The ‘Xoe’ dance of the Thai ethnic people in Yen Bai

Nhan Dan – The mountainous province of Yen Bai has got its tourism potentials with many beautiful sites as well as unique cultural beauties of ethnic minorities people such as Thai, Mong and Dao. How can these tourism potentials be woken up?

Located 20km from Yen Bai City is Thac Ba Lake. This artificial lake of the Thac Ba Hydroelectric Power Plant covers an area of 23,400ha and 1,331 islands. Thousands of hills and islands feature beautiful caves including Hum Cave where vestiges of the Ancient Viet were discovered; Thuy Tien, Xuan Long caves with diverse stalactities together with temples and pagodas along the bank of the lake are closely associated with many interesting legends. The landscape and atmosphere here create favourable conditions to develop ecological and cultural tourism.

Nghia Lo township is considered the most perfect example of an ancient and original culture of the Thai ethnic people with their ancient houses, hand made 'tho cam' products (brocades woven by ethnic people) and traditional customs.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has selected Nghia Lo together with Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam as the models to build cultural townships. Terraced fields of Mu Cang Chai have also been recognised as national places of interest..

The Shan Tuyet tea region in Suoi Giang is also home to the hundred-year-old tea trees, so workers have to climb up to gather the leaves. Suoi Giang tea has created its brand name in the domestic and international markets.

However, the number of visitors to Yen Bai seems modest compared to its tourism potentials. "The province attaches special importance to developing tourism to make a contribution to promoting the socio-economic development of the locality. Yen Bai has a lot of tourism potentials that require long-term appropriate investment strategies to wake them up. We particularly focus on developing and advertising the cultural identity and the beautiful natural sites in Yen Bai to tourists at home and abroad", said Hoang Xuan Loc, Secretary of the Yen Bai Provincial Party Committee.

To develop tourism, Yen Bai also needs to improve its infrastructure and transportation systems. The highway from Lao Cai through Yen Bai to Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh is expected to create a good chance for more convenient visits to the province. The beauties of nature and people in Yen Bai should be broadly advertised through cultural events and interesting, diverse tours to make Yen Bai a really safe and attractive destination for visitors.