Na Hang, a spectacular “inland Ha Long Bay”

The Na Hang eco-tourism area in Tuyen Quang Province stretches over 15,000 hectares, more than half of them water. Surrounded by 99 mountains with majestic cliffs, Na Hang Lake has been dubbed the “Ha Long Bay of the hills”. Stopping at Na Hang, visitors will hear stories associated with historic sites such as Khuoi Nhi and Khuoi Sung waterfalls, Pac Ta and Pac Vang temples, Phia Vai cave, Song Long Cavern and more.

Eco-tours on Na Hang Lake began many years ago. It takes visitors about six hours to discover the 70km-long lake, bisected by immense rivers, surrounded by green forests and mountain ranges. Sailing down the lake, visitors can enjoy a number of famous waterfalls such as Mo, Khuay Sung, Khuay Nhi, and Khuay Me; the Tat Ke-Ban Bung Nature Reserve with thousands of rare and precious plants and animals; and the Phia Vai, Tham Choong caves, which contains many traces of the Neolithic age, dating back about 7,000-8,000 years.

After visiting Na Hang Lake, visitors can experience the daily life of the local ethnic minorities, enjoying Then singing of the Tay people and other cadences of the Nung and San Diu people. Traditional festivals abound, among them the Long Tong festival of the Tay and Nung people and the red silk festival of the Dao. Apart from the natural beauty and ethnic culture, visitors are offered typical specialties.

Lack of services

The Na Hang eco-tourism area has become a popular destination for domestic and foreign tourists and it is expected to turn tourism into a key economic sector of the province. However, Na Hang has not fully exploited its tourism advantages due to a lack of services, products and tours.

To make the most of its natural resources, tourism experts say, Na Hang and Lam Binh Districts need to promote cooperation with neighboring provinces such as Ba Be, Pac Nam (Bac Kan), Vi Xuyen and Bac Quang (Ha Giang) in order to take advantage of their attractions to facilitate inter-regional tours and enrich local tourism itineraries. These attractions include the Na Hang hydropower reservoir, the Ba Be and Ngoc Minh lakes experience tours and exploring the Spring Road and Highway 279.

Truong Quoc Hung, Chair of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club suggested that Na Hang and Lam Binh districts also need to build more quality homestay facilities apart from those that are already familiar destinations for tourists such as Ban Bon, Nam Dip, A Phu and Na Tong so that visitors can discover the local ethnic cultures from costumes, languages to lifestyles and cuisine. To develop community tourism in a sustainable way, the districts should also link tourism development with conserving national cultural identity, as well as preserving and embellishing historical, cultural relics and landscapes.

Regarding tourism development strategy in the future, the Chair of Lam Binh District People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung said the locality will enhance tourism promotion in the media. “We will attract tourists more actively, for example by organizing events such as the Lam Binh Cultural Tourism Festival in Hanoi, striving to make tourism a key economic sector of the district,” Dung said.