Tuong Duong suddenly becomes 'hot' on travel forums

(Baonghean) - On travel forums, people are currently "passing around" the secret of backpacking in Western Nghe An and giving high marks to Tuong Duong for many of its best features.

"Rising star" on Nghe An tourism map

In early May, through an open forum on Facebook, a group of 5 young people from Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City gathered to take a backpacking trip to explore the Central Highlands provinces, and the western districts of Nghe An were also included in that itinerary.

By motorbike, 5 young people had an unforgettable journey of experience in Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, Ky Son districts. Of which, Tuong Duong was the destination that was stayed for the most days.

Experiential tourism at Khe Kien waterfall (Tuong Duong). Photo: Thanh Cuong

Nguyen Hoang Hiep - a student of the Faculty of Electricity, Da Nang University of Technology shared: “In Tuong Duong, we experienced a lunch break in the Sang Le forest, took a boat to explore Ban Ve hydropower plant, stayed at a homestay with the Thai ethnic people... All were quite new and interesting.

However, we also encountered some difficulties in terms of food and accommodation because the services at tourist destinations were not yet developed. There were also no directions at the destinations, so we had to figure things out on our own.”

Backpacking trips like the one of the group of 5 young people mentioned above to Tuong Duong district are becoming more and more frequent. On tourism forums, people are currently “passing around” the secret of backpacking in the Western part of Nghe An and “scoring” Tuong Duong highly for many of its “bests”: the largest natural area among the districts in Vietnam, the most complex terrain and the most ethnically diverse in Nghe An.

The Tuong Duong tourism "guide" clearly shows the attractive features of this land such as many primeval forests such as: Sang Le forest (Tam Dinh), primeval cold forest (Tam Hop), dwarf forest in Pu Mat nature reserve (Tam Quang), Pu Huong nature reserve (Nga My), many beautiful caves in Huu Khuong, Yen Thang, Xa Luong, Tam Dinh, Tam Quang communes...

Tuong Duong also has the large Ban Ve and Khe Bo hydroelectric lakes, creating countless oases and streams; the lake bed has many beautiful caves such as Tham Nam, Tham Keo... promising very attractive eco-tourism destinations.

Regarding cultural space, Tuong Duong preserves a number of Thai villages with very unique traditional customs such as Chan village, Mac village, Cay Me village, Nhan village, Phong village (Thach Giam commune), Xoong Con village, Luu Phong village (Luu Kien commune), Huoi To village (Mai Son commune)...

Positive start in 2017

In 2017, Tuong Duong district began to take positive steps to develop tourism. Mr. Vi Van Son - Head of the Department of Culture and Information said: "For many years, the district has not had the conditions to focus on developing tourism, but this year is determined to be a breakthrough year, tourism activities are all promoted.

Tuong Duong cajuput forest. Photo: Nguyen Book

Last April, the district officially launched the eco-tourism route of Sang Le forest (Tam Dinh), Khe Co (Tam Dinh), Tham Cung (Tam Dinh) and community tourism in Lau village (Thach Giam). The connection of these destinations is based on the proximity, convenience in distance, travel time, harmony in tourism types as well as services that can be provided to visitors.

Notably, last March, the District Youth Union organized the planting of 2,000 cherry blossom trees to create a highlight for Khe Co Tourist Area (Tam Dinh). The flower seeds were selected from nature, right in the district. This is an easy-to-grow, easy-to-live flower, usually blooming in spring, around January and February, the brilliant pink color of the flowers will add to the natural landscape painting in the Khe Co area, making it more attractive.

Mr. Le Hong Thai - Secretary of Tuong Duong District Youth Union said: "Tuong Duong is the first district in the Western region of Nghe An to plant this tree on a large scale. We hope that when the flowers bloom, together with communication, promotion and social media influence, we will attract a large number of visitors, especially young people.

If successful, from Khe Co, we will continue to expand this tree species to many other locations in the district to impress tourists, contributing to building the image of friendly and hospitable Tuong Duong tourism.

Phuoc Anh