Treasure of the Northeast region
As one of the destinations in the tourism route No.1 of Lang Son Geopark, Bac Le Temple, located in Tan Thanh commune, Huu Lung district, contains many distinctive cultural values, notably the worship of the Mother Goddess of Mountains (Mau Thuong ngan). Every year, the traditional Bac Le Temple Festival takes place in the ninth lunar month with special activities such as ritual singing (Chau van), Hau Dong trance ritual, offerings, and a palanquin procession from Bac Le Temple to Deo Keng Temple.
About 100 kilometers away from Bac Le Temple, Tham Khuyen and Tham Hai caves (Binh Gia district) are significant archaeological sites where traces of ancient humans and animals have been discovered. At present, the National Historic Site of Tham Khuyen - Tham Hai caves has been developed into a tourist destination in the tourism route No.2 of Lang Son Geopark, attracting a large number of domestic and international visitors for sightseeing and research.
Hoang Thi Tuyet from Sop Cop district, Son La province, shared that a few years ago, it was difficult to visit Tham Khuyen and Tham Hai caves due to the lack of roads. Currently, the site has been upgraded, with stairways leading up to the cave’s entrance, and the surrounding areas are cleaner and more beautiful. Coming to Tham Khuyen and Tham Hai caves, the tour guide also introduced her to the cultural heritages of Binh Gia district.
Lang Son Geopark is now exploiting four tourism routes with 38 major tourist attractions featuring culture, biodiversity, geology-geomorphology, geo-culture, and archaeology. These routes include geological heritages of cultural history and archaeology, local trades such as tile making in Bac Quynh commune (Bac Son district) and Van Linh rice noodle making, to name but a few.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Tan Van, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Lang Son Geopark region is divided into 24 geological formations, of which 15 formations were first established in Lang Son province. The geological heritage potential in Lang Son is quite rich with a system of massive caves, which are considerably long, with many stalactites, and and well-preserved.
Effective exploitation of heritage
In recent years, Lang Son province has made great efforts to invest in, manage, and preserve cultural heritage values while exploiting and promoting these resources for socio-economic development. The province has paid much attention to the establishment and development of Lang Son Global Geopark, with numerous important solutions and investments aimed at ensuring sustainability and protecting the environment and nature.
In addition to developing tourism routes, since its establishment, the Lang Son Geopark Management Board has coordinated with the People's Committees of districts and cities to organize two training courses for nearly 50 staff members, including teachers from schools within the geopark area. Information related to the Geopark is integrated into the curriculum of school subjects of History and Geography.
According to Nguyen Dang An, Director of Lang Son’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the province aims to make tourism an important economic sector by 2025 and a key economic industry by 2030. In order to achieve the target, the province should develop breakthrough tourism products that attract a large number of domestic and international tourists. Therefore, the development of Lang Son Geopark has played an important role in the province's socio-economic growth, especially tourism, as it creates livelihoods and jobs for people living in the core areas of the Geopark.
Translated by Quynh Oanh