Currently, Son La province is developing new tourism destinations based on a strategy of diversifying tourism products and destinations. New and attractive tour routes will be implemented to serve travel agencies bringing tourists to Son La. Accordingly, Son La province is planning to develop a spiritual tourism tour starting from Thanh Son - Phu Tho, following a new route to Thuan Chau and Quynh Nhai districts.

Currently, the biggest challenge for tourist destinations in Son La province, particularly in Thuan Chau and Quynh Nhai districts, is transportation. Difficulty in getting around, with many roads still underdeveloped, hinders the transportation of tourists to and from these destinations. Furthermore, these two localities are still in the early stages of tourism development, resulting in a lack of coordination and professionalism in tourism development. According to Mr. Nghiem Van Tuan, Deputy Director of the Son La Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion, these bottlenecks need to be addressed in the coming time to pave the way for the development of tourism in Son La.

Seminar in Son La on developing tourism products in Thuan Chau and Quynh Nhai districts.

"Currently, regarding transportation, Son La and Dien Bien do not have a highway, making it very difficult for famtrip groups and tour operators to bring tours here, as it takes a lot of time. It is expected that Son La will begin construction of a highway from Hoa Binh to Moc Chau in the second quarter of 2025, and then continue with a highway from Moc Chau to Son La City and then to Dien Bien. In addition, we are planning to renovate and upgrade Na San airport in the near future," Mr. Tuan said.

Possessing great potential in natural resources, rich culinary culture, and diverse cultural identities of the ethnic groups living in the area, Thuan Chau and Quynh Nhai districts are becoming focal points for investment in tourism development in Son La province in the coming time. To achieve this goal, the two localities are also making efforts to implement solutions and promote tourism market development to attract more visitors in the future. According to Ms. Luong Thi Duyen - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Nhai district, Son La province, developing lake tourism products associated with preserving and promoting ethnic cultural identity is a key objective that the locality is investing in.

Despite possessing significant potential and strengths in tourism development, in order to achieve greater growth in the future, Son La province needs to effectively utilize its natural resources, focus on overcoming limitations and difficulties, and accelerate the implementation of solutions to upgrade infrastructure, train tourism human resources, and aim to attract a large number of tourists, especially international tourists.

Tran Huyen Trang