Tuyen Quang, "Capital of the Liberation Zone, Capital of the Resistance" is not only a place of origin, but a place associated with revolutionary relics such as Na Naa shack, Hong Thai communal house, and Tan Trao banyan tree, where the Government of Vietnam forestry and Uncle Ho and other central ministries and branches used to have offices, including the area of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is also the place where Uncle Ho once received the Credentials of the Ambassadors of the Socialist countries that soon recognized the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

But Tuyen Quang is not only that. Entering the period of economic development, Tuyen Quang has many unrealized potentials. One of those potential places is the mountainous district of Na Hang. Na Hang, the Tay language is Na Hang, which also means  “the last field”, this place is really the same mountain with the end of the river, high with thousands of clouds.

A musical performance in the opening program of the Na Hang Fragrance Festival.

I was invited by comrades in Na Hang district to attend the Opening Ceremony of “Na Hang Flavor Festival 2023”, which was first held colorfully imbued with highland culture and the program “Shan Tuyet Na Tea Festival” Cave", activities "Night market and walking street", "Happy tree spot" and many other rich activities.

This is the fourth time I have visited Na Hang in the past four years and on this occasion I also took the opportunity to exchange with district leaders some personal thoughts on the direction of local development in the future.

Tourism potential needs to be valued and further developed

Compared to many other localities in the province as well as across the country, Na Hang has a lot of potential and strengths in tourism, which if there is a long-term development strategy, it is likely that this will be a key economic sector that brings great benefits. prosperity for people of all ethnic groups in the district.

The primeval forests at Na Hang.

Na Hang hydropower reservoir, the convergence of two rivers, Gam River and Nang River, has a special topography with 99 mountains gathering, connecting with Ba Be lake in Bac Kan province, bordering Bac Me district in Ha Giang. . This place is truly "charming water" with the ancient legends of the Tay, Nung, and Mong ethnic groups. Also because Tuyen Quang keeps the land and forest quite well, the area of primary forest is almost intact, the vegetation and rare animal species are well protected.

However, if only "keeping" the forest, keeping the land, preserving the vegetation and biodiversity, is only half the story. The urgent issue today is to effectively use those resources for local economic and social development in the direction of a combination of conservation and sustainable development, for which tourism is the right direction. With the available terrain and potential, Na Hang tourism can focus on a number of focuses as follows:

Cultural tourism: The specialty of the locality is the cultural diversity with different ethnic groups living on this land. Each nation has its own unique culture and history. If combined into a content in promotional activities, it has its own appeal. It is possible to organize these festivals infrequently with the participation of local artisans, both to create a source of income for them, and at the same time to help maintain the preservation of the local ethnic cultural identity. High.

Na Hang is also home to many famous local specialties, such as corn wine, which has just been recognized by the National Office of Intellectual Property as a "Geographical Indication" and Ocop products are gradually targeting lowland consumers such as Upland sticky rice, Na Hang noodles are as tough as Italian "Spaghetti" noodles. On March 4, the Vietnam Record Organization   also awarded the Decision to recognize the record "The longest pear blossom route in Vietnam" with 6 km in the highest Hong Thai district in the province, which is likened to Sapa, Da Lat of Tuyen Quang province.

Pac Ta Mountain - the symbol of Na Hang district.

If well-promoted, besides cruising on the lake bed to see the majestic young water with the calm, blue water lying between 99 mountains of clouds, visitors can also enjoy specialties only in this place. This. Chairman of the District People's Committee said that the district is surveying to organize "seaplane" flights so that tourists can fly to admire the lake from above.

But there is a potential that not many people have mentioned, which is to use the positive energy from thousands of thousands of years old trees to serve healing, rehabilitation and even treatment of some diseases. The international organization "International Society of Forest Therapy" (ISFT) founded and chaired by Professor Horst Klinkmann, Vietnam's Friendship Medal, has proven that some special-use forests have the ability to cure diseases and heal physical and mental wounds. When visiting the protected forest in the heart of Na Hang Lake, I also felt the positive energy emanating from the ancient trees that dozens of people could not hug.

Beautiful scenery on Na Hang Lake.

International cooperation opens up new development opportunities

Na Hang and Tuyen Quang province have no borders with neighboring countries. It is a great loss for the locality. In return, the locality can focus its resources on further and possibly more effective relationships.

Recently, Tuyen Quang has strongly promoted cooperative relations with Korea, Japan and some other countries. A special feature that is also rare for any locality to do so far is that in September 2022, a delegation of Na Hang district led by Chairman of the People's Committee To Viet Hiep came to exchange cooperation and sign the "Intent". letter” cooperation with the Lohmen region, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany). This is the first district-level agreement signed with Germany, opening up new opportunities for bilateral cooperation, because the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has for many years led Germany in tourism, including "health tourism", " resort" with  "healing forest" (Heilwald) along the coast of Ban Tich and many leading medical, nursing and rehabilitation facilities in the Northeast of Germany. Professor Dr. Klinkmann, the father of  "artificial kidney", President of ISFT International and Europe also personally met and discussed with Na Hang delegation on the occasion of the delegation to Lohmen.

The delegation of Na Hang district visited and worked in the Lohmen region, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state (Germany).

The letter of intent to cooperate with Lohmen (Germany) also mentions cooperation in the implementation of new rural construction, including in the fields of cultural exchange and tourism. Rostock Port City Zoo has also expressed its intention to cooperate with Na Hang district in the project to protect the white shorts langurs, which according to a German study, currently only about 200 individuals of this species live in the area. mountainous areas in the north of Vietnam, on the red list in need of special protection.

Recently, the German LOAN (LOAN Stiftung) Foundation, led by female writer Isabella Müller, whose mother is Vietnamese and now lives in Germany, has also decided to sponsor the construction of a kitchen and canteen for a boarding primary school in the commune. Sinh Long (Na Hang) and also surveyed in Khau Tinh commune, Da Vi for the next projects.

District People's Committee Chairman To Viet Hiep presented Mayor Lohmen Bern Dikau a landscape painting of Na Hang.

It is expected that next May, the delegation of the Friendship Association with Vietnam (FG Vietnam) of the Federal Republic of Germany led by Professor Giesenfeld will also come to Na Hang to discuss cooperation and volunteering activities.

With industrious, hospitable people and a team of young, dynamic local officials who dare to think to  change the old, absorb the new, I believe that Na Hang is on the right path, developing promote local advantages and potentials to serve development goals and serve ethnic minorities in Na Hang district, Tuyen Quang province.

Ambassador Nguyen Huu Trang
Vice President of External Relations of the Vietnam Friendship Association -Germany