“Green gem” of the Geopark area

Tourists experience rowing on Dong Lam Lake, Huu Lien Commune

Huu Lien Commune was established on the basis of merging two communes of Huu Lien and Yen Thinh of Huu Lung District (old). The total natural area after the merger is 122.56 km2 with a population of 8,739 people. The entire Huu Lien Commune is now located in the Huu Lien Nature Reserve, which is considered the "green lung" of the Northeast region; it is considered a rich ecological museum with 776 species of plants and 409 species of natural animals and about 30 species of plants and 61 species of rare animals listed in the Vietnam Red Book.

Awaken your potential

The highlight of the landscape in Huu Lien is the system of beautiful lakes, waterfalls, and caves such as: Dong Lam Lake, Lan Ty Lake, Khe Dau Waterfall, Snake Cave, Water Cave, Snail Cave, and the majestic Mat Than Mountain... In particular, Huu Lien is also home to the Tay and Nung Dao people... Along with extremely unique cultural heritages such as: 4-roofed stilt houses, Then singing, Pa Xoan singing, Nha To singing, ancient Cheo performances, along with the traditional medicine profession and costumes of the Dao people, have created a distinct identity for Huu Lien commune.

As a locality located in the core area of the UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark, with the above advantages, it has created a golden opportunity for Huu Lien commune to develop tourism , attracting domestic and foreign tourists. Therefore, in the past time, the Party Committee and the communal government have been coordinating with the Lang Son Geopark Management Department, the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion to build Huu Lien into a model tourist commune in the UNESCO Global Geopark area.

Tourists experience taking photos and experiencing services at Dong Lam Grassland Festival, Huu Lien commune

Mr. Khong Hong Minh, Vice Chairman of Huu Lien Commune People's Committee, said: The commune currently has 4 tourist attractions on the No. 1 tourist route of the Lang Son UNESCO Global Geopark, including: Peaceful Ancient Ocean (Carbonian fossil site); Son Thuy Homestay; Dong Lam Fairy Valley; Son Loc Pagoda. To promote tourism development, in recent times, the commune has coordinated with the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion as well as businesses to exploit and select unique products connecting with tourist attractions in the Geopark to attract tourists. At the same time, it has coordinated with homestays to create new tourism products. In particular, focusing on cultural products, typically every Saturday night, the commune will organize a traditional ethnic music night for free for tourists. In particular, we are also promoting the assurance of quality, food safety and hygiene, security and order, and conditions at 36 tourist accommodation establishments in the area, creating attractiveness and safety for tourists coming to the locality.

Accordingly, in the past time, the commune has introduced homestays with the potential to develop into tourist destinations with travel agencies and tourism businesses to link tours. At the same time, the commune has promoted the development of the traditional herbal bath model of the Dao people (formed since 2022); maintained 4 traditional art performance teams to regularly serve tourists. Every year, the commune coordinates with relevant units to open 2-4 training courses on civilized tourism codes of conduct and training courses on tourism services for representatives of homestays in the area. At the same time, the commune also focuses on investing in and promoting tourist destinations in the area.

Thanks to those efforts, in early 2025, Huu Lien won 2 international tourism awards including: ASEAN Community Tourism Award - CBT ASEAN for Huu Lien community tourism site and ASEAN Homestay Award for Homestay Cluster.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Hoa, owner of La Nha homestay, Huu Lien commune, said: In order to develop a standard homestay, from 2023 to now, the family has invested nearly 5 billion VND to build roads, upgrade the accommodation area to be more comfortable and invest in some modern equipment to standardize the facilities... thanks to that, the homestay now attracts more tourists. My family is also very happy and proud to be one of the homestays receiving the ASEAN homestay award. This is a great encouragement for us to continue to improve the quality of service, bringing visitors memorable experiences about the culture and people of Lang Son.

Sustainable tourism development

The fact that Huu Lien is located in the Lang Son UNESCO Global Geopark is not only a title, but also a strategic advantage, bringing practical values to the locality. This title has opened up a golden opportunity for Huu Lien to attract sustainable investment sources, while positioning itself as an ideal destination for tourists who love to explore and learn about culture.

In order to manage and develop tourism in the right direction, since 2024, Huu Lien commune has established a tourism service cooperative with 16 members who are local tourism businesses. Members of the cooperative share benefits, organize and operate tours, improve service quality and develop new tourism products. At the same time, the cooperative also promotes the brand, preserves cultural and environmental values so that local tourism develops in the right direction and effectively.

Thanks to professional tourism activities, Huu Lien has attracted investors in the tourism sector, opening up opportunities for outstanding development for local tourism. A typical example is "Journey to the Heart of Lan Ty Lake" exploited by Vietnam Expeditions Joint Stock Company. Mr. Pham Van Manh, Director of the Company shared: “Recently, we were honored to be licensed to exploit adventure tourism at the geological trail "Journey to the Heart of Lan Ty Lake". These are the in-depth tourism products that we always aim for, combining natural experiences with systematic heritage exploration. To best serve these activities, our office in Huu Lien commune has also been officially opened and put into operation since mid-July 2025. We believe that, by building specialized products combined with rich national cultural identity, Huu Lien can completely position itself as one of the leading destinations in the Geopark area".

To ensure tourism develops in harmony with the environment and culture, Huu Lien has made strong commitments to sustainable tourism. Specifically, the commune has encouraged service establishments to use natural materials and renewable energy, while raising public awareness about resource conservation. Adventure and exploration tourism activities are strictly controlled to limit negative impacts on the ecosystem.

Thanks to practical solutions, Huu Lien has achieved impressive figures over the past 5 years. In the period 2020 - 2025, the commune attracted about 186,200 visitors, with estimated revenue of 52.11 billion VND. The above figures not only demonstrate great potential but also show the right direction of Huu Lien in harmoniously combining economic development and heritage conservation in the Geopark area.

Ms. Pham Thi Huong, Head of Lang Son Geopark Management Department, Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center said: Huu Lien with its unique natural, geological and cultural values is a real highlight of Lang Son UNESCO Global Geopark. This place promises to be an unmissable destination for those who love nature and exploration. Therefore, we have been coordinating with relevant agencies, units as well as the Party Committee and the communal government to promote the exploitation of these unique values through promoting the value of tourist destinations in the No. 1 tourist route of the Geopark area, and at the same time building geological trails connecting tourist routes and destinations, in order to promote tourism in the commune to develop more and more. Specifically, the route "Journey to the heart of Lan Ty Lake" is being developed and in the near future we will continue to build another trail leading to Lan Dat area, Huu Lien commune, a product that promises to bring new experiences about both the landscape and culture of the local Dao people to visitors.

With the strategic directions set out, in the coming time, Huu Lien will continue to attract investment, improve infrastructure, and apply information technology to promote, making tourism a key economic sector, creating sustainable livelihoods for local people.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/vien-ngoc-xanh-vung-cong-vien-dia-chat-5057253.html