Hydroelectric reservoir tourism

Forming attractive destinations

Son La Hydropower Project has a reservoir basin of 43,760 km², with a reservoir capacity of 9.26 billion m³ of water. The hydropower reservoir area of Son La province is located in the districts of Quynh Nhai, Thuan Chau and Muong La, with an area of nearly 4,000 km², accounting for nearly 30% of the province's area. With the special geology of the mountainous region, especially the limestone mountain system formed over thousands of years, Son La Hydropower Project accumulates water through the valleys and mountains, creating a majestic natural landscape, a great potential for tourism exploitation and development.

In Quynh Nhai district, tourism development is one of the three key tasks, a breakthrough in the socio-economic development orientation of the district Party Committee for the 2020-2025 term. Comrade Dinh Trung Dung, Secretary of Quynh Nhai District Party Committee, said: The district has built and completed tourism planning, encouraged the development of existing tourism services and increased calling for and attracting strategic investors, developing tourism in a professional direction in the locality. Focus on implementing the orientation of the Quynh Nhai Tourism Development Project to become a provincial-level tourist area, period 2021 - 2030, striving to build attractive tourism products, creating momentum for socio-economic development of the district.

Currently, Quynh Nhai district has formed 9 destinations with attractive tourism products, such as: Uy Phong Bay, Binh Yen Bay, Pauon Ecolakes eco-tourism area, Trai Tim Island, Da Giang Island, Spiritual Cultural Tourism Area... In the past 5 years, it has attracted 5 tourism investment projects, with a total investment of 162 billion VND, welcoming 1.25 million tourists, with revenue reaching 600 billion VND.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Tuan, Director of Pauon Ecolakes Ecotourism Area, informed: We are exploiting eco-resort services, cuisine, experiences at Binh Yen Bay, cruise services to visit the lake... Our development goal as well as our operating motto is to preserve the majestic, pristine natural beauty, bringing visitors a peaceful, relaxing and comfortable experience when coming to the lake.

Son La hydropower project in Muong La district. Photo: PV

In Muong La district, where the Son La hydroelectric project is located, lake tourism is gradually developing. Mr. Nguyen Van Sang, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Muong La district, said: Along with the landscape of the hydroelectric reservoir, Muong La also has the Nam Chien hydroelectric dam, or the Huoi Quang hydroelectric plant, the first underground hydroelectric plant designed by Vietnam..., which are also tourist attractions. Along with that, the hot mineral spring system, the rich ethnic minority villages, the large-scale sturgeon farming area of the Vietnam - Son La Sturgeon One Member Co., Ltd., form the "Son La Hydroelectric Tourism - the largest hydroelectric plant in Southeast Asia"...

The tourism potential of Son La hydroelectric reservoir is being exploited and developed into unique and attractive tourism products. Tourism is changing the appearance and life of people in the reservoir area, creating a driving force to promote socio-economic development associated with preserving the core values and traditions of the locality.

Driving force for developing lake tourism

The development of tourism in the Son La hydropower reservoir area has been clearly oriented in Conclusion No. 94-KL/TU dated January 23, 2021 of the Provincial Party Committee on tourism development in Son La province to 2025, with a vision to 2030. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has consulted on many solutions and plans, focusing on implementing the "Project on orienting the development of the Son La hydropower reservoir area to become a National Tourist Area in the period 2021-2030". Accordingly, the project orients the development of tourism products in the direction of focusing on improving the quality of tourism products, prioritizing tourism products that are unique, novel, highly competitive, suitable for the market, tourism development trends, and meeting the needs of the high-end customer segment.

Heart Island on Quynh Nhai Lake. Photo: PV

Mr. Tran Xuan Viet, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: In 2024, Son La hydroelectric lake was included in the list of potential tourist areas to develop into a national tourist area. This is the initial result in implementing the "Project to orient the development of Son La hydroelectric lake area into a national tourist area in the period of 2021-2030" with the focus on building specific tourism products associated with the potential and strengths of each locality. At the same time, the Department has advised on building preferential and priority policies, focusing on attracting investment in the construction and development of waterway transport infrastructure, including ports and inland waterway wharves, to meet the need for synchronous connection between the road transport infrastructure system and waterway tourism in the reservoir area.

Following the province's orientation and the Project, Muong La and Quynh Nhai districts have implemented active solutions to develop local tourism and identified specific goals right from the beginning of the 2020-2025 term. Among them, it is necessary to mention the "Project on developing the tourism industry in Quynh Nhai district in the period of 2020-2025", with the goal of welcoming 250,000 visitors/year, tourism revenue reaching 120 billion VND/year; Muong La district tourism development project in the period of 2020-2025, creating a foundation for tourism activities here to gradually develop in the right direction.

Bon hot spring, Muong Chien commune, Quynh Nhai district.

Mr. Nguyen Van Sang, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Muong La district, added: The district encourages tourism services associated with exploiting the strengths of the lake area, actively calling for capital sources and tourism investment projects in the district. Currently, the core area of Muong La lake is Muong Trai commune, which has formed basic services, with 2 floating houses, 2 homestays, boat services to take visitors to the lake, the sturgeon farming area of Vietnam - Son La Sturgeon One Member Co., Ltd. In particular, Huoi Muon village, Muong Trai commune, is a place with beautiful terrain, located on the main route to visit the lake with natural caves, the district is oriented to build it into a community tourism village. In particular, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Week of Quynh Nhai district is held annually as an occasion to honor the cultural heritages of the land on the Da River and is an event to promote, attract and invite tourists. The district is also actively calling for investment attraction, developing more adventure products, exploring cliffs, caves...

Visitors experience kayaking on the lake.

From strategic orientations, tourism in the Son La hydroelectric reservoir area is gradually developing, achieving positive results, developing in the right direction, gradually realizing the goal of completing 50% of the conditions to recognize the Son La hydroelectric reservoir area as a national tourist area by 2030. By 2040, the organization will recognize the Son La hydroelectric reservoir area as a national tourist area.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/du-lich/du-lich-vung-long-ho-thuy-dien-pkcEyh0Hg.html