With its distinctive natural conditions and villages inhabited by the White Thai ethnic group, Muong Lay is gradually asserting its place on the tourism map by bringing together diverse elements of landscape, culture, history and people.

A corner of Muong Lay Ward by the Son La Hydropower Reservoir.

Muong Lay is often described as a green gem in the vast forests of the Northwest, with picturesque scenery of boats along the wharves and the vast waterscape. Clusters of traditional Thai stilt houses reflect on the legendary Da River.

Under each stilt house roof, unique cultural values have been nurtured through many generations of the White Thai people. Together with historical elements and distinctive agricultural products along the Da River, these factors create potential and uniqueness for local tourism products.

In recent years, efforts to promote tourism development, promote the destination and attract visitors to Muong Lay have received increasing attention. However, tourism products remain fragmented and lack connectivity. Visitors mainly come for sightseeing and experiences during festivals or seasonal occasions. Supporting services such as transportation, professional accommodation, or experiences associated with traditional local products are not yet synchronized. As a result, visitors’ length of stay is short, spending remains low, and the locality’s full potential has yet to be fully realized.

In that context, the establishment of the Quan Chieng Community Tourism Cooperative is considered an important step, opening expectations for a model of cooperation and sustainable development.

Launching ceremony of the Quan Chieng Community Tourism Cooperative.

Mr. Lu Van Anh, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Muong Lay Ward, shared: Tourism is a sustainable development direction for the locality. Party committees and authorities clearly recognize their role, focusing on guidance, support and accompaniment, especially in legal procedures, creating favorable conditions for the cooperative to access policies supporting tourism development in the locality. The establishment of the Quan Chieng Community Tourism Cooperative plays an important role, aiming to serve as a focal point to connect and coordinate individuals and organizations engaged in tourism activities both within and outside the locality, thereby forming a supply chain of tourism products for visitors and gradually professionalizing tourism in Muong Lay.

With its geographical location and historical formation, Muong Lay possesses many distinctive products, ranging from landscapes, culture and cuisine to handicrafts such as dried shrimp paste fish (ca tep dau), khau xen, chi chop and others – all of which can become part of tourism experiences. The Quan Chieng Community Tourism Cooperative has seven members, each with their own strengths such as providing agricultural products, OCOP products, traditional crafts, homestays and transport services. The cooperative will act as a bridge, creating favorable conditions for visitors to gain a comprehensive overview and easily access and experience complete tourism products in the locality.

Local specialty products of Muong Lay are introduced directly to visitors.

Ms. Lo Thi Chuc Chi, Director of the Hoa Ban Trang Cooperative and also a member of the Quan Chieng Community Tourism Cooperative, shared: We produce khau xen, chi chop and several other handicraft products. These products sell well during festival seasons, while at other times customers are mostly individual buyers. By joining the cooperative, our products become part of the service chain for tourists. The processes of production, processing and packaging, as well as the cultural values embedded in each handicraft product, are fully conveyed to visitors. Tourists can taste and experience how the products are made and processed, which helps enhance product value while creating opportunities for better product promotion.

Alongside the linkage of tourism product supply on land, the development of exploration and experiential activities along the Da River waterway is also being promoted.

Ms. Lu Thi Toan, Chairwoman of the Quan Chieng Community Tourism Cooperative, said: We aim to develop tourism products in a chain model, with the cooperative acting as the connecting hub. Each member has a specific role and supports one another toward the common goal of improving visitors’ experiences. In addition to building tourism products, the cooperative also collaborates with transport units and tourism enterprises such as Quynh Nhai Travel to expand waterway routes, enhancing the attractiveness of journeys exploring Muong Lay and the Da River.

It can be said that the establishment of the Quan Chieng Community Tourism Cooperative has opened a new path for trade and tourism activities in Muong Lay. When resources are linked together and products are organized into a chain, local tourism will gradually become a complete experiential journey amid the vast forests of the Northwest./.

Source: Dienbienphu.Online