Northern provinces in Vietnam are geared towards developing their tourism sector, in the hope of attracting more tourists to visit and invest in their area. The “Back to the Origin” tourism program of the three northern provinces of Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Lao Cai in particular has so far captured the tourists’ attention while stimulating investment into local tourism infrastructure development.

The “Back to the Origin” tourism program was launched in 2011 and composed of the three northern provinces mentioned above. But according to the Deputy Chairwoman of Yen Bai’s People’s Committee Pham Thi Thanh Tra, who also heads the board of tourism cooperation among the said provinces, the program has been in motion for the past six years and so far, the results have been very positive.

Within these three provinces, there are nearly 1,000 tourism residences, 500 hotels, 260 major restaurants and more than 20 ecological and entertainment sites. Historical relics, biodiversity and breathtaking landscapes abound in these areas but backward tourism infrastructure and lack of quality tourism accommodations prevent the place from attracting more visitors than they hope.

In Yen Bai for instance, the province authorized 277 investment projects in the past five years, but only several dozens of these received investment nods. One of the primary missions of the province is to transform Thac Ba into a national standard resort. Phu Tho, one of the three provinces aiming for tourism development, is suffering from poor infrastructure. It aims to improve its provincial hotel and restaurant system into a state-of-the-art quality and popularize its “homestay model” to bring in more tourists and cater to all its clients’ needs. 

According to Nguyen Thi Kim Hai, Deputy Chairwoman of Phu Tho’s People’s committee, the province will prioritize investment in its tourism program in the coming years to attract more visitors and business investments into the area. According to him, the Viet Han Real Estate Company in Phu Tho has merged with a South Korea-based Samsung Group to invest in a $5 billion resort venture in the Tam Nong District.

The project covers six communes of the province and covers 2,500 hectares of property. Site clearance will begin on the second quarter of 2011 and the project will be in motion in 2018. The Xuan Truong Company Limited in Phu Tho is focusing on infrastructure, building roads from Hung Kings Temple to Xuan Song National Park. It is also working on improving five stilt-houses of local residents into tourism residences. The province is also hoping to attract investors to invest their money in upgrading the Ao Chau and Thanh Thuy Resorts into world-class quality.

Of the three provinces, Lao Cai has the least problems in luring in visitors. In fact, it has recently licensed 11 projects invested in by domestic businesses worth more than $17 million. The Victoria Sa Pa Hotel and Topas Ecolodge Sa Pa Resort are two of the province’s tourism pride, attracting and catering both domestic and foreign visitors. ${attraction_Sa_Pa:”Sa Pa”} is known for its naturally breathtaking beauty and cultural diversity, thus naturally attracting tourists from all parts of the globe.