Muong Khuong

Muong Khuong keeps it green

The district is looking to develop into an eco-friendly destination.

Muong Khuong district is planning to remodel itself into a centre of community-based eco-tourism in northwest Lao Cai Province in its current period of development (2005-10), said the chairman of the district people committee Nong Van Hung at a recent tourism conference.

The district, which has 13 markets and seven handicraft villages, has chosen tourism as the driving force that can better the lives of its population of 51,000 who’s current capita per head is VND3.5 million (US$209).

Muong Khuong District is about a 10-hour Train ride from the capital and then approximately 50km east from Lao Cai centre. The district is then accessible by motorbike or bus from Lao cai city

The locality is home to 14 ethnic groups including Mong (the largest group who account for 43 per cent of the population), Nung, Dao, Pa Di and Phu La. The mix in ethnicities lends the area a colourful character, visible in the market and the wares each group has to offer.

"The market is one of the main tourist attractions which sees a lot of visitors, especially as the district also serves as a link to other famous sites like Sa Pa Town, Bac Ha and Si Ma Cai districts in the province and the border gate with Yunnan, China," said Hung.

"The agriculture-based district will target community-based eco-tourism in a sustainable manner that will help develop future social-economic projects over the course of the next few years," he said, adding that the district is expected to open more border gates for increasing tourism traffic from China.

Vibrant market

Muong Khuong District is well-known to travellers for its many markets lining National Road 4D. It gives visitors a chance to glimpse into the life and traditions, not to mention goods on sale, of the Mong, Nung and Dao.

"We want to transform tourism in Lao Cai Province into a powerful industry and Muong Khuong District is just one of the tourist destinations we want to focus on and improve upon. Currently, we are upgrading the infrastructure and landscapes in the district to make it more attractive to tourists," said vice director of Lao Cai Province’s Culture, Sport and Tourism Department, Le Duc Luan.

Challenges ahead

During the conference, travel agents highlighted the problems tourists faced and how they needed to be rectified as it was important to ensure that travellers did not leave with bad impressions of the area.

"We are fully aware that Lao Cai is famous for its sites, especially Sa Pa Town and Bac Ha District and how tourists are drawn to the area’s weekly markets and lifestyles of the different ethnicities. However, we are afraid that an overload of tourist traffic could prevent visitors from travelling throughout the province," said Dang Thi Tho, head of the Hanoi branch of Phoenix Voyage travel company.

"What we have learned from our 10 years of offering tours in the province is that authorities need to open more sites so that visitors have more options to avail of when they visit Lao Cai. Our customers, mostly from France, would visit Sa Pa and Bac Ha but never considered prolonging their stay in the province because nothing attractive was on offer there," Tho added.

Tran Thi Huyen Thanh, director of Wild Lotus company, said: "I have seen just how beautiful Muong Khuong District’s natural landscape is. That is its advantage but it needs to tap into it and explore creative ways to promote it so that the area becomes an ideal destination for travellers to Lao Cai Province."

However, the 34-year-old director said that the District needed to revamp the markets to make them easier to access and browse through in a carefree manner. He said locals needed to be made aware of norms of social etiquette in their dealings with tourists.

"At the moment, many locals do not even smile or turn their heads if tourists want to take photographs with them. Instead it is common for them to ask for a little money if they are asked to pose for photographs or they trail tourists, and harass them into buying their wares. This chaotic atmosphere needs to change," said Thanh.

The district opened a lodge in centre of Cao Son Village, where visitors could stay overnight and then go on a trek the following day throughout forests and markets in or near Cao Son, Lung Khau Nhin, Pha Long, Ta Gia Khau, Ban Lau, Ban Xen and Lung Vai.

Many spoke of their pleasure visiting brocade weaving sites and maize wine villages in Ta Chu Phung and Di Thang. Perhaps more such lodgings need to be opened.

New plans

In the current 2005-10 five-year plan for tourism development in the district, authorities in Lao Cai hope to complete work on a road that will link Muong Khuong and Si Ma Cai districts to Ha Giang next year. This should facilitate tourism in the area as it will give travellers opportunities to explore in a convenient manner.

The road will also turn Muong Khuong District into a centre of tourism and provide a viable trade route from Hekou, Ma Guan and Yunnan in China to Bac Ha, Si Ma Cai districts in Lao Cai and Ha Giang provinces.

(Source: Viet nam News)

Tag: Craft Villages , Culture , Ha Giang , Ha Long , Handicraft , Hanoi , Sa Pa , Tour , Tourism , Tourist , Train , Travel , Viet Nam

Muong Khuong keeps it green

Lastest News


Schinller’s Plot and Love on Vietnamese stage German playwright Schinller’s drama ‘Plot and Love’ was on stage at the Youth Theatre on July 28 for a dress rehearsal before its public debut in October.
2.6 million foreign visitors arrive in 7 months More than 2.6 million foreigners visited Vietnam in the past seven months of this year, an increase of 10.7 percent from a year ago, according to the General Statistics Office.
Crooners conquer silver screen Singers have found fame acting in movies after being sought out by directors and film producers who wanted a big name to attract more viewers.
Vietnamese film enters int’l cancer film festival Vietnam’s Uoc mo cua Thuy (Thuy’s dream) was selected as one of 40 finalists for the first international documentary film festival on cancer which will be held in Switzerland next month.
Footprints in the coal - Na Duong town Once upon time, millions of years ago, there was a jungle where Lang Son province in Vietnam is today. A range of fossils might reveal more of that history but further efforts to preserve these fossils needs to be made.
Sa Pa feels the burden of too many tourists It’s no secret that Sa Pa Town is one of the country’s most beloved tourist destinations for local and international travellers but as traffic increases, so does the burden on the town’s service industry.
Traveling on the East-West Economic Corridor The East-West Economic Corridor, in reality a 1,450-kilonieter-long road, connects Danang City in Vietnam with large cities of Laos and Thailand.
Rock Vietnam: passion and bravery Several decades ago, nobody could imagine a day when rock, the lifestyle of rockers, and rock fans would be accepted in Vietnam as today.
French experts help develop Sa Pa tourism site The cooperation between northern mountainous Lao cai Province and Aquitaine, the largest south-western region of France, has yielded initial results.
Young critic speaks about current literature and film - Vietnamese literature Although he is currently the director of a high profile communications company, Nguyen Thanh Son was trained in literature and communication and is known for his strict criticism of literature and film, especially a prolific period between 2001 and 2003.
Artist reveres Buddha and gods on canvas Thirty-six large-sized paintings on Buddhism and Vietnamese Belief by Trinh Yen are on display at an exhibition which opened on Thursday.
The beauty of terraced fields The northern mountainous province of Lao cai has two seasons that are good for admiring the beauty of terraced fields.
Woman brings Nom script to the world Nom, Vietnamese script which was used to record the country’s history from the 10th to the 20th centuries and is facing oblivion, has been digitalised and will be uploaded to the Internet by some overseas Vietnamese researchers. One of them is Ms. Shih Jing-yi or Sinh.
Singing folk tunes for Agent Orange - Ho Chi Minh City Television Well-known American singer Peter Yarrow and his group will perform in a charity concert in Hcm city today to raise funds for Agent Orange victims.
Border town - travel to Bac Ha Continuing her trip into the remote north of Vietnam Duc Hanh travels to Simacai, a mysterious border town with imposing cloudy peaks and a vibrant market .
Elephant walk - travel to Buon Don Visitors to the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak should make a side stop to Buon Don (Don Village), famous for its natural beauty and legends of wild elephants.
City hosts foreign-language book fair A foreign-language book fair featuring more than 2,500 titles and 20,000 copies worth VND3 billion (US$180,000) is taking place at the Xuan Thu Bookstore in Ho chi minh city The books were published by of the Penguin Group publishing house.
Collectors’ treasures become society’s gain - Viet Nam UNESCO Club Those of us who collect such items as antiques, pottery, paper money and coins, books and souvenirs – myself included – know the joy that comes from adding another item to our personal collections.
Sports movie festival, prizes fairly divided - Vietnam Sports and Tourism Movie Centre All seven participating countries won prizes at the 4th Hanoi International FICTS Festival, which closed in Hanoi on June 8.
Week of US films in Vietnam from June 9 - Vietnamese cinema A Week of US Films will be held from June 9-14 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in cooperation with the US academy of cinematic science and art.
Prodigy brings City sweet sounds Fifteen-year-old Anna Sowanna Takeda, a Thai-Japanese violinist will perform in a concert at the Hcm city Conservatory of Music on June 6.
Huge thang co pan entered into record book - Vietnam Book Record A giant “thang co” pan weighing1.6 tonnes, 3m in diameter and 1m deep, was displayed on May 30 at Bac Ha Cultural Fair in the northern province of Lao cai
Bac Ha Races Horses, Boils Horse Meat - Bac Ha Tourism The Bac Ha Tourism and Culture Week 2008, which opened Friday, closed Sunday with a horse race in the town’s stadium.
HCM City greeted more than 1.2 million foreigners in five months In May, the number of foreign tourists to Ho chi minh (HCM) City continued to rise to 195,000, an increase of 12 percent against the same period last year, said the HCM City Tourism Department.
Three Festival Hue 2008 programmes broadcast live on VTV Among seven big festive programmes in Festival Hue 2008, three programmes will be broadcast live on VTV3, namely the opening and closing ceremonies and the Ao Dai fashion show.
Diverse activities to mark International Children’s Day A forum to protect the rights of Vietnamese children will be held on May 31 as part of activities in response to the Action Month for Children and International Children’s Day (June 1).