However, linking tourism with building new-style rural in the location is facing many difficulties and obstacles, implementing the goals of hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and improving income for local people is still slow.
According to the Deputy Director of Lai Chau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Vuong Duc Loi, in the period 2011-2021, the province has Lai Chau City and 38 communes recognised as meeting new-style rural standards. Among these, two communes Khun Ha and Ho Thau of Tam Duong district, were recognised as meeting new-style rural standards in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
However, in the project of building a new-style rural associated with new-style rural tourism in several villages in Lai Chau province between 2020-2025, according to Decision No. 30/QD-UBND dated January 14, 2020, Lao Chai 1 is not listed in the list of 11 villages of 11 communes in seven districts and one city.
While many villages and communes of Lai Chau have done well in building new-style rural, when linking the building of new-style rural with rural tourism, not every village or commune can develop specific agricultural products to support tourism.
According to the leader of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lai Chau province, in the villages of Lao Chai 1 and Si Thau Chai of Tam Duong district, the province has the plan to build a fruit-growing area in the villages, but this agricultural product is difficult to create local characteristics.
Until now, despite possessing the advantages of suitable soil, altitude and climate, Lai Chau has only developed several 3-star OCOP products, such as Xa De Phin ancient tea and dried fish of the Tham Phe Cooperative in Muong Kim commune, Than Uyen district; dried pork of Tam Nhung Cooperative in Vang Pheo village, Muong So commune, Phong Tho district; Sin Suoi Ho cultural village, Sin Suoi Ho commune, Phong Tho district.
Meanwhile, several potential products in the villages of some ethnic minorities have not been interested in developing because the number of people maintaining production is not much, such as blacksmithing in Si Thau Chai, Lao Ty Phung or some products not yet eligible to be recognised as OCOP products, such as orchids, Tham Phe leaf wine.
The view of the leaders of Lai Chau province is also consistent that in addition to the funding from the state budget support, the rest will be called by the localities to socialize.
However, Lai Chau also needs to have an orientation to develop tourism further, instead of just focusing on tourism development associated with building new-style rural areas.
Lai Chau tourism in recent years has had many changes, of which the two well-known products are probably community tours and climbing tours.
According to the Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lai Chau Province Tran Manh Hung, from 2021 to 2025, one of the four key provincial programmes has been identified by the Provincial Party Committee by Resolution No. -NQ/TU, which is to preserve and promote the traditional cultural identity of the ethnic groups associated with tourism development.
The orientation of Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU is to develop Lai Chau's community-based tourism, to preserve and promote the community's cultural values, to take the potential, internal resources and potentials of the locality to tourism development, focusing on the highlights of five ethnic groups such as the Thai in Chang and Bo villages; Kho Mu ethnic group in Tham Phe village; Dao ethnic group in Si Thau Chai village; H'Mong ethnic group in Lao Ty Phung and Sin Suoi Ho villages.
Tourism development associated with building new-style rural construction in Lai Chau aims to create jobs for local people, secure their own lives, as well as help them realise the value and importance of sustainable tourism development, contributing to the realization of the national goal of building a new-style rural, associated with the conservation and promotion of the cultural heritage values of the ethnic groups.
Therefore, in the coming time, the province will continue to popularize and thoroughly understand the guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State on tourism development, so that the Party Committee, authorities, businesses and people can better understand the role, position and importance of the tourism industry in the socio-economic development of the province.
At the same time, Lai Chau will promote tourism by organising sightseeing tours, learning from domestic and international experiences in tourism development, further linking state management agencies with tourism operators, and community-based tourism, to effectively exploit the potential and strengths of the province to develop tourism.
