Diversifying Quang Binh tourism for a sustainable development orientation

VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

Diversifying Quang Binh tourism for a sustainable
development orientation
Tran Nghi*, Dang Mai, Nguyen Dinh Thai, Dinh Xuan Thanh,
Nguyen Thanh Lan, Nguyen Thi Hong
Faculty of Geology, VNU University of Science, 334 Nguyen Trai, Hanoi, Vietnam
Received 27 April 2011; received in revised form 27 May 2011
Abstract. Tourism potential of Quang Binh province is abundant and diversity in typical sites
such as white beautiful sandy beaches, the World heritage Phong Nha – Ke Bang and folk cultural
types, national historical sites etc. Based on natural geographical, economical, social contidions.
Quang Binh province is divided into 5 toursim center which is very specified by typical tourist
types for each of them:
- Phong Nha – Ke Bang center includes cave tour, Toi cave tour, telpher tour, climbing
moutain in advanture tourist tour, fishing tour, yatch on Gianh river tour, ecological and geopark
tour, 8 youth volunteer cave tour.
- Dong Hoi center includes beaches tours, sandy bars tours, ecological tours in fighting village
in Vietnam – America war and model of farmstead ecological tours on sandy bars, yath on the sea.
- Da Nhay – Ly Hoa center includes beaches tours, sandy bars tours, farmsted ecological
tours, National Park tours, historical sites tours across Gianh river.
- Ngu Hoa – Le Thuy includes beaches tours, convalescene tours in hot spring Bang, General
Vo Nguyen Giap house tours, historical and cultural tour as Ho Mai Nhi, fighting villages, 8 youth
volunteers tomb tour... and sandy bars tours.
- Quang Trach center includes sandy beaches, farmstead ecological tours, cave tours, Vung
Chua – Bao Yen tours, historical and cultural tours across Gianh river.
Keywords: Phong Nha - Ke Bang; tourism potential; diversified tourism types.

1. Introduction∗

tourism development, with diversified natural
resources, abundant cultural folk values and the

nation’s magnanimous historical places.
Therefore, diversifying tourism types is one of
the proper directions for tourism development,
bringing great economy benefit and asserting
the position of the province.

Sustainable
tourism
development
orientation is a subject of great interest for
Quang Binh province. To date the managers
and the local policy makers still have not an
overall orientation for tourism development.
Quang Binh province has a great potential for

_______
∗

Corresponding author. Tel.: 84-936432258.
E-mail:

11


12

T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

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LEGEND
1.

Tourism centers

2.

Quang Trach - Minh Hoa - Tuyen Hoa center

Da Nhay - Ly Hoa center
Phong Nha - Ke Bang center
Dong Hoi - Nhat Le center
Ngu Hoa - Le Thuy center
Tourism route

_


,

?

Tourism centers
Cave exploring
Eco-tours
Ecological farm
Historical and cultural tourism
Beach tourism
Adventurous tourism

Each colour refference for a center
For example:

,

Historical and cultural tourism site at Da Nhay center

Fig 1. Tourism planning map of Quang Binh province.

T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

The view point of tourism development
according to a sustainable tourism economy
development orientation is building the tourism
centers in each region based on the typical
tourism types for each region. According to the
projections for the tourism centers in Quang

(II)

(I)

(III)

(IV)

13

Binh province, national park Phong Nha is the
main center for tourism development of the
whole province. From Phong Nha visitors can
travel by road or waterway to get to the other
tourism centers (Fig 1,2).

I.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang center

II.

Dong Hoi - Nhat Le center

III.

Da Nhay - Ly Hoa center

IV.

Ngu Hoa - Le Thuy center

V.

Quang Trach - Minh Hoa - Tuyen Hoa center

(V)

Fig 2. The tourism centers of Quang Binh.

3. Tourism types at the Phong Nha center

3

2
4

5

Phong Nha – KE BANG

ToURISM CENTER

1

1 PN cave exploring
Dark cave exploring
Cable riding tours
Mountain climbing tours
Fishing tours
Boat riding tours
Eco-tours + Geology parks
Youth-volunteer cave, Ho Chi Minh track,
ethnic minorities...

6
7
8

Fig 3. Tourism types at the Phong Nha – Ke Bang center.


14

T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

Cave exploring tours: Phong Nha - Ke
Bang National Park has a system of
magnifinient caves that greatly enchant the
tourists. Organizing cave sightseeing tours and
continually exploring other caves, therefore, is

the development directions.
Cable riding tours: as the National Park is
huge in size together with limestone mountains,
building up a cable system is highly regarded
by many experts.
Mountain climbing tours: a karst terrain is
full of obstacles with perpendicular, even and
flat cliffs, makes it suitable for this type of
adventurous tourism.
Tourism upon rivers: to Phong Nha, apart
from the land roads we can also travel on boats
upstream river Gianh. This river used to be a
fire exchanging place during the reigns of Trinh
Lords and Nguyen Lords, dividing between
North and South Vietnam, it has many national
historical vestiges. Besides, also inside the
National Park, the Son and Chay river systems
connecting with an underground river which
flows through the karst caves, is suited for the
fishing and boat riding activities.

1

4

TOURISM
CENTERS

2

Eco-tourism combining with geology
park: this is an indispensable tourism type
when sightseeing the National Park. Nowadays,
the tourism center has built up a program to
organize eco-tours inside the forests.
Nevertheless, that is still not enough, because
those who are interested in Phong Nha realize
that, this area also has typical karst landscapes
that can be taken advantage of to erect geology
parks to store the values for the purposes of
science research and entertainment.
Sightseeing the historical and cultural
relics: on the Ho Chi Minh track we have many
historical relics such as the youth-volunteer
cave, Nguyen Van Troi ferry wharf, Ho Chi
Minh track, ethnic minorities… that can be
exploited combining with other tourism routes
in the region.

4. Tourism types at the Dong Hoi center
Dong Hoi city is located at the center of the
province, here tourist first arrive at Quang Binh
are wellcome. The main tourism types in this
center are showed in fig 4 and fig 5.

1 Beach tourism
Sandy bar sightseeing
Eco-tours (Fighting villages, ostrich
farmstead sightseeing…)
Sea tourism (Boat riding, fishing, cuttlefishing…)

3

Fig 4. Tourism types at the Dong Hoi center.


T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

Nhat Le beach and Bau Tro relic: This
landscape is 2km far from Dong Hoi to the
north that is next to Nhat Le estuary. Nhat Le
charming beach has been attracting many
tourists with alot of activities such as: swiming,
boat riding, fishing... Apart from those

15

activities, tourists also have a chance to visit
Bau Tro relic. Here, in 1923, a French geologist
had discovered and unearthed the vestiges of
the ancient men which was estimated forming
5000 years ago in the Stone Age. This is a
meeting place of Viet and Cham pa culture.

Fig 5. Master planning map of Dong Hoi city.

Bao Ninh beach: this is a well quality
beach (according to Pham Trung Luong’s
assessment) and has been invested with luxury
resorts (Sunspa Resort, etc..)

Besides, there is also Quang Phu beach
located to the north of the city. This beach has
not been invested with sandy bar sightseeing
and eco-farms, and it is still in a primary state.

At night, tourists can get on the boats to go
cuttle-fishing, enjoying seafood.
Dong Hoi fighting villages: built to the
west of Dong Hoi province, reflecting the life
of military doctors during the fierce antiAmerican war period.


16

T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

Quang Binh boat racing festival: Like
other groups of people who live elsewhere
nearby rivers and seashores, the people of
Quang Binh annually open boat racing
tournaments. Boat racing festivals have existed
since long time ago in Quang Binh province,
before the time of Nguyen Lords, at Bao Ninh,
the boat racing festivals were formerly
organized every six years in the years of the Rat
and the Horse. One thing different is that to end
the festival the people organize a festival called
Buong Phao, to commemorate those who died

1

5

2

DA NHAY
TOURISM
CENTER
4

in the water. The boat racing festival of Le
Thuy, as said, is organized every year at spring
time or in the sixth lunar month, to end the
crops.

5. The Da Nhay tourism center
The Da Nhay tourism center is located at a
convenient area near national road 1A, 25km
from the center of Dong Hoi and 15 km from
Phong Nha.

1 Beach tourism
Sand bank sightseeing
Eco-tours (farmstead sightseeing)
Exploring national park Phong Nha
Historical and cultural tourism (river
Gianh)

3

Fig 6. Tourism types at the Da Nhay center.

Ly Hoa is a small mountain pass, with the
undulating stones upon the water at the bottom
of the mountain pass. Not far from that place is
a place of a long and smooth sand dune, blue
water, simmer waves, called Da Nhay beach.
The scenery of the place is very poetic, an ideal
place for sea bathing and this place is also a
spot for receiving visitors as they prepare to
explore Phong Nha cave by water-passage.
The tourim types in this center include:

Sea bathing: The beach here is famous for
its cleanness and beauty for the activities of
entertainment and relaxation. The capacity of
the beach is about 8000 per day.
Sightseeing the eco-farmsteads as well as
sightseeing the sandy bars: digging up the
ancient lagunes lying beneath the sandy bars to
supply fresh water into the farmsteads. Digging
the fresh water ponds is easily carried out
without many technical requirements. From


T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

that, the ponds will connect to each other to
form the sand eco-scenery systems and will be
projected for tourism-farmstead models.

Breeding farms and family unit eco-farmstead
is a specific characteristic that performs three
tasks: providing the precious ostrich products,
attracting the tourists, as well as fulfilling one
wish that the people of Quang Binh have not
attained for hundred of generations, that is to

1

5

QUANG 22
TRACH
TOURISM
CENTER

4

2

17

turn the wild places by the seashores that often
threatened the people’s lives into and tourismeconomy zone that brings benefits to the
people.
Apart from that, it is possible to make some
sightseeing tours along the historical places.
Such as riding boats on river Gianh, upstream
to Phong Nha.

1 Beach tourism
Eco-tourism (Ostrich farmstead sight
seeing)
Cave exploring tours (Tuyen Hoa)
Vung Chua – Dao Yen tours
Historical and cultural tourism (river Gianh)

3

Fig 7. Tourism types at the Quang Trach center.

In this area as well as in the other centers of
the province, the main tourism types are sea
bathing, eco-farmstead sightseeing. Other
cultural tourism types include:
Sea village Canh Duong: The sea village
lies next to national road 1A, 10 km from
Ngang mountain pass, at Ron gate, the
converging point of many transportation routes,
convenient from South to North. Canh Duong
sea village is one of the crowded and
prosperous sea villages of Quang Binh. Sea
village Canh Duong has a traditional, historical
and cultural thickness. In the year of Quy Mui

(1643), the first ancestors of the village leaved
Nghi Loc (Nghe An) and travelled to the sand
zone next to Ron gate to earn a living. As time
passes, the village gets more crowded, the
fishing, sea product processing, business have

been flourishing. The village gets rich and
prosperous. The cultural activities of the village
have developed. The cultural and folk activities
of the people of Canh Duong hold a lot of
unique characteristics, and a lot of local colors.
Twice a year, during the spring and autumn
times, the village opens the saint-greeting
festivals, man-chess festivals, rice cooking


18

T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

contests, boat racing, onshore singing
contests… Canh Duong deserves to be one of
the civilized villages (Mountain – River –
Scenery – Land; Literature – Martial Arts –

2

1
LE THUY
TOURISM
CENTER

6
5

3

3

Antiquity – Modernity) of Chau Bo Chinh at
the past and present time.
6. The Ngu Hoa – Le Thuy tourism center

1 Beach tourism
Resort tours at Bang stream
(bathing in a hot stream)
Sightseeing the house of general Vo
Nguyen Giap
Eco-tours (farmstead sightseeing)
Historical and cultural tourism
(Ho Mai Nhi, fighting villages,
graves, ..)
Sandy bars sightseeing

4

Fig 8. Tourism types at the Le Thuy center.

Sea bathing at Ngu Hoa: The beach is
appreciated for possessing good quality with
white sandy bars. Like other fields, sea tourism
will be one of tourism types that bring great
economy benefit, creating potentials to develop
the region.
Bang mineral water stream: This is a
precious and rare source of mineral water, with
the temperature of about 1050C, 60 km from

Dong Hoi and 21 km from Le Thuy to the west.
In the future this place will be transformed into
a resort for relaxation and treatment for
domestic and foreign tourists.
Sightseeing the house of General Vo
Nguyen Giap: General Vo Nguyen Giap is
worldly regconized as one among the 10 best
generals of all time. As a result, his house in
Quang Binh is one of the potentially attractive
tourism spots of the region. Besides, there are

also graves of national heroes in this place, such
as those of Nguyen Huu Canh, Hoang Ke
Viem.
Fishing demand festival: This is the
fishing demand festival of the people of Quang
Binh. The festival takes places from 14th to 16th
day of the 4th lunar month each year at the
commune of Bao Ninh (Dong Hoi). The
communal house of the village worships the
father-fisherman and the son-fisherman and
Mister Fish (the whale that saved the people’s
lives from a storm). At the beginning of the
festival the people accompany His bones from
the village to the communal house, with
performances of “ho khoan, cheo can”, and
wool dancing. After that is a festive day of
beginning going out to the sea , lowering down
paper boats, paper fish to the sea, festival of
giving prayers of a fishing village with dreams

of a surplus harvest.


T. Nghi et al. / VNU Journal of Science, Earth Sciences 28 (2012) 11-19

Ho Le Thuy: Otherwise called Quang Binh
boat-singing, there are 9 melodies, of which the
basic ones are: “che”, “nen”, “xap”, “ba”,
“ruoi”, “nhi” and “nau xam” singing, “khoi”
singing (sea region), “lia trau” singing
(mounntainous areas). Formerly people used to
sing “che”, “nhen” when they started building a
house, white-washing the house, when having
ground-breaking to build pagodas; sing “nhi”
when in the fields, when grinding alone; they
used to sing “ruoi”, “ba” when oaring, and
multitude’s “noc ket” singing… In times of the
festivals (twice in spring and autumn times), the
boys and girls of the village at night sing for
each other, enthusiastically or follow an
existing regulation: rightousness, seperation,
“bon ba”, “ho kieu”… Ho Le Thuy has reached
its skilled complicacy, moving people’s hearts,
and also it has strong, simple, candid and funny
melodies reflecting the farmers. Ho Le Thuy is
a part contributing to folk song of Binh – Tri Thien within the scope of Vietnamese
traditional music. [1]

19

centers include Phong Nha – Ke Bang, Dong
Hoi, Da Nhay – Ly Hoa, Ngu Hoa – Le Thuy
and Quang Trach with various types of tourism,
ranging from cave exploring, sea bathing to
eco-tourism inside the protezoic forests and the
farmstead models on the sandy bars, the
cultural and historical tourism models in the
historical and cultural tourism spots and the
spiritual culture of the folks of Quang Binh
province.
As a result, it’s necessary to build up a
complete tourism-projection map as well as
improve and project sandy bars in order to turn
an endangered place to a specific tourism
resource of Quang Binh province.

Acknowledgements
This article is accomplished with the
financial supports of Project QGTD-04-03 and
Council of Earth Sciences under the
Fundamental Scientific Research Program,
Ministry of Technology and Science.

7. Conclusions and proposals
References
The province of Quang Binh is diversified
in different tourism types with famous tourism
spots created by both nature and men.
Therefore, projections for tourism is a decisive
solution for the investment and sustainable

tourism development. Based on that point of
view, the splitting of different tourism centers,
creating different tourism routes in the whole
province has been carried out in 5 main tourism
centers, 1 spot can belong to 1 or more tourism
centers, but we must always put this unified
point of view in mind, that is to create
convenient and interesting tourism routes for
domestic and foreign tourists. These tourism

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

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