Tat Nang Waterfall, located in Chieng Yen commune, Van Ho district, is a popular tourist attraction.

Van Ho boasts a cool, fresh climate and beautiful, majestic, and pristine natural landscapes, including the waterfalls in Chieng Khoa; Tat Nang waterfall and hot springs in Chieng Yen commune; grasslands, tea hills, and pine forests in Van Ho commune; Xuan Nha nature reserve; the majestic Pha Luong mountain range; and the peach and plum valleys in Long Luong commune... Five ethnic groups—Mong, Thai, Muong, Kinh, and Dao—live together in the area, each possessing unique cultural values ​​reflected in their festivals, customs, traditions, rituals, costumes, traditional crafts, and architecture.

Mr. Vu Thanh Hai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Van Ho District, said: The district has identified tourism development based on maximizing its potential and advantages, focusing on implementing detailed plans within the overall Moc Chau National Tourist Area; developing community tourism, ecotourism, and spiritual tourism, gradually forming high-quality tourism products; investing in technical infrastructure; and creating branded tourism products that reflect the unique cultural identity of the ethnic groups.

The tourism planning for Van Ho district is developed based on zoning key tourist destinations, focusing on and aiming for resort tourism, ecotourism linked with nature conservation, sports tourism, hiking and camping tourism, village visits, border tourism, spiritual tourism, and commercial shopping tourism. From 2020 to the present, the district has proposed including 12 tourist attractions and rest stops in Van Ho on the Son La province tourism map. The district has implemented policies to attract investment in the service and tourism sector, aiming to diversify tourism types and products. Simultaneously, it has attracted 8 investment projects in high-end hotels and resorts, with a total social investment in tourism reaching over 452 billion VND. Currently, there are 2 resorts, 10 guesthouses, and 20 community guesthouses operating in the district.

The traditional rice cake pounding competition at the Long Luong Commune Peach Blossom Festival in 2024 attracted tourists to experience it.

Activities promoting, linking, and developing tourism products have received attention. The district has coordinated the organization of the VTV Cup Off Road motorcycle race in 2022 and 2023; the VTV Cup mountain bike race in 2024 in Van Ho; the peach blossom festival in Long Luong commune, the bauhinia flower festival in Chieng Khoa commune... attracting tourists to visit and experience.

In addition, the district focuses on preserving and restoring traditional housing architecture; reviving and developing traditional craft villages; preserving and restoring historical sites and scenic spots, linking them with the development of community-based tourism. In coordination with the AOP project, it organized surveys and supported the development of community-based tourism in Na Sang village, Chieng Xuan commune and Muong An village, Xuan Nha commune; surveyed and developed a plan to improve the S-shaped road on National Highway 6 in Long Luong village, Long Luong commune, creating a highlight for Van Ho tourism; and developed Chieng Di 1 village, Van Ho commune, into a provincial-level tourism destination.

Currently, many scenic spots in the district are well-known to domestic and international tourists, such as: Hang Mieng Temple in Quang Minh commune; Tat Nang waterfall, hot springs, community tourism villages associated with the fish stream in Buot village, Phu Mau community tourism village, Na Bai in Chieng Yen commune; Nang Tien waterfall, Seven-tiered waterfall, Muong Khoa waterfall, Bang Muong Temple in Chieng Khoa commune; community tourism destinations in Chieng Di 1, Chieng Di 2, Hua Tat village, "The Nordic" resort, Vigolando resort in Van Ho commune...

Chieng Yen is one of the tourist destinations that attracts visitors to admire the beautiful scenery and experience the local culture. Mr. Ha Trong Hieu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieng Yen commune, said: Exploiting tourism potential, the commune has 18 households operating homestay tourism businesses and 2 agricultural cooperatives linked to community tourism. From 2020 to the present, the number of visitors to Chieng Yen commune has reached over 5,700 people.

The VTV Cup Off Road motorcycle race conquers the race course amidst the pristine mountain and forest scenery.

Community-based tourism villages have leveraged both natural and cultural resources to attract tourists. A prime example is "A Chu Homestay" in Hua Tat village, Van Ho commune, with its peaceful village atmosphere and rich cultural traditions of the Mong ethnic group. Mr. Trang A Chu, the homestay owner, shared: "Each month, the homestay welcomes about 200 tourists, including many international visitors. We organize cultural experiences such as beeswax painting on fabric, making sticky rice cakes, traditional games, and performances of Mong flute playing and dancing. This helps preserve and promote the Mong ethnic cultural identity while attracting tourists."

Leveraging its potential and strengths, tourism in Van Ho is developing rapidly. From 2020 to the present, Van Ho has welcomed 583,100 tourists, generating revenue exceeding 250 billion VND. This is an important foundation for Van Ho district to continue effectively implementing planning and management, construction order, and the development and synchronous connection of technical infrastructure at tourist areas and sites, while preserving and promoting cultural values; and researching and developing new tourism products that are attractive to tourists.

Pham Duc