Big room for Lao Cai tourism to accelerate
Lao Cai tourism continued to record positive growth signals
in the first 6 months of 2025, especially the steady increase in
both segments of guests staying and experiencing.
This contributes to affirming the position of the locality on
the international tourism map; opening up great space for
developing green, unique and culturally profound tourism
products, creating a breakthrough contributing to acceleration
in the final period of the year.
Experiential and healing tourism is causing a fever
Possessing beautiful natural landscapes, fresh air and tourism
activities, professional health and spiritual care services, Lao
Cai has great potential to develop experiential and healing
tourism with destinations in ethnic villages in Sa Pa, Bac Ha,
Tram Tau, Mu Cang Chai... This wave of tourism is increasingly
favored by tourists.
Although not as spacious as the homestay villages of Ta Van and
Ta Phin, for many tourists - true travel enthusiasts who love
nature and indigenous culture, Ban Lien village has long been an
ideal place to explore the simple life, imbued with the identity
of the ethnic people here; especially the Tay community that has
lived there for a long time.
Ms. Huong from Ninh Binh chose to go to Ban Lien in June 2025.
In the morning, she woke up to the sound of roosters crowing and
the mist still lingering on the thatched roof. In the afternoon,
she followed the host to the fields to learn how to tread mud,
plant rice, and listen to simple but heartwarming stories. "In
Ban Lien, I am no longer a guest. I am simply a person slowing
down, listening to the village whispering during the flood
season," Huong said.
In recent days, Lao Cai tourism in general and Ban Lien homestay
tourism in particular have become keywords that are searched a
lot on the internet due to the popularity of the reality TV show
"Ha ha family - The days of vast sky" broadcast every Saturday
on Vietnam television. The strong spread of the show has
contributed to making Ban Lien - a peaceful village of Lao Cai
become a sought-after destination this summer.
Ban Lien Homestay of Ms. Vang Thi Thong - a local Tay ethnic
woman who also accompanies the cast (member) in the program "Gia
Dinh ha ha" has welcomed a record number of guests when the
rooms are continuously "sold out" after the program aired. Ms.
Thong said that her homestay is fully booked until the end of
July 2025. During the peak season in August and September - the
time when the rice fields are ripe on the terraced fields -
there are only a few days available.
Along with her family's homestay, other homestays in the area
also welcomed a high number of guests compared to the same
period in 2024 with about 40%. Ms. Vang Thi Hoan (owner of Huong
Hoan homestay) said that in the past few days, her family has
continuously welcomed guests to experience. "I am very happy to
be able to contribute to spreading the beauty of Ban Lien to
more tourists."
Currently, experiential and healing tourism is becoming a
popular form of mental health care and Lao Cai is a prominent
destination attracting many foreign tourists to explore. This
type of tourism is expected to contribute significantly to the
strong and sustainable growth of the local tourism picture in
the last months of 2025 and the following years.
Diversify tourism products
In the first 6 months of 2025, Lao Cai province welcomed more
than 7.3 million tourists, of which international visitors
reached more than 718 thousand; tourism revenue reached more
than 21 trillion VND. Natural landscapes and fresh climate at
tourist destinations become attractive destinations for
tourists.
With a focus on promoting activities and developing new
products, Lao Cai tourism has continued to grow strongly since
the first months of the year. The number of tourists during the
Lunar New Year, the April 30 - May 1 holidays and weekends has
continuously increased compared to the same period in 2024. In
particular, Lao Cai province has great potential to attract
investment and develop synchronous tourism infrastructure.
According to Lao Cai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism,
the local transportation system is being and will continue to be
strongly connected (such as Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway, the
expressway connecting Nghia Lo - Tram Tau - Sa Pa in the near
future, Sa Pa airport, Thac Ba lake waterway...) will help the
tourism industry access a larger customer market on the Kunming
- Hanoi - Hai Phong economic corridor. This is an ideal
condition for developing typical tourism products associated
with international tourism.
In the coming time, Lao Cai will continue to promote the tourism
development cooperation program between Ho Chi Minh City and the
extended Northwestern provinces. Along with that, the locality
will actively introduce and promote attractive tourist
destinations, green products, unique experiences and healing to
attract domestic and international tourists such as Tram Tau,
Thac Ba Lake, Bac Ha, Sa Pa... In particular, the province will
continue to promote the diversification of tourism products such
as developing tourism products combining eco-tourism - community
- high-class resorts; healing tourism with mountain resorts
(combining mineral springs, temperate climate, majestic
landscapes); adventure tourism, unique ecology, creating
exclusive tourism products of regional scale. At the same time,
the province will pay special attention to developing
sustainable tourism associated with nature conservation and
creating more livelihoods for people.
Lao Cai strives to welcome about 12.3 million visitors by 2025,
with estimated revenue of 46.7 trillion VND. It is expected that
by 2030, the province will welcome about 16.5 million visitors,
with estimated revenue of 74.8 trillion VND, becoming a key
economic sector; contributing significantly to the province's
growth.
Sapa train - The train service from Hanoi to Sapa is a
popular and generally well-regarded option for travelers,
particularly for those seeking a unique and comfortable
overnight journey. It's important to note that the train does
not go directly to Sapa town; it stops at Lao Cai Railway
Station, which is approximately 35-38 kilometers (22-24 miles)
away.
