Quang Ninh builds on green tourism potential

Culture adds depth to the destination

Following the administrative restructuring, Quang La Commune in Quang Ninh Province was formed by merging four communes: Quang La, Bang Ca, Tan Dan, and Dan Chu. The expanded development space also gives the locality greater opportunities to connect its natural, agricultural and cultural assets into distinctive tourism products.

Covering an area of 165.67 square kilometers and home to more than 9,100 people, Quang La has 1,270 hectares of forest and considerable potential for developing ecotourism and community-based tourism linked to agriculture and the cultures of its ethnic communities.

What makes Quang La notable is not a single landmark, but the interplay between its natural landscapes and community life. Forests, lakes, streams and agricultural areas lie alongside villages that have developed over generations, where Dao and Tay communities continue to preserve many traditional customs and crafts.

Bang Ca is one example. Home to a large Dao Thanh Y community, the area still preserves numerous festivals, traditional folk songs and dances, cuisine and distinctive traditional costumes. In recent years, the Bang Ca Village Festival has attracted growing interest by bringing cultural activities, folk games, traditional costume performances and local cuisine closer to visitors.

The value of these activities goes beyond their ability to attract tourists. More importantly, they create a space for local people to introduce their community themselves, encouraging the preservation of customs and the transmission of cultural knowledge to younger generations.

Quang La is also home to the Dao Thanh Y Cultural Conservation Area, which preserves traditional living spaces and recreates aspects of the community’s cultural heritage. Classes teaching Dao Nom script, embroidery and folk singing, along with community activities, are helping maintain cultural continuity between generations.

Brocade embroidery is another cultural asset that could be developed into an experiential tourism product. The patterns on Dao clothing are not merely decorative; they are closely associated with the community’s aesthetic values, way of life and identity. With appropriate organization, visitors could go beyond viewing finished products to learn about the materials, embroidery techniques and stories behind each motif.

Alongside the Dao Thanh Y, the Dao Thanh Phan community also has distinctive cultural values that deserve greater attention in preservation and promotion. The participation of local artisans and cultural clubs is creating opportunities for the gradual revival of traditional handicrafts.

Some cultural heritage practices, such as the Dao Thanh Y coming-of-age ceremony and the Tay new rice celebration, also offer potential for developing cultural experience programs. However, such activities need to be developed carefully, with conservation and community consent given priority.

According to Ban Sinh Te, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division of Quang La Commune, the administrative merger has created more favorable conditions for planning and connecting tourism destinations and routes.

“We aim to develop tourism based on the locality’s existing values, with the culture of ethnic minority communities serving as an important component. The goal is to enable local people to participate directly in tourism activities, while both preserving their cultural identity and creating additional livelihoods,” Te said.

This approach is also in line with current tourism development trends, as travelers are increasingly seeking authentic local experiences rather than simply visiting a destination and moving on.

From each assets to an integrated experience

If culture provides a destination with its identity, local landscapes and products are the elements that can extend visitors’ stays. Quang La has lim forests, streams and waterfalls in the Tan Dan area, the village landscapes of Bang Ca, as well as agricultural production areas. Quang La Flower Paradise, Bang Ca Bau rice wine and Ha Den black grapes in Tan Dan could also become highlights in the locality’s tourism story.

Importantly, these products should not be viewed simply as commodities. Behind a bottle of Bau wine lies a story about the land and the way local people produce it. Behind the grape gardens is the story of agricultural production. Flower seasons can be paired with experiences that let visitors explore the landscape and rural life.

From there, a trip to Quang La could be designed around a combination of experiences: exploring forest landscapes, discovering local villages, learning about traditional crafts, enjoying local cuisine, experiencing agricultural activities, and purchasing local products.

This is an area Quang La needs to focus on in the coming period. The locality already has a wide range of resources, but they remain fragmented and have yet to be connected into sufficiently attractive experience-based tourism routes to encourage visitors to stay longer.

In its 2026 plan, Quang La Commune has identified the theme “Improving rural infrastructure, promoting digital transformation; preserving cultural identity in association with green tourism development.” Accordingly, the locality plans to leverage its forest and lake landscapes, develop experiential agroforestry and community-based tourism, and integrate OCOP products, local cuisine, and souvenirs into tourism activities.