Famtrip group took photos and checked in at Long Sap International Border Gate, Moc Chau district.

Strengthening cooperation and promoting tourism development between Son La province and Hua Phan province (Lao PDR), Son La province organized the first Famtrip delegation to survey, evaluate and connect the tourism route from Hanoi - Moc Chau (Son La) - Hua Phan and achieved many important results. Famtrip is understood as a free or discounted tourism program organized by a country, a locality or a tourism organization for travel agencies, management agencies and press reporters to experience, get acquainted, learn, survey and reach agreements on cooperation in tourism development.

The Famtrip delegation surveyed, evaluated, and connected the tourist route from Hanoi - Moc Chau (Son La) - Hua Phan organized by Son La province with nearly 50 tourism and travel businesses belonging to the Unesco Travel Club of Hanoi and Son La province, along with reporters from central and local news agencies and newspapers. The route from Long Sap International Border Gate to Sam Neua town, Hua Phan province is only about 130 km long. Although the pass is steep, the feeling of stilt houses nestled on the mountainside, interspersed with terraced fields and historical sites, all blending into the beautiful nature of this place.

Famtrip delegation visited the cave where comrade Cayson Phomvihan lived and worked during the resistance war.

On the way, we visited the cave where comrade Cayson Phomvihan - the first Prime Minister of the Lao PDR lived and worked in the revolutionary movement during the period of 1964-1973. The cave belongs to the Lao National Historical Relic Site in Vieng Xay District, Hua Phan Province. Located in the middle of the green mountains and forests, where comrade Cayson Phomvihan lived and worked during the resistance war for national liberation, there is a large system of interconnected caves, arranged into separate areas. This place has been restored and become a historical site attracting visitors.

Mr. Tua A Mua, an officer of the Management Board of the Special Lao National Historical Site in Vieng Xay District, shared: Vieng Xay is a mountainous district famous for its system of nearly 500 caves, many of which were chosen as places for living and revolutionary activities of the senior leaders of the Party, State and ministries, departments and branches of Laos during the period 1964-1973. Along with unique culture, cuisine, friendly and hospitable people, Vieng Xay is an attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign visitors.

Famtrip group visited the relic site in Vieng Xay district, Hua Phan province.

During the Son La - Hua Phan tourism survey trip, the Unesco Hanoi Travel Club committed to building Moc Chau - Sam Neua products and promoting communication activities in the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City markets to attract tourists to Laos to experience tourism. At the same time, connecting the club's businesses with service providers in Hua Phan ensures the needs of tourists. Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Vice President of the Unesco Hanoi Travel Club, said: This is a new destination with many outstanding cultural features, pristine natural landscapes, and friendly people. After this survey trip, we will meet in the Club, and we plan to cooperate with Tien Phong Travel to establish an alliance to exploit the Hanoi - Moc Chau (Son La) - Sam Neua (Hua Phan) tourism route.

With similar cultural features, convenient transportation, quick and easy immigration procedures, reasonable tour costs, pristine natural scenery with many cultural, historical and indigenous cultural relics, the Moc Chau - Sam Neua route is very suitable for the current travel experience and check-in needs of tourists.

Lao people understand Son La tourism information.

Mr. Phung Xuan Khanh, Director of Tien Phong Tourism Service Company Limited, Hanoi, said: During this Famtrip, we had the opportunity to visit and experience the cultural and tourist sites of Moc Chau (Son La) as well as Hua Phan province. Through the survey, it helped tourism and travel businesses learn and explore the tourism potential, the beauty of the landscape, culture, and people of each locality, thereby building attractive tour programs and promoting tourism development.

Talking about the potential of the new Moc Chau - Sam Neua tour, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of Son La Province Tourism Association, said: After 3 days of surveying the Moc Chau - Sam Neua route, I realized that this is a new route. Although Sam Neua's tourism infrastructure is not yet developed, the route, travel time, and procedure time are still limited, but with the beauty of Sam Neua and the unique historical sites, I believe that tourists will choose this new destination. Son La Province Tourism Association will strengthen links with domestic tourism units and companies as well as Hua Phan province to build new products and diversify experiences for tourists.

Son La - Hua Phan Cultural Tourism Festival 2024.

Hua Phan is a province with many rich tourism resources such as natural, historical and cultural tourism resources, so Hua Phan province has identified tourism as one of the 5 potentials in the province's socio-economic development plan. Currently, Hua Phan province has 158 tourist attractions with 64 natural tourist attractions, 30 cultural tourist attractions and 64 historical tourist attractions, such as: Historical cave tourist attractions in Vieng Xay district, Phu Pha Thi tourist attractions in Sam Neua district, Hin Tang garden in Hua Muong district, Na Khang old military barracks in Hiem district, Me-Lao Hung cave in Xieng Kho district, Nam Et-Phu Lai national park and many other locations. Along with that are unique features in cuisine, culture and traditional festivals, most notably the Lao Bounpimai New Year, the Vieng Xay ethnic festival, the wild peach blossom and cherry blossom viewing festival, and the Keo Lak Meung festival. In 2023, there were 45,496 tourists visiting Hua Phan province, including more than 15,000 domestic tourists and 30,425 foreign tourists, generating a total revenue of about 1.5 million USD for Hua Phan province. In which, the Vietnamese market ranked first in the number of foreign tourists to Hua Phan province.

Ms. Man - Phenh Kha Ti Nha, Director of the Department of Information, Culture and Tourism of Hua Phan province, said: For Son La province and Hua Phan province in 2023, there were 7,213 tourists from Hua Phan visiting Son La and 13,263 tourists from Son La province to Hua Phan. Hua Phan province has focused on encouraging, supporting and promoting tourism in Hua Phan province by printing advertisements for tourist attractions, establishing a Hua Phan province tourism website in Vietnamese and English to create conditions for tourists to access tourism information of the province more conveniently and easily.

Conference on tourism development linkage between Son La and Hua Phan.

To enhance cooperation, promote tourism products, and attract more tourists between Son La and Hua Phan provinces, the two provinces jointly organized the 2024 Son La – Hua Phan Tourism Cooperation Conference. The conference was attended by leaders of both provinces, tourism organizations, businesses, and the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club. At the conference, tourism businesses from Son La, Hua Phan, and the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in selling tourism products and developing new tours connecting Hanoi, Son La, and Hua Phan. Many tourist attractions, resorts, restaurants, and hotels have committed to providing discounts of 5-20% for groups traveling between Son La and Hua Phan.

Tourism enterprises of Son La and Hua Phan provinces and the Hanoi Unesco Club signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation.

Regarding the effectiveness of the connection between Son La and Hua Phan, Mr. Tran Xuan Viet, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Son La province, said: Son La has many favorable conditions such as the Chieng Khuong national border gate and the Long Sap international border gate, which are very favorable for tourism development. Therefore, connecting Son La with Hua Phan will bring new appeal so that tourists coming to Son La can spend more time in Laos. This is a promising tour that can be effectively exploited in the near future. Therefore, connecting tourism between Son La and Hua Phan province (Laos) will create new appeal and attract tourists from Thailand and Laos to Son La.

It is expected that with the attention and facilitation of the Party committees and governments of both provinces, the cooperation, development, and promotion of tourism routes between Son La and Hua Phan will yield positive results, creating opportunities to promote the culture, people, and beautiful natural landscapes of the two provinces and countries to both domestic and international tourists, thereby forming and expanding the Son La – Hua Phan tourism route.

Duy Tung

Linking and cooperating to develop tourism in Son La - Hua Phan (baosonla.org.vn)