Loc Binh - the promised land of eco-tourism in Lang Son

(PLVN) - Loc Binh, a land blessed by nature with majestic scenery, stands out with many scenic spots and a rich ecosystem. Thanks to its natural advantages, in recent years, Loc Binh has increasingly emerged as a bright spot with great potential for eco-tourism, promising to bring new and attractive experiences to visitors when they set foot in Lang Son.

Where green mountains and blue waters beckon

As a mountainous border district located in the southeast of Lang Son province, Loc Binh shares a border with Ninh Minh district of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China). With a total area of ​​over 1,000km2, this place possesses a rich terrain with a harmonious combination of mountains, forests, valleys, rivers and plateaus. This combination contributes to creating majestic landscapes and a cool climate all year round.

One of the famous destinations when mentioning Loc Binh district is Mau Son Mountain Eco- tourism Area, also known as the "First majestic pass" in the North. This is an ideal tourist destination for those who love to explore nature and love the typical landscape of the Northeast mountains and forests. With an altitude of more than 1,500 meters above sea level, Mau Son's climate has the characteristics of the subtropical and temperate regions.

In 2024, there will be about 285,000 tourists coming to Loc Binh district, tourism revenue will reach over 162 billion VND. In 5 months of 2025, the district welcomed more than 200,000 visitors, tourism revenue will reach over 123 billion VND.

In the summer, Mau Son offers a cool, fresh space with bright yellow sunshine, ideal for relaxation and nature exploration activities. Visitors can freely experience bathing in streams, waterfalls, and camping in the middle of the cool green forest. When winter comes, Mau Son puts on a magical look with a thick fog covering the hills. In particular, on cold days, ice and snow appear here, creating a rare and fascinating scene in Vietnam. This is the highlight that makes Mau Son an ideal meeting place for tens of thousands of tourists, wishing to touch the white snow and feel the typical cold of the mountainous region.

The road to Mau Son peak. (Photo: Nguyen Thuy Van)

Coming to Loc Binh district, visitors also have the opportunity to explore many places with green mountains and blue water, such as Na Duong Lake World, Ban Lai Lake, Ban Khieng Waterfall, Long Dau Stream, Pia Po Mountain... In which, the most prominent is Na Duong Lake World - one of the impressive destinations of Lang Son Geopark. Containing the richest fossil relics in Vietnam in particular and Southeast Asia in general, this place is an ideal "outdoor laboratory" for tourists who love to explore. As for trekking enthusiasts, Pia Po Mountain (belonging to Cha Mountain) with its captivating dinosaur spine is a must-see stop. On the journey to conquer the mountain peak, visitors will cross many different habitats and terrains with extremely interesting experiences.

Not only attracting tourists by its landscape and climate, Loc Binh is also a land rich in historical and cultural traditions, a place where many long-standing indigenous cultural values ​​crystallize and intersect. This is home to ethnic communities such as Tay, Nung, Dao... each ethnic group has its own distinct identity, contributing to creating a unique cultural picture, creating a special attraction for Loc Binh tourism.

Here, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the rustic rammed earth houses bearing the traditional architectural imprint or listen to the profound Then, Sli, and Luon melodies. At the same time, they will also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the bustling atmosphere of folk festivals such as the Long Tong Festival, the Harvest Festival, and the Jumping Festival. Or visit the Vi family memorial site to clearly visualize the life and contributions of the Lang Son clans. All of these cultural values ​​are not only precious heritages, but also a solid foundation for the development of cultural and community tourism.

One of the highlights that attracts tourists to Loc Binh is the cuisine imbued with the flavor of the mountains and forests. Famous specialties such as roast duck, roast pork, braised pork... are extremely attractive with irresistible delicious taste, elaborate processing techniques and imbued with local cultural identity. This is a huge advantage, especially in the context of culinary tourism (also known as "food tour") becoming a popular trend in Vietnam. Not only stopping at delicious food, OCOP branded agricultural products of this land are also gradually gaining a foothold in domestic and foreign markets.

Pia Po Mountain - a popular destination for trekking enthusiasts. (Photo: Luong Duy Doanh)

Promote inherent potential and strengths

It can be seen that Loc Binh district possesses many potentials and outstanding strengths to become an attractive destination on the Northern mountainous tourism map. In particular, for ecotourism, this type is attracting widespread attention from many localities across the country and is considered a promising development direction. In order to promote ecotourism in Loc Binh district, recently, the Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion of Lang Son province organized the Conference "Building ecotourism products in Loc Binh district". At the Conference, leaders, scientists, experts and travel companies all highly appreciated the potential for ecotourism development here.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Thuan - Director of the Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion of Lang Son province said that Loc Binh district is one of the districts with great potential for developing eco-tourism in the province. Loc Binh owns 14 artificial lakes, a system of historical and cultural relics. In particular, Mau Son mountain - the highlight of district tourism is planned and invested in by the People's Committee of Lang Son province to become a national tourist area. In fact, many prominent tourist attractions have also been effectively exploited, such as: the border patrol route from Chi Ma border gate to Bac Xa commune, the relic of High Point 424.

Despite its potential and strengths, many people still believe that Loc Binh tourism is still in its early stages of development. Sharing the same view, Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy - Vice Chairman of Loc Binh District People's Committee commented that local tourism products are monotonous, lacking diversity and attractiveness; infrastructure and service quality are limited; promotion work is not effective. The number of tourists coming to Loc Binh district in recent times, although increasing, most of them only stop at short-term tours with low spending. The whole district only has a few small-scale accommodation establishments, there are no hotels or resorts that meet high standards to serve long-term tourism.

Not to mention, tourism activities in Loc Binh are still small and fragmented, lacking overall coordination and large-scale, systematic investment. Although the transport infrastructure has been improved, it still poses a potential risk of insecurity during the rainy or snowy season. The work of preserving cultural identity associated with tourism development has not received due attention. Current tours and tourism products are still fragmented and lack connectivity, leading to an incomplete experience for tourists.

Na Duong Lake World - a geopark recognized by UNESCO. (Photo: Duy Trinh)

Faced with the remaining limitations, many enthusiastic opinions from representatives of travel companies, scientists and experts were presented at the Conference. One of the key solutions is to promote investment and complete the Mau Son complex resort to 4-star standards from now until 2030. The resort is expected to become an iconic highlight, a "must-see" place when tourists set foot in Loc Binh district, and at the same time play the role of a long-term accommodation center to help tourists conveniently explore other destinations in the region.

In addition, the orientation of developing eco-tourism combined with accommodation and exploring the unique culture of ethnic minorities is considered a sustainable direction. The connection between education and farm tourism models is also encouraged, creating conditions for tourists to both rest, learn and experience. At the same time, it is still necessary to promote the completion of the accommodation system and traffic connecting tourist destinations. Renovating traditional works such as rammed earth houses, to serve the needs of tourists to stay and learn about local cultural values.

In addition, raising awareness of resource protection and building sustainable tourism in the direction of "zero waste" is also an important task. Along with that, focusing on attracting strategic investors, encouraging travel businesses to design attractive tours, creating unique highlights. Building the district's OCOP Center, helping tourists to shop, enjoy local specialties, and buy gifts, introduce friends, contributing to increasing the value of the experience. In particular, to spread the image of Loc Binh tourism widely and effectively, it is necessary to strongly utilize digital media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook... with creative, attractive content, suitable for the tastes of modern tourists.

Linh Chi - Duy Trinh

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/loc-binh-mien-dat-hua-cua-du-lich-sinh-thai-xu-lang-post551112.html