A number of concrete measures to attract tourists and develop Dong Van
Stone Plateau in a sustainable manner were presented at a workshop in
Quan Ba district of northern mountainous Ha Giang province on June 14.
According to Nguyen Manh Thang, Deputy Secretary
General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, the conservation
of Dong Van Stone Plateau should be attached to local residents,
particularly in Dong Van, Meo Vac, Yen Minh and Quan Ba districts where
the plateau encroaches.
The province should improve people’s awareness of their own responsibility in preserving the heritage, he said.
A trademark for the park needs to be developed based on local
specialities such as tea, honey and medicinal plants. The province’s
traditional cultural festivals like Khau Vai love market, rain praying
ceremony and festivals of Tay, Dao, Pa Then and Mong people also
need to be promoted, he added.
Sharing the same
view, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Trieu Tai Vinh said
that a concrete strategy is necessary for tourism and sustainable
development.
He pledged that in the coming time, the province will create all favourable conditions for investment in the locality.
According to the province’s master plan, Ha Giang will build four
tourism centres in each of the above-mentioned districts to bring into
play their cultural values. However, opinions from domestic and foreign
experts are required to organise diverse and qualified tourism
programmes.
Dong Van Stone Plateau, a member of the
Global Network of National Geo-parks since 2010, is 80 percent limestone
and contains the fossils of thousands of species of prehistoric
creatures from 400-600 million years ago. It is home to 250,000 people
from 17 different ethnic groups.-VNA