Tourism on the Eastern slope of Tam Dao, Thai Nguyen's unique feature

Dat Ngao, one of the beautiful waterfalls located on the Eastern slope of Tam Dao, within Quan Chu commune, Dai Tu district

The Eastern slope of Tam Dao stretches across 10 communes and towns of Dai Tu district and some communes of Pho Yen City, extending for dozens of kilometers. In the past, this area was a wild, treacherous mountain forest region with sparse human traffic; today, this land is gradually "stretching and developing", becoming an attractive destination for investors and tourists. The forests, lush green valleys and rich ecosystem are important factors creating the appeal of this region.

Nature has generously endowed this place with many gifts, from magnificent scenery to year-round flowing waterfalls creating poetic and romantic landscapes, a fresh and cool microclimate zone and expansive lush green tea regions. Along with this are local agricultural products processed into delicious and attractive dishes..., all of which have created the unique characteristics of this land.

Tea picking in the La Bang tea region at the foot of Tam Dao Mountain range is always an interesting experience

Currently, along with focusing on developing 04 main tourism product lines including cultural, spiritual, historical and heritage tourism; ecological and resort tourism; community and rural tourism linked with tea culture; and MICE tourism (events, conferences, seminars), sports and adventure cave exploration, Thai Nguyen's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is researching and developing a new tourism product: Trekking to explore the Eastern slope of Tam Dao linked with some community tourism destinations in the province. This activity aims to exploit four-season tourism potential, create sustainable livelihoods for local people; while contributing to effective demand stimulation and enriching Thai Nguyen's tourism product ecosystem. This policy aligns with actual conditions and current tourist demand trends; if effectively implemented, it will bring enormous benefits both economically and in terms of people's livelihoods for residents in the region, while contributing to affirming Thai Nguyen's mark on Vietnam's tourism map.

The unique culture and cuisine of ethnic minorities are always an attraction for tourists visiting Eastern Tam Dao tourism

One of the localities benefiting most from developing this new tourism product is Dai Tu district - a land famous for its lush green tea hills stretching along the Eastern slope of Tam Dao. With the goal of developing sustainable tourism, the district has selected some households as model points to build homestay models, while establishing detailed planning for La Bang and Hoang Nong Ecological Tourism Area Development Scheme for 2022-2025 period, with an orientation to 2030. The Scheme particularly focuses on developing specific tourism areas, sites and products, connecting La Bang and Hoang Nong communes with neighboring localities to diversify products and develop sustainable tourism in parallel with protecting the "green lungs" of the Eastern slope of Tam Dao.

At the same time, the district has paid attention to investing in infrastructure development to serve tourism development, especially transportation infrastructure to create favorable conditions for tourists to visit and experience. Tourism development planning work has also been emphasized by the district. To date, the district has 2 sites recognized by Thai Nguyen Province People's Committee as tourism destinations including: Tan Son hamlet community tourism site in La Bang commune and Dong Khuan hamlet ecological tourism site in Hoang Nong commune. The district has also established the Management Board for Heritage and Tourism Development of Dai Tu district. These are favorable conditions for the district to gradually diversify tourism activities, combining ecological tourism with community tourism, agricultural tourism and experiential tourism, making tourism an important economic sector of the locality, promoting the overall development of other industries and professions.

Cua Tu Waterfall (Hoang Nong commune, Dai Tu district) always attracts tourists who enjoy exploration and experiences

However, for tourism on the eastern slope of Tam Dao to truly develop in a way that matches its potential, there are still many issues that require attention and coordinated implementation. Foremost among these are tourism planning, developing tourist attractions, improving product quality, promoting ethnic cultural identity and tea culture, environmental protection, attracting investment, building the Tam Dao Eastern Slope tourism brand and ensuring safety in activities such as trekking. Additionally, the involvement of local authorities in working alongside residents is crucial, especially in training and educating people on how to welcome and care for tourists, with a focus on developing community tourism linked with trekking or survival experiences.

Regarding transportation infrastructure, the accommodation system needs quality improvement to attract tourists with economic means who want to enjoy high-quality amenities. Along with this, households and cooperatives participating in tourism need to enhance their capacity for connection and linking with travel businesses to create new products attractive to tourists, build tour routes and transport guests for experiences and exploration.

According to those with deep expertise in tourism development, in the future, this product will have great appeal to tourists who have increasingly diverse needs and require high differentiation. Therefore, the local community needs to prepare all conditions well to develop products and welcome this high-spending tourist flow to increase economic efficiency and contribute to sustainable tourism development.

With pristine natural beauty, fresh climate and distinctive cultural values, the Eastern slope of Tam Dao promises to become a unique destination, creating a distinct identity for Thai Nguyen tourism.