favorable opportunity for tourism businesses and destinations to attract tourists, increasing revenue in the context of the well-controlled Covid-19 epidemic. in water. To anticipate this tourist season, from the beginning of March 2021, airlines and many travel agencies have introduced attractive stimulus products, suitable to the trends and psychology of tourists. In addition to some flights with “hot” prices every day, such as the one from Hanoi to Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa province), Phu Quoc (Kien Giang province), Con Dao (Ba Ria – Vung Tau province), the Airlines Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, and Pacific Airlines also reserve low-priced tickets in some routes: Hanoi to Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh province), Da Nang with less than 1 million VND / leg; Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh city about 2 million VND / leg. From the travel perspective, Vietravel Tourism Company launched many resort and discovery travel packages with “hitting the floor” price from only 699 thousand VND; Tour Da Nang – Hanoi – Ha Giang 4 days, 3 nights cost 5.39 million VND / person. VietSense Tourism Company introduces tours from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao (Ba Ria – Vung Tau province), Da Nang – Hoi An (Quang Nam province), Phu Quoc (Kien Giang province) , Moc Chau (Son La province) … has a discount from 10% to 25%. Flamingo Redtours Travel Company introduces domestic road tour priced from only 1.69 million / person, air tour priced from 8.29 million / person. Evaluation of tourism activities on the holidays April 30 and 1-5, Director of Vietravel Travel Company – Hanoi Branch Pham Van Bay said, as of the end of March 2021, more than 50% of the total 15,000 air tickets that Vietravel Tourism Company reserved to serve customers during the holidays have been sold. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association, Director of Hanoitourist Travel Company Phung Quang Thang, informed that the number of visitors calling or booking online is quite a lot, up from 50% to 100% over the same period last year. . It is forecasted that the number of tourists who ordered tours will increase in the coming days. Director of Vietrantour Tourism Company Nguyen Thi Huyen said that the number of tourists increased and the demand for service quality also increased. And the director of VietSense Tourism Nguyen Van Tai information, marine tourism routes, such as Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh province), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa province), Phu Quoc (Kien Giang province), Ha Long (Quang province). Ninh) … is still the most chosen by tourists. In addition, many people find information about routes to the East – Northwest, Central Highlands, and West areas. Tourists experience the product of caravan tourism to explore the Northwest of VGreen Club (Hanoi Travel Association). “Leverage” to restore the market According to the travel agencies, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, tourists do not book tours early, often close to the new registration date, so the holiday tourism activities on April 30th, 1-5 and beyond, summer tourism is subject to change. Many new travel trends such as self-sufficient travel, small group travel, family travel or caravan travel (self-driving) will “take the throne”. Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association Vu The Binh assessed that the tourism demand stimulus for the holidays of April 30 and May 1-5 will be “leverage” to regain the growth momentum for the tourism industry in the year. now on. “Psychology of tourists wanting to travel again is clear. The units need to step up their stimulus program, improve service quality, increase product experience to attract more customers, get growth momentum for summer tourism and the rest of the year ”, Mr. Vu The Binh said. Tourism activities across the country in general and Hanoi capital in particular are showing the bustle and excitement again with many promotional activities and events attracting tourists. Notably, the festival of tourism and culinary culture in Hanoi 2021 takes place from April 16 to 18; Opening ceremony of the National Tourism Year 2021 on April 20 in Ninh Binh province; Vietnam International Tourism Fair – VITM Hanoi 2021 took place in May … In order to maintain the stability of the domestic tourism market after the stimulus phase, proceed to prepare conditions to welcome international visitors, according to the Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Dang Huong Giang, in addition to strengthening the promotion stage, To build new products, tourism agencies need to pay attention to retraining tourism human resources, attracting back the workforce that has quit their jobs due to the effects of the Covid-19 epidemic. And the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung noted that localities and tourism business units need to give prominence to the prevention and control of Covid-19 epidemic in operations, in compliance with regulations on prevention and combat. according to the recommendations and requests of the Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “Tourism is the industry most clearly affected by the Covid-19 influence. Just appear cases in the community, tourism activities are stopped immediately, so the request for epidemic prevention and control must be of primary concern ”, emphasized Minister Nguyen Van Hung.