The beauty of the terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi, Mu Cang Chai and Bat Xat and Sa Pa is believed to be the special charm of the northern mountainous that would attract any travelers. However, the poor infrastructure still blocks travelers’ way to the wonderful land.
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The awakened beauty
Vietrans Tour proves to be the first travel firm in the north that develops the tours to the northeast and northwest areas, reporting the annual growth rate of 5-10 percent. However, the figures prove to be too small if compared with the land’s beauty and its potentials.
Thu Anh, a senior executive of Vietrans Tour said in general, travelers would choose the tours to the areas in the months from September to November, when they can discover the beauties in the daily life of the ethnic minority people. It is also the time the terraced fields look most wonderful during a year.
Anh said that the climate in September – November is wonderful, while it is the time for travelers to enjoy the good weather and admire the colorful flowers in bloom in Moc Chau plateau, Ha Giang and other mountainous provinces.
However, despite the majestic and romantic scenery, beautiful weather, and unique indigenous culture, travel firms say it’s very difficult to sell tours in a large scale.
The travelers booking tours to visit terraced fields are mostly groups of travelers, office workers and young travelers, who have good health, like discoveries and not too demanding in material facilities. Meanwhile, the current conditions are not good enough to satisfy the demand of the high income travelers who require high quality accommodation services.
Anh also said that accommodations are seriously lacking in the tourist sites of Mu Cang Chai or Hoang Xu Phi. There are very few 3-star hotels in towns, while there is no such hotel in districts. Meanwhile, the tour guides are both insufficient and unqualified.
Only Mu Cang Chai in Yen Bai province now can meet the requirements to serve the travelers in high travel season. There are many guest houses with medium grade facilities and restaurants which offer the mountainous specialty food.
Meanwhile, in Hoang Su Phi district of Ha Giang province, the land famous for its terraced fields recognized as national relics, or Bat Xat district in Lao Cai province, the infrastructure items remain very poor, thus making travelers hesitant.
There are very few accommodations in Hoang Xu Phi, while the transport conditions are very bad. Only two or three guest houses are there which can serve hundreds of visitors, while homestay services have not been encouraged.
Therefore, Anh said, it is very difficult to design reasonable tours for travelers, especially to draw up the schedules for the trips, so that travelers have enough time to rest, go on excursion and go shopping.
People travel to the land simply to enjoy the grandiose beauty of the mountainous areas and the terraced fields here, while they have nothing more to do there, since there are few souvenir shops, restaurants, while the transport infrastructure is poor.
Many things to be done to attract travelers
Travel & Leisure journal of the US has recently released the ranking of the seven most terraced fields in the world, in which only the name of the terraced field in Sa Pa of Vietnam was found. There was no information about Mu Cang Chai and Hoang Su Phi, the two destinations recognized as national relics.
Experts believe that this can be seen as a failure of Vietnam in advertising its beauties and promoting tourism. Most foreign travelers just know and hear about the terraced field in Sa Pa, a well-known tourism destination, while the beauty of other terraced fields in the north remain the “sleeping beauties.”
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