Many untapped potentials remain.

Located in Dan village, Yen Son commune, Chi Day Cave is a famous and beautiful cave complex discovered by many local people in 2007. In the Thai language, Chi Day means "will be granted," so locals also call it the "cave where whatever you wish for will be granted." Therefore, many people come here to ask for and pray for their wishes to be granted.

The Chi Day cave complex consists of four caves, situated on a limestone mountain range covered by a pristine forest that remains cool year-round. Over time, many stalactites and stalagmites within the caves have been shaped by nature into diverse forms, sparking fascinating imaginations in visitors about mysterious stories.

The Chi Day Cave scenic area, Yen Son commune.

Since 2008, Chi Day Cave has been opened for tourism and recognized as a provincial-level scenic site. The pristine beauty of Chi Day Cave has attracted many tourists from both within and outside the province. Initially, the number of visitors was quite high, especially on weekends, full moon days, and holidays, with thousands of visitors coming daily to admire the cave. However, from 2014 to the present, the number of visitors has gradually decreased, then disappeared completely, with only a few dozen visitors occasionally, mainly students and pilgrims.

As the unit managing and exploiting the Chi Day cave complex, since its operation began, Son Lam Cooperative in Yen Son commune has invested in building roads, constructing sales points, parking areas, auxiliary facilities, and extending electricity to the caves to serve tourists. Mr. Kieu Duc Nam, a member of the cooperative, shared: "The government invested in building more than 1 km of concrete road leading to the cave area and detailed planning for the scenic site complex, but because the road to the cave is narrow and winding, it has been eroded over many rainy seasons. Revenue from ticket sales is low and insufficient to cover operating costs, leaving no money for repairs to the facilities."

The hot spring bathing service in Then Luong village, Chieng Dong commune, has been out of operation for many years.

Similarly, in Then Luong village, Chieng Dong commune, once a popular tourist destination due to its natural hot springs, exploitation has ceased. The hot spring remains relatively unspoiled, located less than 1 km from the commune center, near National Highway 6. The surrounding area boasts beautiful scenery, with expansive green fields and ancient tamarind trees, offering significant potential for developing resort tourism.

Some households in the village exploited and collaborated to form a cooperative to expand hot spring bathing services and food and beverage businesses. During peak times, nearly 200 visitors came to bathe and relax each day. However, after a period of operation, due to land disputes between households and difficulties in determining land ownership, many households became frustrated and fenced off the spring, blocking access to the hot spring bathing area. In addition, the hot spring was located at the foot of a rice field, and during farming, a significant amount of it was buried by the soil, affecting the cooperative's business. Gradually, customers dwindled, and operations had to cease.

The area around the spring in Then Luong village, Chieng Dong commune, has been abandoned.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Binh, from the Then Luong Service Cooperative, shared: "Currently, the path leading to the hot spring is a dirt trail overgrown with weeds; the spring area is abandoned. We hope that the local authorities will coordinate with relevant levels and sectors to resolve these issues soon so that the cooperative can resume operations, reinvest, renovate, effectively exploit, and expand hot spring bathing and ethnic cuisine services, thereby increasing income."

Leveraging advantages, achieving sustainable development.

With its rich historical and cultural traditions and abundant natural resources, Yen Chau boasts numerous attractive historical sites and scenic spots. Currently, the district has 10 classified historical and cultural relics and scenic spots, including the Vietnam-Laos Revolutionary Historical Relic Site, classified as a special national-level relic; the national-level scenic spot Chieng Khoi Lake; and 8 provincial-level relics.

In addition, many cave systems and large lakes have the potential to be exploited and developed into various types of tourism, such as: Ta En and Co Mon caves (Phieng Khoai commune), Muong Lum lake, Chieng Dong hot springs… The ethnic communities living in the district have rich customs and traditions, and the area has a fertile agricultural region with many characteristic agricultural products, such as: mangoes, plums, pears, longan… suitable for experiential tourism.

The Vietnam-Laos revolutionary historical site is located in Lao Kho village, Phieng Khoai commune.

Despite some development activities, tourism here remains limited. Tourist areas are still largely undeveloped and unconnected; transportation infrastructure is inadequate; accommodation and food services are scarce; funding for investment and restoration is insufficient, and public awareness of tourism development is lacking. Attracting investment to tourist destinations and rest stops is challenging, failing to draw many tourists; and tourism revenue is negligible.

Muong Lum Lake is planned to be developed for ecotourism.

Faced with this situation, Yen Chau district has held numerous meetings to discuss solutions, coordinating with tourism associations and businesses inside and outside the province to survey and assess potential and advantages, and develop plans and projects to promote tourism development.

Regarding the Chi Day cave scenic area, the district has carried out a detailed planning at a scale of 1/500 for the entire complex of relics, and developed the "Chi Day Spiritual and Cultural Tourism Area" project with a total area of ​​nearly 50 hectares. The planned items include: restoring the caves and access routes; renovating the worship spaces; upgrading tourism facilities, rest stops, parking lots, reception areas, and management offices.

Regarding the hot spring tourist spot in Chieng Dong commune, the district has established a working group to inspect and assess the current state of reserves; directed functional departments to expedite the resolution of land disputes… to finalize the tourism plan; and proposed linking the hot spring tourist spot with visits to the Chieng Dong Victory Monument historical site.

In addition, Yen Chau district has also developed a plan and is calling for investment in the Muong Lum Lake Eco-tourism and Resort Project with an area of ​​98 hectares; built a project to develop a community tourism model in Kha village, Sap Vat commune; and paid attention to restoring traditional festivals to attract tourists, such as: the Dong Sua and Han Khuong rain-praying festivals of the Thai ethnic group; the Muong A Ma festival of the Xinh Mun ethnic group; and the New Rice Festival of the Kho Mu ethnic group…

Tourists participate in the Dong Sua Festival in Kha village, Sap Vat commune.

Mr. Pham Duc Long, Vice Chairman of the Yen Chau District People's Committee, said: In the coming time, the district will coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to promote, connect, and attract investment to accelerate the planning and implementation of projects and programs; prioritize attracting investment resources to develop infrastructure; train tourism human resources; restore and connect tourist attractions; and pay attention to supporting and enhancing the management role of tourism cooperatives. The district will promote socialization and diversify characteristic tourism products associated with experiencing agricultural products; strengthen the promotion and introduction of scenic spots combined with the introduction of historical relics and the cultural beauty of ethnic groups to build an image, promote the value of relics, and attract tourists to Yen Chau.

To develop tourism in the right direction, effectively and sustainably, it is essential to have the attention of all levels and sectors in helping Yen Chau district invest in building infrastructure for tourist destinations, developing detailed plans for key tourist spots, and combining this with training local tourism workers.

However, most importantly, localities need to identify tourism development as a central focus in their socio-economic development orientation; research and develop projects to preserve and promote traditional cultural values ​​to maximize the strengths of various types of tourism; and create conditions to help tourists access tourist destinations, thereby promoting the socio-economic development of the locality.

Thanh Huyen