Research for cultural tourism development dien bien province = nghiên cứu phát triển du lịch văn hoá tỉnh Điện biên

Research for cultural tourism development dien bien province = nghiên cứu phát triển du lịch văn hoá tỉnh Điện biên

Theoretical basis on cultural tourism

Concept of cutural tourism

It is necessary to make a clear distinction between the phrase "Cultural tourism" and "Heritage tourism" When it comes to tourist culture, it is about human culture in exploiting, using and enjoying tourism products Talking about cultural consciousness and human behavior expressed in all tourism activities The term

"cultural tourism" here means to refer to a type of tourism that takes the tangible and intangible values of the nation's cultural heritages and traditions as the core in the tourism program

Currently, in the world and in the country, there are many concepts of cultural tourism as follows: “Cultural tourism is a type of tourism whose objective is to discover relics and sites It brings positive effects by contributing to the maintenance and conservation This type of model has in fact proved the efforts of conservation and embellishment, meeting the needs of the community for cultural - economic - social benefits (ICOMOS)

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) also gives another definition of cultural tourism: “Cultural tourism includes activities by people whose main motive is the study and discovery of culture, such as cultural programs and activities studying, learning about the performing arts, about festivals and different cultural events, visiting monuments, nature, culture or folk art tourism, and pilgrimage "

According to the Law on Tourism of Vietnam, "Cultural tourism is a form of tourism based on national cultural identity with the participation of the community in order to preserve and promote traditional cultural values"

Or “Cultural tourism is a type of tourism based on the exploitation of national cultural heritage values and organized in a cultural way” (Nguyen Van Binh, 2005)

Thus, cultural tourism is a field of tourism that exploits cultural tourism resources and appropriate services to create tourism products to serve the needs of tourists Cultural tourism takes culture as a tourism resource Cultural tourism is selective, it is both educational and cognitive, helps to preserve and promote cultural values, and is a bridge for cultural exchanges between regions.

Concept of cultural tourism resources

Vietnam's tourism law divides resources into two main types: natural tourism resources including geological elements such as forests, seas, rivers, lakes, caves and cultural tourism resources being exploited and unexploited Cultural tourism resources are created from the hands and minds of people in the process of living, working and creating such as historical and cultural relics, dishes or handicrafts In this case, cultural elements are classified as cultural tourism resources such as cultural traditions, cultural elements, folk art and this is also a very unique resource in tourism However, cultural resources are divided into two basic types: tangible cultural resources exist in a tangible form that people can see and touch, such as architectural works, crafts, tools …; and intangible cultural resources exist in invisible form, do not exist in space, people only have Nguyen Van Binh (2005), Developing eco-tourism, cultural tourism - a tool to preserve natural environment protection and social environment, tourism environmental protection, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, p.98 can be perceived through the senses such as festivals, art forms, ways of communicating and behaving …

Table 1.1: Cultural resources tangible and intangible Tangible cultural resources Intangible cultural resources

- Tools of labor and production - Choreography

- Performing Arts Not all cultural resources are cultural tourism resources It must satisfy all objective and subjective conditions Cultural tourism resources are all cultural resources that can be combined with corresponding tourism services to form tourism products

The tangible or intangible heritage values can only be promoted when they really play a certain role affecting people's psychology, emotions and knowledge Thus, only cultural values that are allowed to be exploited and put into tourism activities and are attractive to tourists will become cultural tourism resources Cultural tourism exploits the heritage and traditional values of the nation as its own resources and this resource is the core of the cultural tourism program.

Concept of cultural tourism products

In the process of life, people have created culture and human creativity is knowing how to apply cultural values to create cultural tourism products to satisfy the requirements and aspirations of people to learn There are many concepts of tourism products such as "Tourism product is a set of services necessary to satisfy the needs of tourists during a tourist trip" (Tran Huu Son, 2010)

According to Dr Duong Van Sau, “Tourism products are all services that create specific cultural goods provided by individuals and tourism business organizations to serve the needs of tourists different target audience; it conforms to professional criteria according to international practices and contains typical indigenous cultural values; meet and satisfy socio-economic goals for individuals, organizations and localities where tourism business activities are taking place”

Table 1.2: Compare tourism products and cultural products Cultural products Tourism products

- Sustainable, high immutability - Adaptability, high variability

- Bearing the imprint of the indigenous community

- Bearing heavy imprints of individuals, organizers, operators

- Being used for all different objects, serving everyone

- Only used for tourists, serving those who use tourism services

- Production is not for sale, mainly serving the cultural and spiritual life of local residents

- Products must be sold to the market, sold to tourists, serving the needs of tourists who are residents of different regions

- Focus on spiritual value, value cannot be fully measured by price

- Cultural values are accompanied by socio-economic values Value is measured by price

- Limited scale, definite time and space

- Unlimited scale, indeterminate time and space

- The product carries a heavy weight, it is difficult to determine quantitative determination The value of an intangible product is expressed through impressions, feelings, etc

- Qualitative and quantitative are expressed through operating time The value of the product is tangible, expressed through the economic indicators obtained

Therefore, a cultural tourism product is a collection of necessary services to satisfy the needs of cultural tourists during the trip Cultural tourism products include: customary tourism, festival tourism, tourism to learn about cultural - historical relics, craft village tourism, agricultural tourism, culinary tourism Cultural products involved in the tourism business process become cultural tourism products Cultural tourism products are created by people and it is always under the influence of people Human creativity and manipulation have the ability to make cultural values lose their

5 identity However, it is people who have brought cultural values closer to humanity and honored its values through tourism

However, if we consider tourism products as only services, we only pay attention to the participation of human factors, who serve the needs of tourists, or other forms of serving the needs of tourists guest Tourism products must need an audience, other than the service provider, or a form of service, to govern the needs of tourists, in order to have the ability and appropriate form of service, which is a resource travel Any tourism resource is that tourist service, that tourism product Without tourism resources, there are no tourism products Therefore, tourism products must be a combination of all types of tourism resources and all types of appropriate tourism services to serve the needs of enjoying, discovering and experiencing different things , novelty of visitors Cultural tourism products must be a combination of cultural tourism resources and appropriate cultural tourism services to serve the needs of tourists to enjoy, discover and experience different and new things strangeness of different cultures (Nguyen Pham Hung, 2013)

Concept of material and technical basis of cultural tourism

In a broad sense, the material and technical basis of tourism is considered to be the entire infrastructure, means, material and technical activities involved in tourism Including facilities of the tourism industry itself such as restaurants, hotels, electricity, water and sanitation systems serving at tourist destinations and facilities of other related economic sectors such as: transport network, communication system, electricity and water system of the region

Understanding in a narrow sense, the material and technical basis of tourism is all the infrastructure, materials and techniques invested and built by tourists to serve tourism activities such as restaurants, hotels, internal roads in the area, tourist attractions, electricity and water works at tourist sites, amusement parks, means of transport, camping, and other auxiliary works attached to the site tourism activities

According to the above two interpretations, the technical facilities in tourism are the entire facilities of the tourism industry itself and also the infrastructure of other

6 industries related to tourism activities Technical facilities play a particularly important role in the tourism development of a locality or a country

So, the material and technical basis of cultural tourism is the totality of material and technical facilities at the cultural tourist site and the infrastructure of other industries participating in cultural tourism activities such as: transportation systems, communication systems, electricity and water supply facilities, food, drink and accommodation establishments, shops, entertainment areas, sports facilities, medical facilities, petrol stations, train stations, harbors, parking lots directly serve tourists to visit and learn about cultural tourism The material and technical basis of cultural tourism contributes to the decision on service quality and economic efficiency of cultural tourism destinations.

Concept of human resources in cultural tourism

Human resources are understood as all employees working in an organization, including mental and physical strength Human resources are always considered an important factor, determining the quality and efficiency of work

Human resource in tourism is understood in a broad sense as the entire staff working in the field of tourism Including both regular human resources and non- regular human resources such as state management staff in tourism, managers in tourism businesses, restaurant staff, hotel staff, ticket sales at tourist destinations , tour guides, medical staff, banks, airlines All employees related to tourism

In a narrow sense, tourism human resources are staff working at state management agencies in tourism, tourism businesses, tourist sites and attractions All employees work in the tourism industry tourism sector

Therefore, human resources in cultural tourism are all people who directly and indirectly work related to cultural tourism Including state management, corporate governance and cultural tourism business This team determines the business performance and survival of cultural tourism In order to develop sustainable cultural tourism, it is necessary to have a team of skilled professionals who are knowledgeable in the field of culture, capable of taking on the role of conveying the image of the country and people of Vietnam to tourists

Concept of cultural tourism destination

According to Article 4 of the Law on Tourism of Vietnam (2005), "Tourist spot is a place with attractive tourist resources, serving the sightseeing needs of tourists" However, a tourist destination can be a tourist area, a tourist sub-region or a tourist sub-region depending on its large and small scale According to the above interpretation, a tourist destination is considered to have a small scale "a place where a certain type of resource (natural, cultural-historical or socio-economic) is concentrated or a separate type of work serves tourism or a combination of both on a small scale” Article 24, Law on Tourism of Vietnam (2005) stipulates that tourist attractions that fully meet the following conditions shall be recognized as national tourist attractions:

- There are tourism resources that are particularly attractive to tourists' sightseeing needs;

- Having the necessary infrastructure and tourism services, capable of serving at least one hundred thousand visitors a year

A tourist attraction that fully meets the following conditions shall be recognized as a local tourist attraction:

- Having attractive tourism resources for tourists's need;

- Having the necessary infrastructure and tourism services, capable of serving at least ten thousand visitors a year

Thus, a cultural tourism destination is a place with attractive cultural tourism resources, capable of attracting and satisfying the requirements of tourists for cultural tourism such as: historical and cultural relics, landscapes, ancient and contemporary works, antiquities, intangible cultural values, oral traditions, customs, behaviors, festivals, craft villages, culinary arts, literary works, music paintings, poetry, events, cultural, sports, scientific, economic, social activities

Concept of cultural tourism market

The tourism market is the place where the process of buying and selling tourism products takes place, bearing many characteristics of the commodity market such as geographical factors, time, supply and demand factors, product properties, etc

8 perform the same functions as a commodity market The tourism market appears and operates on the basis of the commodity market

Cultural tourism market is understood as a type of tourism market that has developed further to meet the requirements of satisfying cultural factors of tourists Thus, the cultural tourism market is the place where the exchange takes place between buyers who are tourists who have a need to satisfy cultural products and sellers who are providers of related services cultural tourism in a defined time and space The cultural tourism market is under the general influence of the tourism market in terms of geographical factors, supply and demand factors, nature of activities and product composition At the same time, the cultural tourism market assumes functions such as: implementation function, recognition function, information function and regulatory function.

Concept of organization and management of cultural tourism

The organization and management of cultural tourism is also synonymous with the management, promotion and preservation of cultural heritages This is an important condition to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of cultural tourism development The organization and management of cultural tourism aims to exploit, promote and preserve cultural values in tourism Thus, the organization and management of cultural tourism is based on the content of state management of tourism as follows: a For the state management agency in charge of cultural tourism

The current tourism industry has been constantly developing, tangible and intangible cultural heritages have become an extremely important resource in the tourism development of a region or region Therefore, the exploitation and proper use and purpose of cultural heritages are decisive for the success of the tourism business

State management organization of cultural tourism is currently a matter of concern to state leaders, industry leaders and businesses A well-executed state management organization will contribute to the business performance of the tourism industry and the direction of the industry's sustainable development Pursuant to Article 10, the Law on Tourism of Vietnam stipulates the content of state management

9 of tourism, thereby deducing the functions and tasks in the organization and management of cultural tourism of all levels of government from the central government to the locality and tourism business units as follows:

- Formulate and organize the implementation of strategies, planning and policies for cultural tourism development

- Formulate, promulgate and organize the implementation of documents and standards on economic - technical norms of cultural tourism activities within the scope of tourism legislation

- Propaganda, legal education and information on cultural tourism

- Organizing and managing cultural tourism human resource training activities; research and application of science and technology

- Organizing the investigation and assessment of cultural tourism resources, to identify cultural tourist sites, cultural tourist spots, and cultural tourist routes to develop cultural tourism development planning

- Organizing international cooperation and cultural tourism promotion activities at home and abroad

- Regulations on the organization of the state management apparatus and the coordination of state agencies in the state management of cultural tourism

- Regulations on responsibilities for granting and revoking permits and certificates for cultural tourism activities

- Examine and settle complaints and denunciations and handle violations of the law in cultural tourism activities b To local government

According to the decentralization of powers and responsibilities of the government, the People's Committees of provinces and cities are responsible for properly and well performing their assigned tasks in the state management of cultural tourism in each locality The management must be concretized in planning, promulgating regulations and policies on cultural tourism development suitable to socio-economic development conditions in each locality c To cultural tourism business establishments

Cultural tourism business establishments must comply with all state regulations on organization and management of activities related to cultural tourism In addition to effectively exploiting cultural heritage values, businesses must know how to preserve and embellish this invaluable resource for sustainable business development.

The concept of promotion, propaganda and advertising in cultural tourism 10 1.1.10 The concept of preserving cultural heritage in tourism

In the business of promotion, product propaganda always plays an important role to affirm the effectiveness of the work and the existence of the product in the market Promotion in tourism plays an important role in introducing the image of tourism products to tourists and bringing practical effects to the tourism industry Therefore, the promotion of propaganda in tourism can be understood as "Tourism promotion is an activity of propaganda, promotion and mobilization in order to seek and promote tourism development opportunities" (Tran Huu Son, 2010)

Thus, promotion, propaganda and advertising in cultural tourism is to take advantage of every possible opportunity to promote the image of cultural tourism to the domestic and foreign tourism market The purpose of promotion, propaganda and publicity in cultural tourism is the activity of introducing cultural tourism products so that tourists can admire, evaluate, research, and at the same time, create favorable conditions for promoting cultural tourism promote cultural tourism to develop and bring the highest business efficiency to the tourism industry

1.1.10 The concept of preserving cultural heritage in tourism

Culture is the core resource to form cultural tourism products If looking at the overall perspective, where there is a tourist element, there is definitely a cultural element Due to the inseparable relationship, tourism products always carry the image of culture Therefore, protecting cultural values is also protecting tourism resources Besides, cultural heritage is the national identity Therefore, preserving cultural heritage is a practical duty and right of every human being in society

The Law on Heritage of Vietnam affirms that “Vietnamese cultural heritage is a valuable asset of the Vietnamese ethnic community and is a part of the human cultural heritage, playing a great role in the cause of death building and defending the

11 country of our people” Thus, the preservation of cultural heritage and cultural values in tourism is always necessary and urgent From the practical activities of heritage conservation in Vietnam over the years, showing the incorrect view of the heritage, the inconsistency in the way of thinking of the managers has made the heritages be destroyed damage and sometimes lose its real value In terms of cultural tourism, wrongdoing in the conservation of cultural heritage will make tourism resources disappear Therefore, the conservation of cultural tourism resources needs to have a specific process as follows:

Conditions for the development of cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

Summary of natural conditions of Dien Bien

Dien Bien is the name given by King Thieu Tri in 1841 with the meaning "Dien" is solid "Bien" is the border, Bien is the border is strong Previously this land was called Muong Thanh, meaning is the land of heaven, the ancestral land of the Thai people

Dien Bien is a mountainous province located in the northwest of Vietnam, with geographical coordinates determined from position 102 º10' to 103 º56 east longitude;

It is bounded by Lai Chau Province to the North, Son La Province to the East and

Northeast, Luang Prabang and Phong Sa Ly of Lao PDR to the West and Southwest, and Yunnan Province - China to the West

The topography of Dien Bien province has its own distinctive features, with many types of terrain: both majestic mountains and large fields with flying storks, the most typical and larger of all is Dien Bien's long pan, It is about 20km long, about 9km wide at its widest place In the middle of the long pan is the most fertile Muong Thanh field of the Northwest, with a width of 6.3km and a length of 13km This is the largest leaf basket of the province as well as of the Northwest region, with many famous delicious rice varieties

Dien Bien has a tropical monsoon climate with high mountains, relatively cold winters and little rain; Summer is hot, rainy with unusual characteristics, diversified, less affected by storms, and affected by hot and dry westerly winds The average annual temperature is from 21ºC to 23ºC, the average rainfall is from 1,700 to 2,500 mm, the average humidity is from 83% to 85%

Due to the large natural area, the terrain is divided, so the climate here is divided into 3 distinct sub-regions: Muong Nhe climate sub-region, Muong Lay climate sub- region and Son La plateau climate sub-region and upstream of the Ma River.

Historical and social conditions

1.2.2.1 History of Dien Bien land formation

Dien Bien is a land that has been inhabited and inhabited since ancient times, right from prehistoric times through archaeological evidence from the Stone Age through the presence of relics such as Tham Khuong and Than caves The hammer (in Tuan Giao) has proved that people from ancient times were present here very early, as a center of the ancient Vietnamese people

The name Dien Bien was given by Thieu Tri in 1841 from Ninh Bien province; Dien means solid, Bien means border area Dien Bien is a strong border region of the country, Phu Dien Bien (ie Dien Bien Phu) under Thieu Tri's time consisted of 3 continents: Ninh Bien (managed by the government cum li, ie the tri government cum management of the continent), Tuan Giao and Lai Chau The name Dien Bien or Dien Bien Phu appeared from there

On May 7, 1954, after nine years of long resistance war together with the army and people of the whole country, the people of Dien Bien province made the famous historic Dien Bien Phu victory that shook the world in five continents, our country ended 80 years of war five slaves under the yoke of feudal colonialism In order to strengthen solidarity among the nations and create conditions for the peoples in the Northwest to make rapid progress in all aspects, the central government decided to establish within the Democratic Republic of Vietnam an autonomous region of the ethnic group in the Northwest, called the Thai - Meo Autonomous Region Implement the policy of establishing autonomous regions of ethnic groups in areas with conditions according to the Resolution of the National Assembly, dated April 29,

1955, of the President of Vietnam Previously, according to Decree No 143-SL dated January 28, 1953 of the State President, the Northwest Region was established including the provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Son La and Lai Chau, separated from the Viet Bac Interregion

On September 26, 2003, the government issued Decree No 110/2003/ND-CP on the establishment of Dien Bien Phu city, adjusting the administrative boundaries to expand and establish wards in Dien Bien Phu city Bien Phu, Lai Chau province, based on the area of Dien Bien Phu town and the adjustment of the boundary of Dien Bien district, after being merged Dien Bien Phu city has 6,009.05 hectares of natural area and 70,639 employees border, there are 8 administrative units under wards: Muong Thanh, Tan Thanh, Him Lam, Thanh Binh, Nam Thanh, Thanh Truong, Noong Bua and Thanh Minh commune On November 26, 2003, the Xth National Assembly approved the adjustment of administrative boundaries of Lai Chau province Accordingly, Lai Chau province was divided into two provinces: New Lai Chau and Dien Bien The Party Committee and people of Dien Bien province identify this as a historic opportunity to realize the wish to eradicate poverty and build a new, richer and more beautiful Dien Bien

Dien Bien province, after being split, is a mountainous border province in the Northwest region, about 500km west of Hanoi capital It borders on new Lai Chau province to the North, Son La province to the East and Northeast, Yunnan province to the Northwest (China), and Laos to the West and Southwest

1.2.2.2 Socio-economic of Dien Bien province

As of 2012, Dien Bien province has 10 administrative units, including: TP Dien Bien Phu, Muong Lay town and 8 districts: Dien Bien, Dien Bien Dong, Muong Ang, Muong Cha, Muong Nhe, Tua Chua, Tuan Giao, and Nam Po In which the City Dien Bien Phu is the center of politics, economy, finance, culture, science and technology of the province Dien Bien has 18 ethnic minorities : Thai, Mong, Kinh, Lao, Dao, Kho Mu, Ha Nhi, Phu La, Khang, Xinh Mun, Si La, Cong in which, Thai people make up the percentage of the population The largest population is about 38%, the Mong people 35%, the Kinh people 18.4%, the Kho Mu people 3.3%, the Dao people 1.1%, the Lao people 0.9% The Khang ethnic group accounted for about 0.86%, the Ha Nhi ethnic group accounted for about 0.8%, the Xinh Mun ethnic group accounted for 0.39%, the Cong ethnic group accounted for 0.18%, the Phu La ethnic group accounted for 0.04%, and the Cong ethnic group accounted for 0.18% Si La accounted for 0.03%, San Chay ethnic group accounted for 0.03% In addition, there are other ethnic groups: Tay, Nung, Hoa interspersed with other ethnic groups in the province Dien Bien has a population of 512.3 thousand people (2011 statistics), the population density is about 54 people/km2, ranking 11th in the Northern Midlands and Mountains 8 administrative units such as Dien Bien district, City Dien Bien Phu, Tuan Giao district, Muong Lay town, Tua Chua district, Dien Bien Dong district, Muong Ang district, Muong Cha district, account for more than 70% of the province's population The total area of Dien Bien is 9562.9 km2, the area of land being used for agricultural and forestry production in Dien Bien has 623,868.7 ha, accounting for 65.38% of the province's natural area In which, the land used for agricultural production is 119,025.6 ha, accounting for 12.47% of the natural area; forestry land is 504,033.7 ha, accounting for 52.82% of the natural land area; Aquaculture surface land is 767 ha, accounting for 0.08% of the province's natural area

The province's main economy is forestry, agriculture and aquaculture, raising cattle and poultry Dien Bien has 2 border gates with Laos and China: Tay Trang international road border gate (Dien Bien district), A pa Chai national road border gate (Muong Nhe district) and many other minor border gates With the advantage of a

15 border with Laos with a length of 360km and China with a length of 38.5km, Dien Bien has great potential in economic development and tourism

- Road traffic: Dien Bien has a border of 398.5km with 2 border gates allowed to clear goods, including: Tay Trang international border gate and A Pa Chai national border gate Highway 279 and turn to Highway 6 from Dien Bien Phu city to Hanoi about 500km, this is the lifeline of economic and cultural exchange between the lowland and the northwestern mountainous provinces National Highway 12: From Dien Bien Phu city to Ma Lu Thang border gate (Lai Chau) 195 km National Highway 279: Connecting Tuan Giao through Dien Bien Phu city to Tay Trang border gate is 117 km long By air: Dien Bien Phu airport in Dien Bien Phu city serving the route Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu - Vientiane - Luang Prabang The whole province currently has 109/116 communes, wards and townships with motorways to the commune center, over 80% of communes have car roads that can go in both seasons, ensuring smooth traffic between regions in the province National highway axes through the province (national highways 279, 12 and 6) are focused on upgrading and expanding to meet grade IV standards in mountainous areas In concentrated commodity production areas, the transport network is given priority to invest in the construction of a connection system Ready to meet the requirements of mobility in strategic defense as well as management of economic, cultural and social exchanges, the province should focus on building basic border belt roads, border roads and patrol roads border inspection Currently, border belt roads such as Si Pa Phin - Muong Nhe to the border junction of Vietnam - Laos - China, Pac Ma - Muong Nhe, Dien Bien - Song Ma are in the stage of focusing investment in upgrading grade, plasticization In addition to completing the internal transport system to the lowland provinces, the province also focuses on developing outward traffic, ensuring trade to the main and auxiliary border gates in the area

In fact, for a successful economic development strategy, traffic must always be one step ahead Clearly defining that and based on the local socio-economic

16 development orientation for many years to come, Dien Bien will prioritize investment in transportation development in line with regional and national traffic planning With a total investment of over 50,000 billion VND, in which, in the period 2011 - 2015 is 8,584 billion VND and will increase gradually in the following periods Accordingly, from now to 2020, the system of national highways and provincial roads will be put into technical grade, 100% asphalt concrete mats, asphalt or cement concrete Some important routes on national highways 6, 12 and 279 such as: section Tuan Giao - Muong Lay town, Muong Cha - Dien Bien Phu city, Tuan Giao - Dien Bien Phu city and Dien Bien Phu city - Tay Trang (including the main line of Dien Bien Phu city) is in the process of being upgraded and renovated with a total length of 353.3km In which, the national highways through the upgraded area are mainly grade IV road standards, especially some sections through urban areas reach grade II As for the provincial road system, it will continue to upgrade and renovate mainly to meet the standards of grade VI and V, some sections will reach grade IV

Air traffic: Dien Bien Phu Airport in Dien Bien Phu city serves the route Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu - Vientiane - Luang Prabang

Watery traffic: Along with investment in building, upgrading and renovating the road system, waterway traffic (the strength of some districts) is also focused on building investment planning, such as: Ports and ports High Hill (Muong Lay Town) and Huoi So, Pac Ma (Tua Chua) Currently, Dien Bien is promoting conditions to open an inland waterway transport route from Quynh Nhai (Son La) to Muong Lay Town with a length of 150km, on the one hand to meet the demand for freight and passenger transport, and on the other hand to serve tourism demand in the reservoir area of Son La Hydroelectricity and Muong Lay Town

* Vocational education and training system:

The system of training schools has been invested and built synchronously and completely, meeting the requirements of teaching, learning and living for students The whole province currently has 1 vocational school, 1 College of Education and 2 professional high schools (1 medical high school, 1 general economic and technical high school) The form of vocational training has made many advances, many new

17 occupations have been developed and put into teaching, gradually meeting the requirements of skilled labor of production and business establishments In addition to self-training, the province also cooperates with universities and colleges in Hanoi such as Hanoi Law University, Academy of Finance, University of Agriculture, University of Civil Engineering, University of Transport, etc to train staff and children in the province

The whole province of Dien Bien has more than 4 credit institutions and banks to ensure quick and easy payment for tourists In addition, the medical and healthcare systems, insurance, telecommunications, electricity, lighting, and clean water in Dien Bien are well invested from urban to rural areas

In recent years, in order to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector of the province The Dien Bien provincial government has set forth many policies to promote the exploitation and promotion of the province's tourism potential such as: Promote tourism propaganda and promotion; Consolidate and improve the capacity and efficiency of the state management apparatus in tourism; Complete the comprehensive tourism planning in the province; Issue policies and open mechanisms to attract all economic sectors to invest in tourism development; Create conditions and support for tourism businesses to be competitive, develop and reach out to markets outside the province; Implement solutions to protect and embellish historical relics, protect the environment, landscape, cultural and historical relics; Improve the quality of traditional festivals associated with tourism development; Implement well the inspection and control of dangerous diseases, environmental sanitation, food hygiene and safety, first of all at tourist spots and areas to create peace of mind for visitors.

Cultural tourism resources of Dien Bien

Currently, Dien Bien province has 09 ranked relics, of which: 01 special national monument (Dien Bien Phu battlefield relic) and 06 national monuments (dien Bien Phu battlefield relic) historical monuments of Phu village, architectural relics of Muong Luan tower art, architectural relics of Chieng So tower, historical relics of

Sam Man citadel, relics of Pa Thom cave, relics of Muong Tinh cave); 02 monuments ranked provincial relic (historical relic of Lai Chau prison, historical relic of Pu Nhung revolution)

Dien Bien has 06 relics that are preparing dossiers for ranking, of which: 02 relics proposed for national ranking (the relic of Tham Khuong cave and Xa Nhe cave relic) and 04 relics proposed to be ranked as a relic site Provincial monuments (relics of Mun Chung cave, relics of Nam Rom great irrigation works, relics of Thanh An militia that shot down American planes and relics of Vang Long citadel)

The planning, preservation, restoration, restoration and promotion of the value of 03 relics have been implemented: Dien Bien Phu battlefield relic, Phu citadel historical site and artistic architectural relic Muong Luan tower; is establishing a project to restore, embellish and promote the value of 03 relics: architectural relics of Chieng So tower, historical relics of Sam Man citadel and relics of Muong Tinh cave; Other monuments have not yet been restored, embellished and promoted their values

In addition to tangible cultural tourism resources, Dien Bien also has rich intangible cultural tourism resources such as: beliefs; customs and habits: traditional hi-fi, Tet; craft villages; culinary…

Dien Bien is a province with a backward economy, the economy is mainly agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry People live mainly on fields and gardens, swidden fields and forests As for the Kinh, who migrated from many lowland provinces to Dien Bien, some also follow Buddhism and Christianity As for the majority of ethnic minorities in the province, they have thinking and culture but do not follow a strict religion such as Buddhism, Islam, Christianity Because of the ethnic minorities in Dien Bien generally do not form thinking on that path but in a direction of its own It can be said that ethnic minorities have polytheistic beliefs Beliefs have not developed into their own religion, but they are not influenced or imported into

19 themselves by other religions These are beliefs about natural gods, human gods, beliefs about fertility, beliefs about living things

From the early days of reclamation and establishment of a village, Dien Bien people are a community of ethnic groups living in the wilderness Each ethnic group gathers in villages with kinship and bloodlines to live close to each other so that they can rely on each other to produce, hunt, and help each other in life In daily communication and behavior, there is heavy thought of kinship, lineage and background Therefore, beliefs in Dien Bien are heavily indigenous, Dien Bien people with beliefs of natural gods, human gods, beliefs of fertility, beliefs of all living things are expressed through rituals of praying and worshiping , fun activities, games, arts, festival food

The religious characteristics in Dien Bien are cultural features of the Northwest and are inseparable in the daily and social life of the community

- The festival of Thanh Ban Phu Temple: It is a festival to worship the victory day of Hoang Cong Chat against the Phe invaders on May 5 People worship "Then Chat", pray for everyone's health, pray for favorable rain and wind for the fields Muong Thanh has a good season to irrigate

- New rice festival (season praying ceremony): New rice festivals associated with agricultural significance such as Hang X festival (new rice festival) of the Cong people (giving thanksgiving ceremony to rice ghosts, ancestors' spirits, forest ghosts in autumn) Harvesting rice; Rac Hre (Prayer for the harvest) of the Kho Mu (Thanksgiving ceremony to the goddess of the land, the god of the mountain around April and May of the solar calendar when people start to sow seeds); Ma Chieng Ngo

My (new rice festival) of the Khmu people (on October 16 or 16 every year); The new rice offering ceremony of the Si La people (conducted around the end of August and the beginning of September, when the rice begins to ripen on the salary); Xem Khau Mau (new rice offering) of the Black Thai people

- Ban worshiping ceremony (Xem Ban): Is one of the festivals with a very clear peace of mind to pray for favorable rain, good wind, bountiful crops, healthy people, prosperous life, peace and happiness Xem Ban, Xem Muong is also a symbol of the belief in worshiping the nature god, the god of the land and the god of water See the Thai version around September, October according to the Thai calendar (April and May according to the Kinh lunar calendar) The Kho Mu Ten worshiping ceremony is held in the 2nd and 3rd lunar month In the past, it was also held from 3 to 5 days

- Ban Flower Festival: is a festival of the Thai ethnic group In Thai, "ban" means delicious and beautiful Everything that is sweet and beautiful is called "ban" The festival has an important meaning for Thai people That's when they worship the forest god, the cave god and the soul of the couple through the legend, praying for favorable weather and good crops Usually held on the 5th day of the second lunar month

- Festivals of the Cong, Kho Mu, Ha Nhi, San Chay, Si La, Lao, Thai, Phu La, Xinh Mun, Khang, H'mong ethnic groups held on the 6th and 7th day of the 8th lunar month; The ancestor worshiping ceremony of the Cong people is usually held once a year or every 2 to 3 years, and only when the parents have been dead for 5 years or more, the children and grandchildren can do it

- Festivals of Ha Nhi people: “Ú trụ lo gio xạ sự” (offering water) is usually held at the beginning of the new year and on the day of the dragon to make offerings.; Há xạ sư (a prayer for enough water for upland rice to germinate) usually takes place at the beginning of the upland farming season around February and March of the lunar calendar

- Tet festival of the San Chay people in Dien Bien usually celebrates Tet on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Kinh people The rituals of worshiping ancestors and family during the Tet holiday usually start from the 30th day of the year until the end of the 15th day of Tet

- Festivals of the Si La people: Pleasing the beast (anniversary ceremony) This ritual is usually held for 3 days around January and February of the lunar calendar every year

- Festival of the Dao: But Toong (New Year dance) is a popular ritual of the Dao people in Dien Bien This ritual is indispensable in community cultural activities

The organization time is usually on the morning of the 1st or 2nd of the Lunar New Year; Graduation ceremony – Prisoner of war (recognizing the adult of the Dao) is usually held in November, December or January every year, because this is free time

- Festivals of Laotians: Cam Ban Cham Muong (Ban Ban, Ban Muong) is held on the thin day of May according to the Lao calendar which is equivalent to the 12th month (December 30) of the Kinh lunar calendar The venue is at the owner's house - the head of the village and the forest at the top of the village - the place to worship the forest god, the water god, and the village god

Lessons are learned in research and development of cultural tourism

Lessons are learned in the country

Vietnam is choosing cultural tourism as the main direction to accelerate the smokeless industry, in accordance with the destinations of cultural and historical sites

25 stretching from the North to the South and the presence of 54 cultures in the country Cultural tourism in Vietnam is focusing on exploiting the values of historical and cultural relics, architectural works, festivals, traditional performing arts, cuisine or handicraft villages traditional technology In the past time, there have been many tourism businesses, tourist resorts, tourist attractions and localities that have performed very well and achieved positive results in terms of economy, society, environment and conservation of values heritage treatment

Quang Nam province is a typical locality of cultural tourism activities The most prominent is cultural tourism in Hoi An Ancient Town Hoi An Ancient Town was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999 and is currently a typical cultural tourism destination in Vietnam Here, the government, businesses and people combine to offer specific cultural tourism products such as: Full Moon Festival on the 15th day of the lunar calendar every month, Night Street on every Saturday, Homestay in the old town, tourism in craft villages Hoi An Ancient Town, built in the sixteenth century, seems to have been preserved intact It is all the effort and affection of the people here for the cultural heritage The project "Policy consultancy on environmental management: Green industry development" coordinated between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Hoi An City People's Committee was implemented in August 2011 shows that long-term development direction for Hoi An cultural tourism This project helps to solve environmental problems, climate change and minimize the harm brought by tourism to people and society here Businesses and tourism people in Hoi An are ready to meet the needs of tourists but still do not lose their cultural identity This makes visitors very satisfied and becomes an active advertising channel for Hoi An tourism

Besides Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary is also a typical example of cultural tourism activities This relic was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site in

1999 The entire relic site is located in a wild, mossy but very clean valley When it was first put into operation, the management board of the monument used special fuel- powered vehicles to transport visitors into the valley, causing a lot of noise and dust However, in 2011, in order to sustainably exploit and ensure a green and clean

26 environment, this place has invested in a fleet of specialized electric vehicles that do not cause smoke and noise to affect the monument and create a sense of belonging comfort for visitors My Son Sanctuary is both a cultural and historical relic and an eco-tourism area attracting visitors by its fresh, cool air and many green trees In particular, the signs and instructions in this relic are very clear, easy to understand and full of information The narrator is professionally trained, dedicated to providing information and knowledge to visitors

Organizing cultural tourism activities of Quang Nam province is really a valuable lesson for localities in the direction of tourism exploitation along with heritage conservation.

Lessons from foreign experiences

The tourist taste of tourists gradually turns to the search for difference rather than material enjoyment Before the change in consumer psychology of tourists, many countries around the world have found a new type of tourism to replace the old type of tourism Cultural tourism is seen as the number one candidate for that alternative Experiences of doing cultural tourism of countries around the world are constantly exchanging and learning from each other

 Angkor Tourism, Kingdom of Cambodia

Coming to the Kingdom of Cambodia, people will certainly be surprised at the preservation of historical and cultural relics of this country The Angkor complex - a world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO is a concrete example Over the centuries, this relic complex still exists in the middle of the old forest, including famous works on an area of about 1,000km²: the southern gate of Angkor Thom temple, Bayon temple, Taphrom temple and Angkor Wat temple The people here are very conscious of protecting the monument Although Cambodians consider the temple to be a major cultural tourist destination, which gives them great benefits in economic life But not because of that, they develop tourism massively and without control In order to protect the stairs going up and down in the temples from wear and tear, they used a variety of precious woods to add another way up and down instead of the old path The places that collapsed, they were helped by UNESCO to restore and

27 strengthen with great care in every detail, not tear down the old architecture to rebuild the new one The hygienic environment at the attractions is very good This makes tourists very interested and self-conscious about keeping the general hygiene In February 2013, Cambodia's tourism industry launched the campaign "One tree for each tourist" to encourage tourists to join hands to protect the environment and reduce the risks of climate change This work is highly agreed and appreciated by countries around the world In 2012, Cambodia welcomed about 3.5 million foreign visitors, an increase of 25% compared to 2011, and is expected to attract about 4 million visitors in 2013 This means that cultural tourism has helped Cambodia's economy reap positive results

Bali is one of the famous beautiful islands of Indonesia in Southeast Asia The island has an area of about 5,600 square kilometers and a population of more than 3 million and the majority of the population is Hindu Before the 60s of the twentieth century, Bali was not an ideal tourist destination because of the closed and un-open mindset of the local people They fear the penetration of foreign cultures will damage and change their inherent cultural traditions But then the Indonesian government carefully planned the development of cultural tourism for themselves: they created unique tourism products, restaurants and hotels gradually sprung up, indigenous people learned how communicating with foreign guests, flights to Bali began to attract investors, the island's image was promoted all over the world Since then, the name of the island of Bali is known and wanted by many people Bali began to develop into a government-oriented tourist paradise Traditional craft villages were restored such as sewing, cutting, stone carving and other handicrafts Cultural tourism has brought them a prosperous economic life and positive results Visitors to Bali can visit about 12,000 temples with fascinating cultural attractions, admire the terraced fields and enjoy the mythical Barong dance

The Asian economic crisis occurred in 1997, causing many economies in Asia to be seriously affected and including Malaysia At that time, the Malaysian

Government found a way out for itself by developing cultural tourism: homestay tourism, eco-tourism

Homestay tourism develops very strongly and operates professionally in the Malaysian countryside There are about 3,300 households from 230 villages across 13 states of Malaysia participating in the homestay tourism program These farmers had a very difficult life before, and it became even more difficult when the Asian economic crisis occurred The Malaysian government has invested in rural infrastructure and provided capital for people to repair and clean their houses The Malaysian tourism industry is promoting the opening of training courses on management, security and how to serve tourists The Malaysian government also has a policy of not collecting taxes for households doing homestay tourism People here learn to do cultural tourism in the same way: eating together, living together and sharing with tourists in their own homes The key to the success of homestay tourism programs in Malaysia is that for tourists, they are satisfied in their search for cultural differences, and they share a lot about customs and traditions daily life experiences of indigenous people For local people, they are also satisfied in introducing their indigenous culture to tourists and get a lot of profit from their cultural tourism business Malaysia's slogan "Truly Asia"

1 (true Asia) was quickly accepted by many international tourists

Cultural tourism today is the choice of many tourists to change their travel taste Grasping this change, many countries around the world, including Vietnam, are planning to properly exploit the value of cultural tourism resources as an economic spearhead However, each country, each locality has its own implementation roadmap depending on the natural, economic and social conditions of each region or region Dien Bien is considered as a province with great potential for cultural tourism The study of the theoretical basis is to provide the arguments, necessary conditions and necessary lessons to contribute to the development of cultural tourism in Dien Bien in particular and the development of cultural tourism in Vietnam South in general

CHAPTER 2 SITUATION OF CULTURAL TOURISM ACTIVITIES IN DIEN BIEN

Cultural tourism market in Dien Bien

Purpose of visiting and learning of visitors

Through the actual survey, the thesis has preliminary comments on the purpose of tourists to Dien Bien as follows: tourists coming to Dien Bien often have many different purposes such as: learn about historical and cultural relics; the purpose of spiritual relaxation by the majestic natural elements of the borderland, multi-ethnic; or looking for differences in community culture, festivals of the Thai, Kho Mu and H'mong ethnic groups immerse themselves in the majestic beauty of the Northwest mountains and forests; Or floating on a rustic boat in the middle of Pa Khoang Lake

Chart 2.1: Purpose of visitors to Dien Bien

The chart above shows that the cultural tourism needs of domestic and foreign tourists to Dien Bien are very different For domestic tourists, the purpose of tourism to satisfy the need to visit historical and cultural relics is very popular with tourists, accounting for 56% of the total number of domestic visitors to Dien Bien This is also

Visiting historical and cultural sites

Purpose of visitors to Dien Bien

31 understandable, because this is the historical land of illustrious heroes of five continents that shook the world Therefore, for them, each historical site has the appearance of a heroic period The historical and cultural relics are not only invaluable assets of the people of Dien Bien but also invaluable assets of humanity

Dien Bien is a land of majestic mountains with fresh air, both straight fields with flying storks, but the most extensive typical is the Dien Bien basin And it would be remiss not to mention the Da River that entered poetry, along with the forests of Ban flowers and Gao flowers blooming in spring Thai, H'mong, and Thai girls and boys are dressed in colorful costumes Somewhere, echoing the sound of flute, the sound of trumpet calling for a lover to die captivated people's hearts That is why domestic tourists come to Dien Bien to visit landscapes and relax, accounting for 20%

Vietnamese people have a tradition of drinking water, remembering its source, that's why every year there are many tourists who are veterans and relatives of martyrs' families who fell on the heroic historical land of Dien Bien this They went to Dien Bien to perform rituals of praying for the soldiers at the A1 cemetery and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument On the other hand, Dien Bien formerly known as Muong Then (meaning Muong Troi) is the ancestor and origin of the Thai people Therefore, spiritual and religious tourists account for 19%

The remaining 5% are domestic tourists coming to Dien Bien for other purposes

For foreign visitors, the purpose of tourism to Dien Bien is to learn about the local culture through understanding historical and cultural relics more than coming to worship and worship, and this type of tourism accounts for a large proportion 64 % The purpose of tourism is to visit the scenic spots and attractions of the destination, which is the second choice of foreign tourists when coming to Dien Bien, this type of tourism accounts for 17% The demand for learning about religion and belief accounts for 11% and tourism for other purposes accounts for 8%

Although there are different research needs of domestic and foreign tourists, the common interest of visitors is still cultural tourism This shows that the demand of

32 cultural tourism in the tourism market in Dien Bien is really necessary What does it take to grasp the needs of the cultural tourism market in Dien Bien? And how responsive is the locality to visitors? Those are important things that help businesses identify target markets, mainstream products, legacy products, visitors, competitors…

At the same time, market research will help policy makers authorities and state management agencies have policies to plan and develop cultural tourism in accordance with the objectives of both economic development and promotion and preservation of local cultural values.

Diversity of visitors to Dien Bien

Since 1994, Dien Bien celebrated the 40th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien victory on May 7, 1954, attracting a large number of tourists from near and far to visit historical sites Every year, March to April of the solar calendar is the month to prepare for the Victory Celebration of the Dien Bien Phu calendar, which is also the peak tourist season in Dien Bien, overcrowding at tourist facilities usually takes place in the middle of the year Even years are organized by the Central Government In recent years, tourists and tour operators have tried to make use of the time before and after the celebration to make travel arrangements

Chart 2.2: Diversity of tourists to Dien Bien

Jan - Feb Mar - Apr May - Jun Jul - Aug Sept - Oct Nov - Dec

Survey results show that domestic tourists often choose the time before the great anniversary of May 7 to join the journey to the Northwest, so this month is considered the most crowded time of the year to Dien Bien accounted for 39% The time after the festival from May to June of the solar calendar, the number of visitors to Dien Bien accounts for 21%, at this stage, visitors often focus on the early days of May of the solar calendar because this is the day of the great festival From November to December of the solar calendar is the time with cool weather, many tourists come to Sapa Therefore, Dien Bien during this time also became a common destination to welcome visitors, so the number of visitors in these months also accounted for 16% From January and February of the solar calendar every year, this time is also the time of December or January of the lunar calendar, which is the time when ethnic minorities in Dien Bien province organize folk festivals such as Hoa Ban Festival, The Sam Ban Ceremony, the New Rice Ceremony attract many tourists to visit and learn, so the number of visitors also accounts for 12% From August to September of the solar calendar, tourists also decreased, accounting for only 7% The lowest is from July to August every year, tourists account for only 5% Because this month is the time when Dien Bien rains a lot, the roads are difficult to travel

From November to December of the solar calendar, it is the time of the Western New Year holiday, so the number of foreign tourists such as France, the UK, the US comes to Dien Bien the most, accounting for 33% Next is the period of January and February of the solar calendar, international visitors to Dien Bien account for 25% From September to October of the solar calendar accounts for 17%, and March and April of the calendar account for 13%, followed by May and June of the solar calendar accounting for 8%, the remaining 4% is the time of July and August calendar.

Accommodation needs of guests coming to Dien Bien

Guest stay days play a huge role in increasing revenue for the tourism industry This is also the basis for assessing the tourism development of a locality However, at present, in Dien Bien, there is a phenomenon that tourists have little time to stay This,

34 directly reduces the occupancy of tourists and loses a large amount of profit for the tourism business and related industries

Table 2.1: Current status of guest days and average days of stay

Total number of guest days 118.000 155.000 220.500 5,5% 7,2%

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Days of guest stay: statistics show that the number of international visitors accounted for 16.6% and domestic guests accounted for 83.4% of the total number of guest days The growth rate of daily visitors in the period from 2010-2014 was 5.5%, of which domestic tourists accounted for 5% and international visitors accounted for 12.2% In the period from 2015 to 2019, the total number of days of guests staying was 7.2%, of which domestic tourists were 5.3% and international visitors were 21% The numbers show that the increase in days of stay of domestic and international tourists in Dien Bien is very large Especially, international visitors increased their stay days in the period 2015 - 2019 higher than the period 2010 - 2014 by 8.8%; The total number of days guests stay in the period 2015 - 2019 is 1.7% higher than the period 2010 - 2014 and lower than that of domestic tourists, the total days of guests staying in the period 2015 - 2019 is only 0.3 higher than the period 2010 - 2014

Average days of stay: in the period from 2010 to 2014, the average growth rate of international guests' days of stay was 3.3% However, in the period from 2015 to

2019, this growth rate decreased to 1.4%, lower than the previous period of 2.9% The average stay of domestic visitors from 2010-2014 increased by 3%, in the period 2015

- 2019 decreased to 1.6%, lower than the previous period of 1.4% Thus, the average length of stay of both international and domestic tourists is on a decreasing trend The above results reflect the weak status of tourism activities in Dien Bien, the ability to retain tourists in destinations is not worthy of the province's tourism potential.

Number of tourists – cultural tourists to Dien Bien

As analyzed above, the strength of tourism in Dien Bien is cultural tourism However, compared to neighboring provinces, Dien Bien tourism market is not very busy The number of tourists to Dien Bien is relatively stable and growing Most of these tourists are tourists visiting culture and history The total number of visitors to Dien Bien every year from 2014 to 2019 is ranked 4th after Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Son La and higher than 2 provinces Lao Cai and Yen Bai In 2019, the number of tourists to Dien Bien is 362,000, which is the lowest number compared to the number of visitors coming to the Northwest region, only 130,000 arrivals higher than Lai Chau province Meanwhile, the provinces in the region with the highest number of visitors are Phu Tho with 6,100,000 visitors, Son La with 1,115,000 visitors, Yen Bai with 390,000 visitors, and Lao Cai with 375,530 visitors

Table 2.2: Number of tourists to some Northwest provinces

Dien Bien 180.000 200.000 250.000 305.000 353.000 362.000 Lao Cai 409.000 279.000 373.558 499.388 527.015 375.530 Phu Tho 3.600.000 4.000.000 4.500.000 5.890.000 6.000.000 6.100.000 Lai Chau 58.500 66.000 80.500 90.000 110.000 130.000 Yen Bai 67.000 209.758 280.447 300.245 307.105 390.000 Son La 219.500 335.000 338.000 382.391 404.000 1.115.000

(Source: Northern Mountain Province Tourism Association)

Overall, the number of tourists to Dien Bien is still very low, not commensurate with the province's tourism potential Because, Dien Bien is a mountainous province with very difficult travel, the cost of a tourist trip when coming to Dien Bien is high Besides, the tourism industry in Dien Bien in general and

37 cultural tourism in Dien Bien in particular has not really developed This is an issue that is being paid special attention by provincial leaders and experts

2.1.4.1 Current status of tourists to Dien Bien

Table 2.3: Current status of tourists to Dien Bien

Total number of visitors to Dien Bien 178.000 180.000 362.000 0,27% 18,9% Guests served by local companies 150.000 96.000 210.000 -11,5% 21,6%

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The total number of guests staying through tourism businesses serving in Dien Bien had an average growth rate of decrease from 2012 to 2014 of -11.5% Specifically, in 2012 Dien Bien attracted 150,000 guests staying, in 2014 the number of guests staying reached 96,000 visitors However, in the period from 2015 to 2019, the growth rate was very high, reaching 21.6%, the number of visitors increased much compared to the previous period of 33.1% That shows that the tourism business in Dien Bien is developing quite well

As for the international tourist market, Dien Bien currently also attracts many visitors from France, the UK, the US, Japan, Laos to visit and travel in Dien Bien quite a lot because Dien Bien is a place Tourism to visit cultural and historical sites is quite famous The total number of international visitors served by tourism businesses accounts for about 75% of the total number of international visitors to Dien Bien

Through statistical analysis, tourism activities in Dien Bien have been developing The capacity of the tourism businesses in Dien Bien has also brought into

38 play the strengths of the tourism business in Dien Bien and somewhat limited the weaknesses Initially, the function was performed as a bridge for tourists to Dien Bien These tourism businesses have also taken advantage of the tourism potential in the province as a strength to attract visitors At the same time, tourism businesses also focus on exploiting both domestic and international tourist markets

2.1.4.2 Source of tourists to Dien Bien

According to the statistics above, the number of visitors to Dien Bien is increasing, but compared to other provinces in the Northwest region, it is still low Dien Bien is a province with an important strategic position, but it is a province with rugged mountainous terrain, difficult traffic and far from Hanoi capital and lowland provinces, so it is difficult for tourists to access difficult and less favorable than other provinces Although, Dien Bien has the largest Muong Thanh field in the region, has the Tay Trang border gate, has convenient air routes to Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces, has a natural landscape, cool climate, and has many typical national cultural identity, the most typical of which is the Dien Bien Phu historical victory relic which is famous throughout the five continents The survey shows that, at present, domestic cultural tourists to Dien Bien are mainly visitors from the Northern Delta region, accounting for 51% of the total number of visitors, visitors from Hanoi accounted for 27% , the North Central region accounted for 13% and other regions accounted for 9%

Chart 2.3: Source of domestic tourists to Dien Bien

For the international tourist market, Dien Bien has favorable conditions to welcome guests However, because the distance is too far from the major economic center, Hanoi, the travel of visitors to Dien Bien is also limited However, Dien Bien has an airport, and it takes tourists 50 minutes to be in the city center Dien Bien Phu, but the price is a bit high But in recent years, the National Highway 6 route has been expanded and upgraded by the Party and government, so the travel of tourists is also more convenient, it only takes about 10 hours with a ticket price of 300,000 VND to Dien Bien Through the survey, many domestic and international tourists, especially French, British, American, Japanese tourists prefer to travel to Dien Bien by road Because they think that the interesting thing about Dien Bien tourism is in the "road"

Table 2.4: Market of international tourists to Dien Bien Market Unit 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Ha NoiNorthern CentralOthers

Characteristics and trends of visitors

2.1.5.1 Characteristics of cultural tourists to Dien Bien

Road and air are the two most popular routes for tourists to come to Dien Bien The majority of domestic visitors to Dien Bien come from the Northern Delta region, so air is not their first choice because of the high cost This audience likes to travel by car to attractions and likes to arrange their own itinerary in the form of spontaneous group trips The length of stay of this guest is usually short At the same time, if they choose a 3-day 2-night program, they often choose motels or average standard hotels as a place to stay However, there are also guests who want to stay in more upscale hotels Most of these visitors come from big cities like Ho Chi Minh City Hanoi, City Hai Phong and Quang Ninh

Unlike domestic tourists, international tourists prefer to choose air and road routes to Dien Bien and participate in package tours or open tours International tourists buy tours to Dien Bien through travel agencies in Hanoi or in their own country with different accommodation requirements such as homestays or luxury hotels

Chart 2.4: Demand for accommodation of guests coming to Dien Bien

The chart above shows that the accommodation needs of domestic tourists to Dien Bien 60% are choosing 1-2 star hotels Besides, 28% of the total number of guests choose to stay in hostels to save maximum costs, 10% of tourists choose to stay in 3-4 star hotels and very few guests request to stay at homestay in the villages Culture and tourism account for 2%

About 54% of international tourists to Dien Bien prefer to choose a homestay that is both affordable and suitable for the need to learn about the community culture of the Thai ethnic group in Dien Bien About 35% of international visitors to Dien Bien also prefer to choose high-class hotels from 3 to 4 stars Usually these are tourists on tour, solo or project guests combined with tourism However, about 9% of international guests choose to stay at 2-star hotels and about 3% choose to stay in hostels

The characteristics of cultural tourists coming to Dien Lanh are admiration and admiration for a historical battlefield, besides, they also want to explore a land with many unique national cultural identities However, it is likely that the forecast of the saturation of visitors to Dien Bien will gradually fade away Dien Bien's tourist market is at risk of shrinking and losing opportunities to promote local tourism products

Homestay Guest house Hotel 1 - 2 star Hotel 3 - 4 star

Therefore, Dien Bien wants to develop tourism, must have policies to promote as well as develop a variety of cultural tourism products typical of the province to attract many tourists to Dien Bien

The trend of tourists today is to seek cultural differences in the destination rather than the enjoyment of material conditions Tourists are gradually turning to pristine, exotic and sustainable destinations This has changed the tourist habits of tourists and contributed to discovering many new tourist attractions At the same time, this has changed people's consciousness and understanding of the surrounding world and ethnic communities Cultural tourist attractions in addition to the attractiveness of landscape and architecture, it also gives visitors a better understanding of cultural traditions such as food, accommodation, travel, religion, belief, and food reality… of different regions

The trend of visitors coming to Dien Bien in 2 days is very high This is reflected in a part of domestic guests of groups that go spontaneously from provinces in the region and from Hanoi to Dien Bien after arriving in Dien Bien, visitors will check in at a hotel After that, we will go on a city tour to visit tourist attractions in the city center, ending the first day The next day, tourists go to Muong Phang to visit Dien Bien Phu campaign command area, Pa Khoang eco-tourism area, then return to Dien Bien city in the afternoon Therefore, the proportion of domestic and international visitors with a 2-night stay in Dien Bien accounts for a high proportion, international visitors accounted for 63%, and domestic guests accounted for 69% of the total number of visitors to stay in Dien Bien Percentage of guests staying 1 night in Dien Bien has the second highest rate compared to the percentage of international and domestic guests staying 1 night, mainly only participating in sightseeing at some tourist attractions in the city center Dien Bien Phu street or tourists traveling by plane will reduce travel time Therefore, the number of international visitors with a one- night stay in Dien Bien accounted for 25% and domestic tourists accounted for 23% And the percentage of visitors with 3 days of stay in Dien Bien for international visitors is 11% and domestic guests accounted for 7% For those who stay in Dien

Bien for 3 days, it is because tourists transport by car or tourists go sightseeing in other places of Dien Bien which are far from Dien Bien city And the lowest is that the number of tourists going only during the day, both domestic and international visitors, accounts for only 1% This percentage is very small because Dien Bien has an airport For this number of tourists, they mainly come back from Sapa - Lao Cai and just stop to rest and then fly back to Hanoi or business travelers go to Dien Bien to work and return back in the day

Chart 2.5: Duration of stay of guests to Dien Bien

In general, Dien Bien has a system of large historical and cultural relics divided into two main clusters: the cluster of historical relics located in the center of the city Dien Bien; the second is the cluster of Muong Phang base areas; in addition, there are very special community cultural tourist attractions Therefore, the 2-night stay in Dien Bien of international visitors accounted for 63%, domestic guests 69%, so tourists have a high time to spend on accommodation, meals and transportation However, spending on entertainment services, shopping for souvenirs is still limited because the product is still poor and lacks the characteristics of Dien Bien

Tourism business is a general business, so tourism revenue includes revenue from accommodation, food, transportation, travel, shopping and other related services

During day 1 night 2 nights 3 nights

44 Currently, revenue is only relative based on statistical reports from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien province

Table 2.5: Tourism revenue of units through periods

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The above data shows that revenue from tourism businesses from 2012 to 2014 had a strong growth Revenue in 2012 was 53 billion dong, by 2014 it reached 72 billion dong, the average growth rate was 7.8% In 2011, tourism revenue was 250 billion, but the growth rate from 2015 to 2019 increased to 44.7%

Spending structure by visitor: from 2012 to 2014, the average spending of international visitors was 15.3%, but from 2015 to 2019 it increased by 44.7% Thus, spending of international visitors tends to increase sharply Besides, the growth rate of domestic tourists also increased, in 2012 - 2014 was 4.7%, in 2015 - 2019 it was 37.1%

Spending structure by service: From 2012 to 2014, travel service had the strongest growth rate of 33.3%; followed by shopping services at 18.7%; food service reached 8.9%; accommodation services reached 8.5%; other services is 5.6%; The rest

46 is shipping 4.8% However, the growth rate by service structure from 2008 to 2011 tended to increase strongly for all indicators such as travel service increasing by 42.4%; shopping services is 46.9%; accommodation services reached 44.9%; transportation service remaining 34.5%; food service reached 38.9%; other services increased by 27.7%

The above growth rate shows that the efficiency of tourism activities in Dien Bien is increasing sharply compared to the previous period The potential to exploit tourism potential in Dien Bien is high However, in order to attract tourists and let tourists return to Dien Bien, shopping, entertainment and entertainment services must be diversified and developed In particular, it is necessary to know how to exploit the cultural and historical relics, customs and habits of ethnic minorities as strengths to stimulate tourism demand

Table 2.6: Cost of 3 days 2 nights tour to Dien Bien package for domestic guests traveling by plane in 2019

No Content Expense/Guest VAT Price/Guest

3.480.000vn d 3.630.000vn d Tour bus 150.000vnd

6 Letters and arts 50.000vnd 50.000vnd

Domestic tourists join a package program to Dien Bien by plane This audience usually has a high paying ability The average tour cost per person is 5,241,500 VND

Technical facilities of cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

Tourist business establishment

The travel companies located in Dien Bien Phu city operate mainly as an organization to welcome guests or as an intermediary for travel agencies in the city In Hanoi, there are very few tours organized outside the province for the people of Dien Bien Because Dien Bien people like to go to tourist destinations outside the province such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Hue, Hanoi But they often follow self- organized agencies or go on their own This cannot be said that the tourist attractions in Dien Bien are not attractive, but this is also a normal factor of tourists, they like to find strange places that the locality does not have Because the tourist attractions of Dien Bien have a close distance, people only go back and forth during the day in the form of a picnic without going through a travel company The travel needs of the people of Dien Bien are very limited, only a small part of them have this need; Besides, people do not have the habit of traveling through travel agencies Therefore, Dien Bien has a limited number of travel companies; there are 3 travel companies in

Under 3 million From 3 - 5 million From 5 - 7 million Above 7 million

49 which 2 international travel companies and 1 domestic travel company However, Dien Bien's travel agencies still act as intermediaries for travel agencies or sell city tours to retail customers

But the scope of activities of tourism companies in the province is still very limited, lack of initiative in finding sources of visitors to organize package tours to bring tourists back to the province At the same time, the exploitation of tourism potential in the province has not been focused and specific orientation This reflects the supply-demand relationship between local tourism units and tourism companies outside the province, between tourism resources and the number of tourists in the province

Table 2.8: Tourism businesses in Dien Bien

No 878 – Group 3 –Tan Thanh Ward – Dien Bie Phu

Group 6 – Him Lam Ward – Dien Bien Phu City- Điện

3 Phuc Lam Trade and Travel

Ward - Dien Bien Phu City- Đien

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Accommodation business

From the reality of tourism potential in Dien Bien, accommodation facilities suitable for each region have been formed Accommodation businesses in Dien Bien

50 are widely distributed in Dien Bien City In the northern midland and mountainous provinces; Dien Bien province, especially Ho Chi Minh City Dien Bien has a system of high-class hotels, second only to Lao Cai But the sleeping service is rated as quite good by tourists, meeting the needs of tourists well

Table 2.9: Accommodations in Dien Bien

No Hotel Number Room Bed

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

High-end hotels from 3 stars to 4 stars in Dien Bien have 236 rooms These hotels mostly welcome domestic and international tourists on package tours or solo travelers and conference guests combined with tourism This number of visitors to Dien Bien is relatively large Most of these hotels are attached to restaurants and other support services The 2-star hotels in Dien Bien have 174 rooms, welcome individual guests and domestic tour groups brought by companies from outside the province according to the season Room demand for this type of 2-star hotel is increasing day by day, because the average room rate is suitable for the living standards of people in the area This type of hotel is often sold out on the occasion of the great victory celebration on May 7 As for the 1-star hotel and motel with 347 rooms, this system also attracts many domestic tourists, especially those Retail customers are students and workers because of the low cost But in the high season, especially on the occasion of the 40th and 50th anniversary of the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu, the system of 1-star hotels and motels is also burnt out The remaining 49 units including

581 rooms are unclassified, these are spontaneous businesses to serve tourists in the peak seasons These are individual business households, the business premises are also the residence of the owner.

Food and beverage establishments

In Dien Bien, restaurants are often attached to hotels from 2 stars to 4 stars These restaurants, in addition to serving local parties, also serve the number of guests

52 staying in the hotel This is also the place where travel agencies in the provinces you often order meals for delegations to Dien Bien These restaurants serve professionally and on a large scale, the menu is also rich with cultural and culinary exchanges between the local ethnic groups as well as the dishes of Lao and Chinese friends Besides, the separate business restaurants are also very flexible, customers actively build the menu However, this type of restaurant mainly serves local guests and large numbers of spontaneous tourists Dien Bien has a total of 47 restaurants, with a capacity of 2261 guests, qualified to serve tourists from budget to high-class The most distributed restaurants are in Dien Bien City

Table 2.10: Restaurants in Dien Bien STT Classification of restaurants Number Seat

01 Restaurant attached to the hotel 5 520

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Transportation for tourists

- By road: Dien Bien is a province in the Northwest with rugged mountains So the road is very difficult to travel Therefore, the routes from TP Dien Bien to tourist spots and to villages are all concrete and plasticized However, in the buying season, the roads are collapsed, so traveling is also difficult Especially the city line Dien Bien to Muong Phang tourist area Vehicles for tourism in Dien Bien are many types, high quality, qualified to serve tourists, even fastidious groups Most of the travel companies in Dien Bien have a large number of tour buses, such as the Him Lam International Travel Center

The whole province currently has about 170 vehicles from 12-45 seats registered to "run contract" including transporting passengers and transporting tourists However, about 90% of this is passenger transport on fixed routes The number of tourist vehicles is very small and usually focuses on individual business

53 households and Dien Bien transport cooperatives This is also an associate partner of tourism business units to organize package tours

For international road transport, in Dien Bien, there is 1 unit that has a license to transport tourists by road from Vietnam to Laos and vice versa with the quantity of about 20 units from 16-45 seats This vehicle operates mainly to bring tourists and small businessmen from Dien Bien to Laos and vice versa Currently, this number of vehicles also provides enough for tourists' sightseeing needs

- By air: Dien Bien Phu airport is an airport in Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province, with coordinates 21°23'41'' North latitude, 103°00'10'' East longitude The IATA code for this airport is DIN

Muong Thanh Airport, also known as Dien Bien Phu Airport, belongs to Thanh Binh Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province This was originally a field airport in 1954 - a 206-year-old stronghold, a very important French logistics base and also the central airport of the Dien Bien Phu fortress group

Today, this airport has been renovated and upgraded into a civil airport of Dien Bien Phu city Dien Bien Phu airport has coordinates 21°23'50 North latitude, 103°00'28 East longitude The airport has:

Cement-concrete runway for landing and take-off, 1830 m long, 30 m wide The taxiway and apron are 7,500m2 wide with 04 aircraft parking positions The passenger terminal is 2,500m2 wide with modern equipment and technology, serving both international and domestic flights at the same time Weapon detectors…

This is the largest airport in the Northwest of Vietnam Currently, Dien Bien Phu airport operates 2 flights Hanoi - Dien Bien and Dien Bien - Hanoi, some special days can be increased to 4 flights per day and is capable of handling 4 flights per day landing a rush hour

The airport has a runway 1830 m long, 30 m wide, with a concrete surface The apron has an area of 522 m² The passenger terminal is 2400 m² wide

This is a favorable factor for tourists coming to Dien Bien as well as from Dien Bien to travel to Lao Cai, Son La or Laos more easily.

Amusement and entertainment facilities

In Dien Bien in recent years, the quantity and quality of these centers are gradually being upgraded and improved to meet the needs of the local population's life, and at the same time contribute to participating in cultural events culture, sport and tourism of the province, region and country In 2012, Dien Bien city had 1 museum, 1 cultural center, a gymnasium, 1 cinema, a convention center, 3 swimming pools, 1 stadium, 4 tennis courts meet the needs of tourists.

Additional services

In recent years, Dien Bien has built many shopping centers in the city Dien Bien Phu; commercial center at the central market of the city In Dien Bien, cultural villages organize cultural and artistic exchanges with the Thai ethnic group, nightclubs, night market streets; organizing many cultural and tourist events; Dien Bien Museum is regularly open to welcome visitors; Banking and telecommunications services are present in most tourist destinations to serve tourists

However, in general, additional services for cultural tourism activities of the province are still limited in size and quantity At the same time, the quality of these additional services is still limited and unprofessional That is also the reason for reducing the good impression of Dien Bien tourism.

Cultural tourism products of Dien Bien province

Travel to visit cultural and historical sites

The historical and cultural relics of a land are documentary footages documenting the process of formation, development and struggle to build and defend

55 the country Therefore, these relics themselves constitute cultural tourism products that are handed down from generation to generation and have contributed to enriching local tourism products

- Tourism to visit cultural and historical sites: Dien Bien has a whole complex of historical relics system Those are the evidences marking the heroic battle of our army and people

This relic complex includes land names, mountain names, river names associated with the 56-day campaign of "cutting the mountain, sleeping in the cellar, pouring rain, squeezed rice" of our army and people, making the victory "splendid in the year" Europe, shook the world" successfully ended the Vietnamese nation's long- term resistance war against the French colonialists

The complex of Dien Bien Phu Victory Monuments includes items such as Him Lam Hill, where the opening battle of the campaign took place; Hill A1 where the fierce battle took place, we and the enemy fought each other for every inch of land; Muong Thanh bridge, where our troops crossed to attack the last stronghold of the French invaders; A1 Hill Martyrs Cemetery, resting place of the children who made the historical epic; Dien Bien Phu Museum with vivid images of the old battlefield; hills D1, C1; artillery towing line; siege battlefield; The command bunker of the defeated general Do Cat All are gathered into a continuous cluster of relics like a picture evoking the scene of the miraculous people's war, both vivid and profound

The relic complex is a glorious history lesson recorded in the image of artifacts Today, referring to the historic Dien Bien Phu victory, domestic and international tourists both admire and wish to at least once visit, learn, research and revisit the old battlefield

It can be seen that the revolutionary historical relic system of Dien Bien province is an extremely valuable humanistic tourism resource for tourism development in the immediate and long term, the exploitation of Revolutionary relic tourism development not only serves tourists to visit and learn but also has the

56 meaning of educating patriotism, revolutionary tradition and personality development for generations of Vietnamese descendants

- Tourism to visit archaeological sites: This tourism product comes from relics such as ancient bronze drums in Phieng Quai village, Noong Luong commune, Archaeologists have determined that this is an ancient bronze drum belonging to the Dong Son culture, of the late type, confirming the cultural exchange from afar between the upland and lowland regions In addition, in Dien Bien, there is Tham Bang Cave, which is not only a beautiful cave, but here, local people have discovered some types of stone axes and pestles, and some fossilized animal bones International and domestic tourists learn about this tourism product out of curiosity about this mysterious westernmost land

- Travel to visit the memorial site of armed forces hero: Going to Dien Bien through Tuan Giao district to visit the statue and hometown of the hero of the armed forces Vu A Dinh in Pu Nhung commune is also a tourist product students, students preferred

Traveling to visit cultural and historical sites in Dien Bien is a popular tourist product and attracts a large number of tourists when coming to Dien Bien This product is developing strongly in the domestic tourism market and international tourists are especially French.

Traditional tourism in Thai villages

Dien Bien Thai ethnic group has a population of 186,270 people (2009), accounting for the largest proportion of about 38% of the province's population, distributed in all districts in the province and includes 2 groups: Thai Den and Thai Trang They are good at farming, skillfully weaving with brocade sheets with unique patterns Thai people are very passionate and have artistic ability This ethnic group has been possessing a rich folklore treasure with long-standing writing Thai people also have traditional dishes such as lam rice, grilled fish, bitter bamboo shoots, nam pia which have become a unique culinary feature

In 2003 Dien Bien started to put the type of community tourism into exploitation and development in 8 cultural and tourist villages of ethnic groups (see Table 2, Appendix 4) But among them, the most cultural and touristic villages of the

Thai people are 3 villages: Ten village, Men village in Dien Bien district, Him Lam 2 village in Ho Chi Minh City Dien Bien is the place with the biggest tourist attraction because these 3 villages are far from the city center Dien Bien is about 2km to 5km Here, visitors can explore the very unique customs and practices of the Thai people of Dien Bien such as: Laws related to production, Laws related to marriage and family, Laws related to Property division, Laws related to acts of disturbing social security, Laws on land ownership and use, Customary laws related to clan families, Customs around the life cycle (birth - marriage) Asking – funeral custom), Birth custom, Wedding custom, Funeral custom, Filial piety custom…

The traditional culture of Thai people in Dien Bien leaves behind a valuable treasure in many aspects, including family issues, ethical standards and customary law Those are the traditional social behavior standards that have been formed in the traditional society that have formed in the long-term development of the Thai community These contents are self-conscious and followed as a custom and a cultural way of life.

Festival travelling

Dien Bien, a festival tourism product with the nature of asking for a good harvest, it also has a great attraction to the people of the Northwest such as:

- Hoa Ban Festival: Every year, on the occasion of the 2nd lunar month, the weather starts to be sunny and warm after the spring rains, the ban flowers begin to bloom white in the mountains and forests of the Northwest, the Northwest Thai people go to the Ban Flower Festival

On the day of the flower festival, Thai boys and girls have the opportunity to meet, date, and confide in each other A Thai boy picks the most beautiful spring flowers and puts them on the hair of his beloved The shy Thai girl hid under the green buds The opening of the flower festival is not only a festival of love and happiness, but also an occasion for Thai people to pray for crops and blessings; is an opportunity to show filial piety towards grandparents and parents; It is an opportunity for boys and girls to interact with each other and get to know each other through singing and playing

- Hmong people play spinning: Hmong's hobby of spinning forges players to have health, ingenuity, quickness and good judgment Players are cheered enthusiastically by Mong girls watching outside

The Mong people have a way of calculating Tet according to a fixed time cycle, after a rotation of 12 months is to celebrate Tet Mong New Year is usually counted from the 30th day of November (lunar calendar) and about a month before the Lunar New Year, if that year is not leap Due to the practice of farming in the highlands, only one crop (both wet rice and upland rice) can be done, so the New Year celebration of the people usually lasts a whole month, usually on the first days of the calendar year, the pig house slaughters the pigs , kill chickens first to worship ancestors, pray for favorable weather, then eat and play Tet

The Mong people often have a saying: "Having wine together, eating meat together", the eating and drinking of the Mong people on New Year's Day is also simple, there are not many fancy dishes like other ethnic groups Slaughter a few-year-old raised pig, weighing a kilo, fatty meat is marinated in spices and dried and made sour meat to eat all year round; The old intestines are cleaned, stuffed with fatty meat and crushed galangal and other spices, then dried with dew (like the Kinh's sausages) to make food gradually The large terraced fields after the harvest are still bare of stubble, and the empty land in the middle of the village becomes a place to play Tet for young people and young adults Swallowing in the sound of knuckles, Khen La calls you at the "Gau Tao" festival, there are also games such as horse racing, pounding, stick pushing and spinning

According to the H'mong language, spinning the wheel is Tau lu lu The gyro is made from a very hard tree in the forest such as: oak, iron, gnat, apple tree root with a diameter of 7-10 cm, the pointed tip has the effect of turning the point of rotation; the other end is flattened, when playing is often the focus of the other spins The spinning rope called Crab is made of flax, about one meter long, and connected to a piece of Pang (stick) made of a small piece of bamboo the size of a thumb, about 40 cm long The playing field is often chosen as a large field, with a high talus on the opposite side to prevent the spinning top from falling down the mountain and ensuring no injury to players

When playing, each pair of young people use the gyroscope to play in the right- handed direction depending on whether they are left or right When there is a shout: Long train (hit away), each pair of two people go down to spin to compete, whoever has "lived" longer is entitled to continue fighting, the other person must leave the spinning dead as a fighting point for the player At a distance of about five meters, players must use their strength to hit the opponent's spin without dying to continue to the next round The game will in turn choose a winner The game will continue with the dead gyros being raised to a height of about one meter, then two meters (opposite pools have pre-dug steps), the player must hit the dead spinners with their spins If you fall down, you get a higher score

Craft village Travel

The traditional crafts in Dien Bien have contributed to creating the cultural identity of ethnic minorities, playing an important role in socio-economic life, especially in rural areas

Dien Bien is home to 18 ethnic groups with diverse cultural nuances These cultural nuances are reflected in many different aspects of life, including handicraft products crafted by the hands of ethnic people Most of the traditional products in Dien Bien province have their own characteristics of each ethnic group, such as brocade pants, shirts, and bags; bamboo and rattan tables and chairs, especially jewelry products made from silver such as silver bronze spread, buttons and butterflies, hair brooches of the Thai ethnic group Traditional silver products are made quite elaborately, have good quality, bring a lot of meaning and value to the community of some ethnic groups, are now known by a large number of friends and tourists at home and abroad interested as:

- The profession of hiring brocade weaving of Thai people (Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district)

- Forging and casting craft of the H'mong (Ho Ke village, Trung Thu commune, Tua Chua district)

- Knitting fishing nets, embroidery of Ha Nhi people (Sin Thau commune, Muong Nhe district)

- Embroidery of the Si La (Chung Chai commune, Muong Nhe district)

- Embroidery of the Khang (Phnh Sang commune, Tuan Giao district)

- Knitting of the Kho Mu (Muong Luan commune, Dien Bien Dong district)

- Fishing nets of Xinh Mun people (Chieng Sinh commune, Dien Bien Dong district)

- Embroidery, brocade weaving of the Dao people (Huoi So commune, Tua Chua district)

- The attraction of craft village tourism in Dien Bien is that tourists can see with their own eyes how people make special handicraft products such as: Piao scarf of Thai people in Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district

However, nowadays, the traditional handicraft products of the ethnic minorities in Dien Bien province still mainly serve the needs of daily life in the family In order to create a brand for traditional crafts for tourism activities, the cultural, sports and tourism sectors of Dien Bien province are making efforts to preserve and develop traditional crafts through projects , contests for composing tourism gift products.

Resort travelling

Nature gives Dien Bien not only beautiful scenery and majestic nature But also endowed this land with natural mineral water sources that are very good for health Therefore, sightseeing tourism is always combined with learning about historical and cultural relics and resorts such as:

- Hua pe Hot Mineral Resort (Thanh Luong commune, Dien Bien district)

- Uva Hot Mineral Resort (Noong Luong commune, Dien Bien district)

- Pa Khoang lake eco-tourism area (Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district)

The dang homestay tourism product in Dien Bien mostly attracts international tourists This product exploits the model of community tourism Guests come to stay at local people's houses, participate in activities such as cooking, going to the market and enjoying local rustic dishes In recent years, the organization (UNESCO) has

61 supported people to develop the tourism economy, in order to preserve the native culture and contribute to hunger eradication and poverty alleviation for local people

In particular, the resort tourism of Uva Hot Mineral Resort (Noong Luong Commune, Dien Bien District) and Pa Khoang Lake Eco-tourism Area (Muong Phang Commune, Dien Bien District) are products that attract tourists in the region , with a fresh and cool climate, beautiful nature, charming scenery, delicious food specialties of the Thai people This travel product is also very suitable for eating, curing and restoring health.

Food tourism in Dien Bien

Dien Bien has 101 tourist accommodation establishments and 47 restaurants with European-Asian specialties, but that luxury factor is not the attraction of tourists traveling far and wide to the Northwest When in Dien Bien, tourists often want to enjoy traditional ethnic and rustic dishes that are deposited by the rich flavors passed down from thousands of generations of ethnic groups, most notably Thai cuisine Culinary tourist attractions in Dien Bien such as:

- Che Can village - Muong Phang, Dien Bien district

- Him Lam 2 Village - Him Lam Ward, City Dien Bien

- Ban Ten - Dien Bien district

- Ban Men - Dien Bien district

The Thai people love the rich, nutritious flavor of grilled dishes The dish of buffalo or beef, grilled fish and chicken is sophisticatedly marinated and seasoned by Thai people The seasoning for marinating is wild pepper, also known as "mac Khen", chili, garlic, ginger, salt Before being marinated with meat, the spices are also grilled until cooked, fragrant

The most typical dish is grilled food, called "lam Nhuo": Lam is grilled, Nhum is soft All meats, poultry, and seafood can be grilled Sliced meat, marinated with spices, used skewers or fresh bamboo clamps placed on embers; or minced meat, crushed with eggs, wrapped in banana leaves, dong leaves, clamped, grilled over red coals or buried in hot ash; When cooked, the meat is very fragrant, not boring to eat Grilled fish dish is attractive by the aroma of fish, the spicy taste of chili

The dish "ping-top" is also grilled fish, but often used with big fish such as carp, drift, carp dissecting the back, draining, rubbing a layer of roasted salt; Baked fresh chili peppers, crushed, mac Khen, let the fish absorb the spices, harden the meat and then put it on embers Ripe fish has an attractive aroma, used to drink very unique wine Sticky rice is a traditional dish of the Thai people The Thai people have a very technical method of steaming sticky rice with wooden sticks Steamed sticky rice, soft, flexible but not sticky Sticky rice is stored in a pressure cooker or covered with a rice basket to keep warm and keep the rice flexible for a long time Lam rice is a specialty of the Thai people, often used on holidays, New Year or to treat guests With tours, visitors can bring sticky rice, a few pieces of lam rice to eat along the way or when resting at attractions will be very convenient In every season, Thai people treat guests with products, such as: bitter bamboo shoots, sweet bamboo shoots; spinach, coriander dotted with cross spices, rich in the spicy taste of chili, galangal, salt of roasted salt, aroma of vegetables

The cross made from the fruit of the Mac Khen tree, a wild plant belonging to the anise family, with essential oils and fragrance, has become a legend and makes a rich and indispensable spice in the meals of the people of the Northwest

It would be remiss not to mention Dien Bien wine, it has an aroma, a sweet taste like that of other regions Is it said that the higher the altitude, the better the wine; Combined with the yeast of the leaves of the forest, it creates a drink that captivates people's hearts Especially the Mong pe wine of the H'mong people (cooked from corn kernels) In addition, the Thai people have two types - distilled wine (lou xiao), wine can (luu sha)…

The culinary tourism product in Dien Bien is special because of the taste of the mountains and the special processing of the indigenous people This tourism product does not have a tour program that travel companies in other localities do not include in their tour program when coming to Dien Bien and is extremely enjoyed by tourists.

Typical cultural tourist attractions in Dien Bien

Typical cultural tourist attractions

- Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum

The Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum is located opposite the A1 Martyrs Cemetery, where the artifacts of ours and the enemy are kept during the historical Dien Bien Phu campaign

Currently, the Museum has 2 exhibition areas:

Exterior: includes 112 artifacts, which are the weapons of the Vietnamese People's Army and the French Army used in the North Vietnamese campaign

Interior: A place to store and display 274 artifacts and 202 documentary photos displayed under 4 main themes:

Summary of 8 years of resistance against the French by the Army and our people (from September 1945 to September 1953)

The plots and actions of the French colonialists, the policies of our Party in the winter-spring war of 1953 - 1954

The preparation of our army and people in the Dien Bien Phu campaign and the Dien Bien Phu campaign

Impact of Dien Bien Phu victory on domestic and international, some pictures of Dien Bien Phu city in the doi moi period

This tourist attraction attracts visitors by the artifacts displayed in the fierce battle of our army and people

The A1 Hill relic is located to the east of the center of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group This is a high point with the most important position in the system of 5 hills in the East protecting the center of Muong Thanh Here the enemy arranged a lot of troops, strong firepower, solid fortifications The attack on Doi A1 fortress was one of the fiercest battles of our army and people in the Dien Bien Phu campaign Through 39 days and nights of fierce fighting, our officers and soldiers have upheld the example of fighting, sacrificing, bravery and tenacity here, the Vietnamese army dug a tunnel to place an explosive block weighing nearly 1000kg and set it on fire at night May 6, 1954 By the morning of May 7, 1954, we had completely mastered the fortress A1, paving the way for the final general offensive against the group's headquarters to gain complete victory

This historical and cultural tourist attraction attracts many domestic and foreign tourists to visit and satisfy their curiosity about the traces of the 1,000kg explosive fruit of the Vietnamese soldiers in the past

General Do Cat's command bunker is located in the center of Dien Bien Phu basin, surrounded by barbed wire fences and dense minefields, four corners of which are 4 tanks and to the west is an artillery battleground guard The tunnel is 20m long and 8m wide, divided into four compartments, which are the working and resting rooms of the headquarters of the Dien Bien Phu fortress group

At this bunker, General De Cat welcomed many high-ranking British, French, American officials and journalists to visit Dien Bien Phu At 5:30 p.m on May 7,

1954, Comrade Ta Quoc Luat, company commander of 360 Company, 209th Regiment, 312th Battalion, raised the flag "Determined to win, determined to win" on the roof of Do Cat tunnel, ending the campaign Dien Bien Phu history

Do Cat Tunnel, this is a very attractive tourist destination for international and domestic tourists Because it is a symbol of the victory of our army and people It was declared by the French colonialists to be "inviolable", but the image of the red flag with a yellow star of Vietnam still fluttered on the roof of the Do Cat tunnel

Victory monument is located on top of the hill of D1 relic located in the center of Dien Bien Phu city The monument was inaugurated on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2012) This is a group of bronze statues of the tallest, largest and heaviest group in Vietnam ever Victory Monument - a great architectural work of art, symbolizing the spirit of the Vietnamese people's army's determination and determination to win

Considered an important place with the task of protecting the central area, the main road from Tuan Giao to Dien Bien This is the most solid resistance center in the northeast of the Dien Bien Phu fortress group, occupied by a skilled unit of the French army of the 13th legionnaire brigade Him Lam fortress was destroyed by the

Vietnamese people's army in the opening battle of Dien Bien Phu campaign (March

13, 1954) and this is also the place where the heroic sacrifice example of martyr Phan Dinh Giot is recorded fill the pearl hole

This tourist attraction attracts visitors by admiring the heroic sacrifice of martyr Phan Dinh Giot And it is like a shining example for the young Vietnamese generation of a heroic patriotism

Located in the North subdivision of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group, now in Thanh Nua commune, Dien Bien district With the task of guarding the Lai Chau - Dien Bien road to prevent our troops' attack from the North and protect Muong Thanh airfield, here the French army deployed a lot of strong firepower and battalions elite soldiers have fought in many parts of the world

But only after the first two days of the campaign Doc Lap hill was destroyed by our army behind Him Lam stronghold, marking the inevitable collapse of the entire Dien Bien Phu fortress group

On the afternoon of May 7, 1954, in the momentum of victory, the feet of the Vietnam People's Army soldiers rattled across the Muong Thanh bridge and entered the headquarters of the Dien Bien Phu fortress group Mark the complete collapse of colonialism at Dien Bien Phu Muong Thanh Bridge is a field bridge over the Nam Rom River, built by the French after the parachute occupation of Dien Bien Phu In the end, the bridge became the means to guide our troops to advance, planting the flag of

"Determination of Victory" on the roof of the tunnel of the defeated General De Castries (De Castries)

- Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Headquarters in Muong Phang

Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command is located in the primeval forest in the territory of Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district, 25 km east of Dien Bien Phu city (following the crow flies) There are still many relics of typical historical value, such as the tunnel of General Vo Nguyen Giap, the cellar of Major General Hoang Van Thai, etc

In addition to its historical and cultural value, Muong Phang forest is also one of the natural conservation areas with many rare flora and fauna of Dien Bien province Although located on the outskirts of Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command is also an indispensable tourist resource point in the complex of Dien Bien Phu Victory Monuments

The tourist spot is also an attraction for domestic and foreign tourists to visit the base, where General Vo Nguyen Giap lived and worked and his soldiers Surrounding the base area of the Red Army campaign is a primeval forest with beautiful scenery

- Hoang Cong Chat Temple - Citadel:

In 1981 and 1994, the ruins of Ban Phu citadel and Hoang Cong Chat temple were respectively ranked and recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a historical and cultural relic national level Since 1994, every year the Hoang Cong Chat Temple Festival - Ban Phu Citadel with cultural, artistic and sports activities with bold traditions, rich in folklore and indigenous colors is held every year The death day of leader Hoang Cong Chat (February 25 of the lunar calendar) to commemorate the merits of the hero Thai Binh, together with two generals Lo Ngai and Lo Khanh, Thai ethnic people are local, led The insurgents fought the Phe invaders, defended the Muong village, the Northwest mountains and forests, and secured a peaceful border area in the 18th century The festival of Hoang Cong Chat-Thanh Ban Phu Temple includes a ceremony and a festival The ceremony took place solemnly with sacred rituals being preserved such as: procession of statues, offering incense, reading memorials, paying tribute to the merits of the leader Hoang Cong Chat and calling for national unity The festival part is cultural and art programs, such as: Mass art festival; performing traditional costumes and festivals of the Thai, Mong, Kho Mu, Lu, and Lao ethnic groups ; sports imbued with national identity such as crossbow shooting, stick pushing, tug of war Tour guide competitions and culinary competitions are also held during the festival days According to history books, Ban Phu Citadel was built from

1758 to 1762, by the son of leader Hoang Cong Chat, Hoang Cong Toan The citadel

Typical cultural tourism routes

2.4.2.1 Tourist route Hanoi - TP Dien Bien – Muong Phang – Hanoi

From Hanoi City and Noi Bai Airport to Ho Chi Minh City Dien Bien Phu; then from the city From Dien Bien Phu to Muong Phang, there are tourist attractions such as: Do Cat Tunnel, A1 Hill, Victory Monument, A1 cemetery, Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, Dien Bien Phu - Muong Phang Campaign Command Area , Him Lam 2 Visitors can choose the form of homestay tourism to integrate with the life of the local people

2.4.2.2 Tourist route Hanoi - Moc Chau - Son La - Dien Bien - Sapa - Hung Temple - Hanoi

From City Hanoi and Hoa Binh along National Highway 6 to Moc Chau through Son La have the main tourist attractions such as: Pha Din Pass, to Pu Nhung commune, Tuan Giao district, the hometown of the hero of the armed forces Vu A Dinh Cluster of historical monuments of the city Dien Bien Phu has Do Cat Tunnel, A1 Hill, Muong Thanh Bridge, Victory Monument, A1 Cemetery, Dien Bien Phu

Historical Victory Museum, Citadel, etc Follow Highway 12 through Lai Chau to TX Muong Lay has Da river hydroelectric power plant Then follow QL.4D to Sa Pa and visit Hung Temple then return to Hanoi

2.4.2.3 Tourist route Hanoi - Son La - Dien Bien - Mu Cang Chai - Hanoi

From City Hanoi and Hoa Binh along National Highway 6 to Moc Chau through Son La have the main tourist attractions such as: Pha Din Pass, to Pu Nhung commune, Tuan Giao district, the hometown of the hero of the armed forces Vu A Dinh Cluster of historical monuments of the city Dien Bien Phu has Do Cat Tunnel, A1 Hill, Victory Monument, A1 cemetery, Muong Thanh Bridge, Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, and Citadel Then follow QL.12 through Tam Duong along QL.32, meet QL.37 to Mu Cang Chai and then return to Hanoi

2.4.2.4 Tourist route Hanoi - Son La - Dien Bien - Muong Phang - Mu Cang Chai - Hanoi

Hanoi and Hoa Binh along National Highway 6 to Moc Chau through Son La have the main tourist attractions such as: Pha Din Pass, to Pu Nhung commune, Tuan Giao district, the hometown of the hero of the armed forces Vu A Dinh Cluster of historical monuments of the city Dien Bien Phu has Do Cat Tunnel, A1 Hill, Victory Monument, A1 Cemetery, Muong Thanh Bridge, Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, Command Area of the Red River Delta - Muong Phang Campaign, Pa Khoang Lake, Thai Village Ancient Che Can, Citadel Then follow QL.12 through Tam Duong along QL.32, meet QL.37 to Mu Cang Chai and then return to Hanoi

2.4.2.5 Tourist route Hanoi - Lao Cai - Sa Pa - Dien Bien - Hanoi

From Hanoi to Hang Co station, take the train to Lao Cai to Sa Pa; follow

QL.4D to visit TX Muong Lay, Da river hydroelectricity with beautiful scenery Then follow Highway 12 to the city Dien Bien has cultural and historical sites such as: Do Cat Tunnel, A1 Hill, Victory Monument, A1 cemetery, Muong Thanh Bridge, Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, and Citadel Then take the plane back to Hanoi

From the current situation of the above tourist destinations, it shows that cultural tourism products in Dien Bien have not been promoted with the existing strengths

71 and potentials of cultural tourism Still poor and monotonous, some tourism business units in the province have not paid much attention to doing tours within the province Tourism activities in Dien Bien currently have not found a suitable way to utilize the source of retail customers In fact, the majority of this number are spontaneous tourists Package tours are still limited for tourists because of the distance from Ho Chi Minh City Hanoi to Dien Bien is too far or by plane, the cost is too high Therefore, the attractiveness of the product is also limited Although coming to Dien Bien, tourists can also find the difference of cultural tourism products in Dien Bien compared to other places and the quality of the tour program Therefore, Dien Bien must have a price policy to attract more tourists to Dien Bien.

Human resources in cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

Human resources for regular tourism in Dien Bien province

For many years, the tourism workforce in Dien Bien is still weak and the province has not really paid attention to training professional qualifications for tourism workers in Dien Bien, so the professional work is still weak Only in 2018 were provincial leaders, industry leaders interested in training human resources for tourism The causes are many, but the main factor leading to the shortcomings and weaknesses of tourism is the quality of human resources that has not met the development requirements Human resources are both lacking and weak, the number of trained workers still accounts for a low proportion of the total number of employees, among trained workers, the number of workers trained in tourism is still very low use foreign languages to communicate is still limited; unprofessional skills

In order to improve the quality of human resources and act as an important driving force for tourism development to be commensurate with its potential and comparative advantages, the Project on training and fostering professional skills in tourism in Dien Bien province in the period 2020-2025, orientation to 2030 with specific activities and solutions will gradually contribute to improving the quality of tourism products and services of Dien Bien province In addition, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien province has coordinated with training units inside and outside the province to open 2 short-term skill training courses with a total of 80 students as follows:

No Class’s name Year Classe s Students

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The above two courses have basically contributed to improving the knowledge of the industry's workforce However, the quality of tourism human resources in the province is still very low, the above courses have not met the current demand for the quantity and quality of tourism human resources in the province, especially in the integration period now At the same time, due to the specific nature, the tourism industry always has a huge fluctuation in labor This requires managers to pay more attention to the training of tourism human resources in order to promote tourism's strengths and promote socio-economic development of the province

The problem for solving the problem of permanent human resources in tourism business units in Dien Bien is to meet both quantity and quality However, the actual survey shows that both of these factors are still inadequate when the economic life has become more and more difficult in recent years In terms of business efficiency, businesses have been minimizing the number of employees At the same time, these businesses are tending to use trained workers so that they do not have to spend time and money on training workers The above situation leads to the shortage of workers in tourism businesses, workers have to do many jobs and have to equip themselves with qualifications and qualifications corresponding to recruitment needs

Due to the volatility of the labor force in tourism, the analysis is only relative and is based on statistics on the number of direct workers in the tourism industry of the province

Table 2.12: Direct labor in tourism in Dien Bien

Type 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Total number of employees 2.000 3.500 4.500 6.000 6.500 6.800 7000 7000

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

According to the above statistics, the total number of employees in tourism in the period from 2012 to 2019 increased gradually The number of trained workers is increasing in the total number of tourism workers in the province The untrained workforce is on a decreasing trend from 2012 to 2019 This is a positive sign for the tourism workforce in Dien Bien

Specifically, in 2019, the percentage of employees who have undergone professional training and retraining courses accounted for 1% of the total number of employees Next is the percentage of workers trained at college and intermediate levels, accounting for 3% Workers trained at higher levels such as university and post-graduate accounted for 1% Untrained workers account for a very high proportion of 95% of the total number of employees This further confirms that Dien Bien's human resources are still too weak in terms of both quality and quantity The province needs to take measures to improve the level of tourism human resources in the province to match the potential and strengths of tourism resources

Chart 2.7: Labor qualification rate in 2019

If on average 1 hotel room needs 1 direct worker and 2 indirect workers, the forecast of demand for human resources for the coming period is as follows:

Table 2.13: Pridiction the number of tourism workers from 2015 to 2030

Table 2.14 : Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism N o Leaders and departments

4 Department of Physical Education and Sports 8

Department of Business Lifestyle, culture and family 5

7 Department of organization and staff 3

Graduate, Undergraduate College Vocational Untrained

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Table 2.15: Dien Bien Tourism Promotion Information Center N o Leaders and departments

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Table 2.16: Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum

Seasonal Staffs

In Dien Bien, seasonal tourism human resources are only popular in tourism business establishments At the same time, the seasonal workforce often fluctuates

77 seasonally and according to the market In general, the state management agencies in charge of tourism rarely use this tourist object Because work in these agencies requires workers to have a certain degree and research ability of workers in the job The seasonal workforce is largely untrained However, in many cases, this staff has direct contact with customers and has a significant impact on the business performance of tourism businesses Customer satisfaction with tourism products and service providers is an important condition that determines the existence and development of tourism business units and state management agencies in tourism Therefore, although the tourism industry tries to cut regular staff and replace them with seasonal employees In fact, the level of using untrained labor in tourism in Dien Bien is increasing in 2012-2019 At the same time, this amount of labor is more common in tourism businesses such as restaurants, hotels, resorts and tourist attractions than state management units This amount of labor is used in the form of calculating wages and working days according to the agreement between the employer and the employee and does not refer to the social insurance, accident insurance and other types of insurance for the rights of workers.

Propaganda and promotion of cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

Levels of government and state management

Leaders of Dien Bien province grasp the needs of tourists as well as the potential and strengths of local cultural tourism, so they have made efforts to propagate, promote, design websites, public relations, and launch markets and introduce cultural tourism products to domestic and foreign markets through specific activities such as:

- July 2010: World Food Festival in Vung Tau

- Exhibition to attract investment in the Northwest, organized by the Northwest Steering Committee in Yen Bai in October 2010;

- The Northwest Passover Program, held in Son La in September 2011;

- Trade and tourism fair in Dien Bien Phu city (celebrating Vietnam - Laos relations);

- Northwest Color Program in Hanoi April 2012; + Vietnam-China Trade Fair held in Lao Cai;

- ITE Fair 2012 September 2012 in Ho Chi Minh City;

- Design contest for souvenirs and tourist gifts for 8 Northwestern provinces expanded, November 2012

- Exhibition to attract investment in the Northwest, organized by the Northwest Steering Committee in Tuyen Quang in March 2013;

- Vietnam International Tourism Fair VITM held in Hanoi in April 2013;

- Beautiful tourism photo contest in 8 Northwestern provinces expanded, August 2013 in Yen Bai;

- ITE Fair 2013 in Ho Chi Minh City (Expected September 2013)

Identify and organize historical, political, cultural and tourism events to become traditional tourism activities in order to propagate, promote and attract tourists to Dien Bien such as: Celebration of Dien Bien historical victory Bien Phu on May 7 every year, Ban Phu citadel festival - Hoang Cong Chat temple, Xem Ban festival ; complete introductory materials on the history, scenic spots, tourist attractions, areas, customs, and cultural practices of the ethnic groups in the province to produce publications serving the media for wide publicity and publicity tourists

Specifically, make billboards hanging on the side of the road, pictures, and signs leading to tourist areas and attractions In particular, during the festival months, the streets are decorated, banderol welcomes, flags are hung everywhere, making the landscape more beautiful and the atmosphere more bustling Besides, every year, the state management agency in charge of tourism uses the budget capital to make brochures, brochures, and print necessary publications to introduce the image of tourism in general and cultural tourism of Dien Bien in particular to tourists near and far

Over the years, the propaganda and promotion of cultural tourism in Dien Bien has undergone many changes Done, in fact, this activity only focuses on festivals, commemorating the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu on May 7, but not a regular job

At the same time, the promotion points are only old ones, not yet expanded to introduce new destination images Therefore, the effectiveness of this propaganda is

79 not high, the images of cultural tourism destinations are not eye-catching and have not made a deep impression on visitors.

Tourism business units

Propaganda is an important basis for travel businesses to sell products and bring optimal profits for their company Therefore, tourism business people are considered to be sharp people in propaganda and promotion of tourism products and destinations Companies often design websites and put information on the website to introduce and sell tours to domestic and foreign tourists; participate in exhibitions, seminars on domestic and international tourism; create souvenirs printed with local tourist images; The image of the destination is always printed in the tour program leaflets distributed to customers for reference The way to promote the local tourism image of the travel agencies is often limited and irregular, but often follows the general tourist events Therefore, these companies are still not interested in promoting the image of tourism in the province to tourists This, more or less, reduces the dynamism of the product and makes the tourism products in the province less likely to be known to many people.

Local residents

With the development of tourism, the lives of local people have also improved significantly It is this connection that is the purpose for residents to propagate and promote indigenous cultural values to tourists Residents play an important role in promoting the destination and are one of the factors determining the sustainability of the heritage However, from a professional perspective, these residents only follow emotions, do not go through school, do not have a specific plan, and the word-of-mouth method is the main thing The material they know is not an official source, so in the process of promoting it sometimes distorts the meaning, guidelines and policies of the state.

Organizing and managing cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

State management agency

According to Decree No 13/2008 of the Government, merging the Department of Physical Education and Sports, the Department of Tourism with the Department of

Culture and Information into the Department of Culture and Sports of the provinces and centrally-run cities into the Department of Culture and Sports sports and tourism Accordingly, Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism was also established on February 4, 2008 This is the state management agency for tourism in Dien Bien province This agency is under the direct leadership of the People's Committee of Dien Bien province Is the highest agency to advise the provincial government on state management of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the province

Flowchart 2.1: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there is also a local tourism management board However, not every locality with tourist attractions has a tourism management board The whole province currently has only 1 Tourism Management Board under the city Dien Bien The city's tourism management board is a non-business unit with income Professionally under the guidance of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the implementation of policies and guidelines of the industry In terms of organization, personnel are under the direct direction of the Provincial People's Committee

Dien Bien Department of Culture,

Department of physical training and sports

Department of Business Lifestyle, culture and family Organization Department

Flowchart 2.2: Organization of Dien Bien Phu Monument Management Board

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The Center for Trade, Investment, and Tourism Promotion is a unit that does not have the function of state management of tourism, but has the function of advising and assisting the People's Committee of Dien Bien province in implementing trade and tourism promotion calendar and investment Center for Trade Promotion, Tourism and Investment is a non-business unit with income and legal status Is a specialized agency directly under the People's Committee of Dien Bien province, under the direction and management of the Provincial People's Committee in terms of apparatus, payroll, organization of activities Professionally, this unit is under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism The operating expenses are partly supported from the state budget according to the approved annual plan

Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Environmental cleaning team Security Team Professional team Board of manager Representative Office

Flowchart 2.3: Dien Bien Trade - Investment and Tourism Promotion Center

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Local government

The People's Committee of the district and city is the agency that directly directs and manages tourist zones and attractions through the district and city's Information and Culture Department The Culture and Information Department is authorized by the People's Committee of the city or district to perform the state management of tourism in tourist zones and spots To be responsible for informing and inspecting the implementation of state regulations on tourism in tourist areas and attractions in the district and city Local authorities in wards and communes are close to local cultural tourism activities and are responsible for maintaining security and protecting a clean and healthy tourist environment for tourists In fact, for many years, local authorities have not made efforts in managing the business of tourism service units The management of the local government has not actively detected the wrongdoing of the business units, but only performed the task when there was a voice of tourists This often happens in touristy places such as A1 hill area, victory monument, Do Cat tunnel,

Tourism businesses

The tourism business establishments in each area in the province are responsible for reporting the advantages and disadvantages in the process of tourism business to the departments directly managing their establishments These reports are the basis for functional departments to have the right support for business units to be more efficient The management of state agencies helps to orient the business and promptly notify the legal policies to enterprises However, the lack of ability to link between enterprises and state management agencies makes the business scale of households in the area not yet strong and not professional Thereby reducing the attractiveness of products and cultural tourism destinations in the province Dien Bien currently has the main form of tourism enterprises such as:

(Source: Union Tourism Company Limited)

Impact of tourism on cultural heritages in Dien Bien province

The impact of tourism on tangible cultural heritage

- Increase visitors' understanding of heritages: if heritage is not known to people, the value of that heritage will not be promoted Tourism is the legal way to introduce

84 heritage to the public When tourism develops, there will be more and more tourists coming to visit and learn about monuments and heritages It is this that has helped heritage values be introduced widely, not only at the regional, regional or regional level but around the world

- Disseminate people about the benefits brought by heritage sites From there, educate and raise awareness of heritage protection: tourism is an integrated economic sector

As tourism grows, so does the economy of the destination People will realize that heritage is a resource that brings prosperity to their lives That benefit will help them promote the strength of the community to protect the heritage as it protects the long- term economic benefits for their family and locality

- Tourism contributes to embellishment and reinvestment in heritage sites: local economy develops, taxes from local businesses contribute more to the state's overall budget The state has funds to preserve and embellish the heritage It also means that the heritage will recreate its value by the way of tourism This is also consistent with the goal of tourism development to preserve heritage

- Tourism helps to improve the investment environment and the support of organizations and individuals: heritage is a resource that brings great economic value to the smokeless industry Therefore, where there is heritage, that place often attracts the attention of investors As tourism develops, heritage sites have more access to investment channels and support from organizations and individuals Tourism becomes an effective propaganda and promotion channel for investment, support for upgrading and preserving heritages

- Tourism helps to improve the management of heritage: When tourism develops, it requires management industries to have commensurate qualifications, otherwise it will not promote the full value of the heritage and bring no economic efficiency optimal economy The tourism market is as wasteful as any other economic market Tourism development poses an urgent problem of the level of heritage management that must be compatible with the general development of society

Besides the benefits that tourism brings to the heritage, there are also negative challenges for the management and conservation of heritage values in tourism development

- Tourism degrades the heritage: Tourism development makes the number of tourists focus more on the heritage The lack of strict management of experts in preserving the heritage is not good, and the lack of understanding in many tourists is shown by touching, touching and touching the heritage which is inevitable Community participation in the issue of exploitation and protection of heritage from human encroachment is not high Each person has a style, a way of touching will gradually erode and degrade the heritage

- Deforming heritage sites: Currently, the movement to restore relics to develop tourism is flourishing in many localities This is still not contrary to the policy of the government and the tourism development scheme of the country However, in some places, just to meet the immediate needs of tourists, the managers try to restore and embellish the relics that lack a scientific basis, do not follow a consistent plan or regulation for legacy deformation compared to the original form

- The environment of the heritage is polluted: In places with a lot of tourists, if there are no appropriate measures to handle the environment, it will lead to an overload of general sanitation The lack of cooperation on the part of local residents, tourists and managers in preserving the environment around heritage sites contributes to the serious pollution of the heritage surroundings and results in is to cause rapid damage to the heritage

- Heritage space is limited: When tourism develops, local economic benefits also develop For personal gain, people began to work hard to build structures such as houses, hotels, restaurants, offices, etc Construction works did not follow the planning and general consistency from all levels Managers, entrepreneurs and indigenous residents will easily overwhelm the heritage space This is also one of the causes leading to damage and loss of architectural values of the heritage.

SOME SOLUTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT

The bases for proposing solutions

3.1.1 Orientation and development goals of Dien Bien province

3.1.1.1 Perspectives on development of cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

- The province focuses on developing cultural tourism to become a tourist center of the Northern mountainous region Implement "Vietnam tourism development strategy to 2020 with a vision to 2030" according to Decision No 2473/QD-TTg, dated December 30, 2011 of the Prime Minister, focusing on tourism development of the province become an important economic sector in the local socio- economic development strategy

- To step up the implementation of planning and invest in infrastructure for tourism development, especially traffic infrastructure Attract economic sectors to invest heavily in various types of tourism and tourism services Tourism development must ensure security, national defense, social order and safety; ensure hygiene and ecological environment; combine exploitation with conservation and promotion of local historical and cultural values

- Develop cultural tourism in a sustainable, focused and professional manner Focus on developing key tourist routes Cluster of historical victory relics Dien Bien Phu - Muong Phang - Citadel Prioritize investment and development of tourist clusters of historical and cultural relics as a foundation to attract tourists to tourist attractions such as: Do Cat Tunnel, Doi A1, C1, D1, Museum, Muong Thanh Bridge, Command Area Dien Bien Phu campaign, Citadel of the city Dien Bien Phu and Dien Bien district according to the Government's orientation

- Determining that cultural tourism development is a long-term task and a common task of all sectors, levels and the entire population Cultural tourism development must be associated with the development of other industries At the same time, the development of cultural tourism must be closely and harmoniously linked

90 with the general socio-economic development of the neighboring provinces in the region and in the whole country

3.1.1.2 Objectives of cultural tourism development in Dien Bien province

- To build Dien Bien cultural tourism into a unique, attractive and highly competitive tourist destination in the region and the whole country Speed up development and build Dien Bien cultural tourism brand into a national key tourist area

- Dien Bien tourism strives for the average tourism GDP growth rate in the 2006-2010 period to reach 27.8%/year; the period 2011 - 2015 reached 24.4%/year and the period 2016-2020 reached 15.7%/year And strives to welcome about 220 thousand international visitors and 650,000 domestic tourists by 2020

- Calling on investors to improve the quantity and quality of accommodation facilities, dining establishments, amusement parks, supporting works and services for cultural tourism development Accelerate investment projects in tourism according to the province's socio-economic development master plan to 2020 with a vision to 2030 approved by the Prime Minister

- Develop cultural tourism on the basis of rational use of tourism resources of the province; ensure sustainable development; linking tourism development with environmental protection, preserving and promoting the values of tourism resources Combine the promotion of local cultural and historical traditions

3.1.1.3 Tourism development orientation of Dien Bien province

Vietnam's policy of renewal, opening up and integration with its accession to regional and international economic organizations has created favorable conditions for external economic relations, including tourism development including Dien Bien tourism

In order to seize new opportunities, integrate with the region, based on the assessment of the location, potential and ability to exploit the province's tourism development, Dien Bien tourism in the new period of development with orientations mainly the following:

- Speed up tourism development, build Dien Bien tourism into a historical, cultural, ecological, spiritual and resort tourism center; attractive, differentiating, prestigious and highly competitive destinations in the Northwest region and the whole country

- Promote the development of domestic tourists and attract international tourists near (ASEAN, China through land border gates):

+ Strive to 2020 Dien Bien province welcomes 870 thousand visitors, of which about 220 thousand international visitors; Total revenue from tourism activities reached about 1,500 billion VND

+ By 2025, 1.3 million visitors will be welcomed, of which international visitors will reach 300,000; Total revenue from tourism activities reached VND 2,400 billion

+ By 2030, to welcome from 1.6 million arrivals, of which international visitors will reach 350,000; Total revenue from tourism activities reached over 3,500 billion VND

+ By 2030, create jobs for over 35,000 employees, including over 10,000 direct workers

- To focus on exploiting and developing high-quality tourism products associated with the cultural characteristics of the Northwest and the great values of the Dien Bien Phu Victory to create a brand for Dien Bien tourism; diversifying with eco- tourism and border tourism products to contribute to attracting tourists and expanding markets

Cultural tourism development in Dien Bien is based on the following guidelines and policies of the State:

+ Law on Tourism No 09/2017/QH14 dated June 19, 2017

+ Law on Cultural Heritage No 28/2001/QH10 dated June 29, 2001

+ The Prime Minister has issued Decision No 201/QD-TTg approving the master plan on tourism development in Vietnam to 2020, vision to 2030

+ Dien Bien province issued Decision approving the project No 150/QD - People's Committee, dated August 31, 2008 on the master plan for tourism development of Dien Bien province to 2020

+ Project on building ethnic cultural documents for tourism development in Dien Bien province until 2015 (attached to report No 394/TTr-SVHTTDL dated June 16, 2010)

* Based on the general development trend of tourism:

+ Development trend of world and regional tourism "Approving the master plan for tourism development in the Northern Midlands and Mountains up to 2020" was approved on December 30, 2008

+ The existing cultural tourism potential of Dien Bien province

+ The above bases show that tourism has become a spearhead economic sector, making an important contribution to the total GDP of the country in general and each locality in particular Therefore, tourism development must have specific policies, solutions, orientations and development plans for each tourist region in the country Cultural tourism development in Dien Bien is also included in the overall tourism development master plan of the region and the province In Dien Bien, the development of cultural tourism is considered a positive direction to promote economic growth for the present and the future Therefore, Dien Bien tourism industry has its own development orientations and strategies suitable to the province's resource, physical and economic conditions

3.1.3 Favorable conditions for the development of cultural tourism in the province

Dien Bien is a mountainous province located in the northwest of Vietnam, with geographical coordinates determined from position 102 º10' to 103 º56 east longitude; It is bounded by Lai Chau Province to the North, Son La Province to the East and Northeast, Luang Prabang and Phong Sa Ly of Lao PDR to the West and Southwest, and Yunnan Province - China to the West

The topography of Dien Bien province has distinct features, with many types of terrain: both majestic mountains and wide fields with flying storks, the most typical and larger is the Dien Bien basin It is about 20km long, about 9km wide at its widest

Heritage conservation process

1.2.1 Summary of natural conditions of Dien Bien

Dien Bien is the name given by King Thieu Tri in 1841 with the meaning "Dien" is solid "Bien" is the border, Bien is the border is strong Previously this land was called Muong Thanh, meaning is the land of heaven, the ancestral land of the Thai people

Dien Bien is a mountainous province located in the northwest of Vietnam, with geographical coordinates determined from position 102 º10' to 103 º56 east longitude;

It is bounded by Lai Chau Province to the North, Son La Province to the East and

Northeast, Luang Prabang and Phong Sa Ly of Lao PDR to the West and Southwest, and Yunnan Province - China to the West

The topography of Dien Bien province has its own distinctive features, with many types of terrain: both majestic mountains and large fields with flying storks, the most typical and larger of all is Dien Bien's long pan, It is about 20km long, about 9km wide at its widest place In the middle of the long pan is the most fertile Muong Thanh field of the Northwest, with a width of 6.3km and a length of 13km This is the largest leaf basket of the province as well as of the Northwest region, with many famous delicious rice varieties

Dien Bien has a tropical monsoon climate with high mountains, relatively cold winters and little rain; Summer is hot, rainy with unusual characteristics, diversified, less affected by storms, and affected by hot and dry westerly winds The average annual temperature is from 21ºC to 23ºC, the average rainfall is from 1,700 to 2,500 mm, the average humidity is from 83% to 85%

Due to the large natural area, the terrain is divided, so the climate here is divided into 3 distinct sub-regions: Muong Nhe climate sub-region, Muong Lay climate sub- region and Son La plateau climate sub-region and upstream of the Ma River

1.2.2.1 History of Dien Bien land formation

Dien Bien is a land that has been inhabited and inhabited since ancient times, right from prehistoric times through archaeological evidence from the Stone Age through the presence of relics such as Tham Khuong and Than caves The hammer (in Tuan Giao) has proved that people from ancient times were present here very early, as a center of the ancient Vietnamese people

The name Dien Bien was given by Thieu Tri in 1841 from Ninh Bien province; Dien means solid, Bien means border area Dien Bien is a strong border region of the country, Phu Dien Bien (ie Dien Bien Phu) under Thieu Tri's time consisted of 3 continents: Ninh Bien (managed by the government cum li, ie the tri government cum management of the continent), Tuan Giao and Lai Chau The name Dien Bien or Dien Bien Phu appeared from there

On May 7, 1954, after nine years of long resistance war together with the army and people of the whole country, the people of Dien Bien province made the famous historic Dien Bien Phu victory that shook the world in five continents, our country ended 80 years of war five slaves under the yoke of feudal colonialism In order to strengthen solidarity among the nations and create conditions for the peoples in the Northwest to make rapid progress in all aspects, the central government decided to establish within the Democratic Republic of Vietnam an autonomous region of the ethnic group in the Northwest, called the Thai - Meo Autonomous Region Implement the policy of establishing autonomous regions of ethnic groups in areas with conditions according to the Resolution of the National Assembly, dated April 29,

1955, of the President of Vietnam Previously, according to Decree No 143-SL dated January 28, 1953 of the State President, the Northwest Region was established including the provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Son La and Lai Chau, separated from the Viet Bac Interregion

On September 26, 2003, the government issued Decree No 110/2003/ND-CP on the establishment of Dien Bien Phu city, adjusting the administrative boundaries to expand and establish wards in Dien Bien Phu city Bien Phu, Lai Chau province, based on the area of Dien Bien Phu town and the adjustment of the boundary of Dien Bien district, after being merged Dien Bien Phu city has 6,009.05 hectares of natural area and 70,639 employees border, there are 8 administrative units under wards: Muong Thanh, Tan Thanh, Him Lam, Thanh Binh, Nam Thanh, Thanh Truong, Noong Bua and Thanh Minh commune On November 26, 2003, the Xth National Assembly approved the adjustment of administrative boundaries of Lai Chau province Accordingly, Lai Chau province was divided into two provinces: New Lai Chau and Dien Bien The Party Committee and people of Dien Bien province identify this as a historic opportunity to realize the wish to eradicate poverty and build a new, richer and more beautiful Dien Bien

Dien Bien province, after being split, is a mountainous border province in the Northwest region, about 500km west of Hanoi capital It borders on new Lai Chau province to the North, Son La province to the East and Northeast, Yunnan province to the Northwest (China), and Laos to the West and Southwest

1.2.2.2 Socio-economic of Dien Bien province

As of 2012, Dien Bien province has 10 administrative units, including: TP Dien Bien Phu, Muong Lay town and 8 districts: Dien Bien, Dien Bien Dong, Muong Ang, Muong Cha, Muong Nhe, Tua Chua, Tuan Giao, and Nam Po In which the City Dien Bien Phu is the center of politics, economy, finance, culture, science and technology of the province Dien Bien has 18 ethnic minorities : Thai, Mong, Kinh, Lao, Dao, Kho Mu, Ha Nhi, Phu La, Khang, Xinh Mun, Si La, Cong in which, Thai people make up the percentage of the population The largest population is about 38%, the Mong people 35%, the Kinh people 18.4%, the Kho Mu people 3.3%, the Dao people 1.1%, the Lao people 0.9% The Khang ethnic group accounted for about 0.86%, the Ha Nhi ethnic group accounted for about 0.8%, the Xinh Mun ethnic group accounted for 0.39%, the Cong ethnic group accounted for 0.18%, the Phu La ethnic group accounted for 0.04%, and the Cong ethnic group accounted for 0.18% Si La accounted for 0.03%, San Chay ethnic group accounted for 0.03% In addition, there are other ethnic groups: Tay, Nung, Hoa interspersed with other ethnic groups in the province Dien Bien has a population of 512.3 thousand people (2011 statistics), the population density is about 54 people/km2, ranking 11th in the Northern Midlands and Mountains 8 administrative units such as Dien Bien district, City Dien Bien Phu, Tuan Giao district, Muong Lay town, Tua Chua district, Dien Bien Dong district, Muong Ang district, Muong Cha district, account for more than 70% of the province's population The total area of Dien Bien is 9562.9 km2, the area of land being used for agricultural and forestry production in Dien Bien has 623,868.7 ha, accounting for 65.38% of the province's natural area In which, the land used for agricultural production is 119,025.6 ha, accounting for 12.47% of the natural area; forestry land is 504,033.7 ha, accounting for 52.82% of the natural land area; Aquaculture surface land is 767 ha, accounting for 0.08% of the province's natural area

The province's main economy is forestry, agriculture and aquaculture, raising cattle and poultry Dien Bien has 2 border gates with Laos and China: Tay Trang international road border gate (Dien Bien district), A pa Chai national road border gate (Muong Nhe district) and many other minor border gates With the advantage of a

15 border with Laos with a length of 360km and China with a length of 38.5km, Dien Bien has great potential in economic development and tourism

- Road traffic: Dien Bien has a border of 398.5km with 2 border gates allowed to clear goods, including: Tay Trang international border gate and A Pa Chai national border gate Highway 279 and turn to Highway 6 from Dien Bien Phu city to Hanoi about 500km, this is the lifeline of economic and cultural exchange between the lowland and the northwestern mountainous provinces National Highway 12: From Dien Bien Phu city to Ma Lu Thang border gate (Lai Chau) 195 km National Highway 279: Connecting Tuan Giao through Dien Bien Phu city to Tay Trang border gate is 117 km long By air: Dien Bien Phu airport in Dien Bien Phu city serving the route Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu - Vientiane - Luang Prabang The whole province currently has 109/116 communes, wards and townships with motorways to the commune center, over 80% of communes have car roads that can go in both seasons, ensuring smooth traffic between regions in the province National highway axes through the province (national highways 279, 12 and 6) are focused on upgrading and expanding to meet grade IV standards in mountainous areas In concentrated commodity production areas, the transport network is given priority to invest in the construction of a connection system Ready to meet the requirements of mobility in strategic defense as well as management of economic, cultural and social exchanges, the province should focus on building basic border belt roads, border roads and patrol roads border inspection Currently, border belt roads such as Si Pa Phin - Muong Nhe to the border junction of Vietnam - Laos - China, Pac Ma - Muong Nhe, Dien Bien - Song Ma are in the stage of focusing investment in upgrading grade, plasticization In addition to completing the internal transport system to the lowland provinces, the province also focuses on developing outward traffic, ensuring trade to the main and auxiliary border gates in the area

In fact, for a successful economic development strategy, traffic must always be one step ahead Clearly defining that and based on the local socio-economic

16 development orientation for many years to come, Dien Bien will prioritize investment in transportation development in line with regional and national traffic planning With a total investment of over 50,000 billion VND, in which, in the period 2011 - 2015 is 8,584 billion VND and will increase gradually in the following periods Accordingly, from now to 2020, the system of national highways and provincial roads will be put into technical grade, 100% asphalt concrete mats, asphalt or cement concrete Some important routes on national highways 6, 12 and 279 such as: section Tuan Giao - Muong Lay town, Muong Cha - Dien Bien Phu city, Tuan Giao - Dien Bien Phu city and Dien Bien Phu city - Tay Trang (including the main line of Dien Bien Phu city) is in the process of being upgraded and renovated with a total length of 353.3km In which, the national highways through the upgraded area are mainly grade IV road standards, especially some sections through urban areas reach grade II As for the provincial road system, it will continue to upgrade and renovate mainly to meet the standards of grade VI and V, some sections will reach grade IV

Air traffic: Dien Bien Phu Airport in Dien Bien Phu city serves the route Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu - Vientiane - Luang Prabang

Watery traffic: Along with investment in building, upgrading and renovating the road system, waterway traffic (the strength of some districts) is also focused on building investment planning, such as: Ports and ports High Hill (Muong Lay Town) and Huoi So, Pac Ma (Tua Chua) Currently, Dien Bien is promoting conditions to open an inland waterway transport route from Quynh Nhai (Son La) to Muong Lay Town with a length of 150km, on the one hand to meet the demand for freight and passenger transport, and on the other hand to serve tourism demand in the reservoir area of Son La Hydroelectricity and Muong Lay Town

* Vocational education and training system:

Purpose of visitors to Dien Bien

The chart above shows that the cultural tourism needs of domestic and foreign tourists to Dien Bien are very different For domestic tourists, the purpose of tourism to satisfy the need to visit historical and cultural relics is very popular with tourists, accounting for 56% of the total number of domestic visitors to Dien Bien This is also

Visiting historical and cultural sites

Purpose of visitors to Dien Bien

31 understandable, because this is the historical land of illustrious heroes of five continents that shook the world Therefore, for them, each historical site has the appearance of a heroic period The historical and cultural relics are not only invaluable assets of the people of Dien Bien but also invaluable assets of humanity

Dien Bien is a land of majestic mountains with fresh air, both straight fields with flying storks, but the most extensive typical is the Dien Bien basin And it would be remiss not to mention the Da River that entered poetry, along with the forests of Ban flowers and Gao flowers blooming in spring Thai, H'mong, and Thai girls and boys are dressed in colorful costumes Somewhere, echoing the sound of flute, the sound of trumpet calling for a lover to die captivated people's hearts That is why domestic tourists come to Dien Bien to visit landscapes and relax, accounting for 20%

Vietnamese people have a tradition of drinking water, remembering its source, that's why every year there are many tourists who are veterans and relatives of martyrs' families who fell on the heroic historical land of Dien Bien this They went to Dien Bien to perform rituals of praying for the soldiers at the A1 cemetery and the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument On the other hand, Dien Bien formerly known as Muong Then (meaning Muong Troi) is the ancestor and origin of the Thai people Therefore, spiritual and religious tourists account for 19%

The remaining 5% are domestic tourists coming to Dien Bien for other purposes

For foreign visitors, the purpose of tourism to Dien Bien is to learn about the local culture through understanding historical and cultural relics more than coming to worship and worship, and this type of tourism accounts for a large proportion 64 % The purpose of tourism is to visit the scenic spots and attractions of the destination, which is the second choice of foreign tourists when coming to Dien Bien, this type of tourism accounts for 17% The demand for learning about religion and belief accounts for 11% and tourism for other purposes accounts for 8%

Although there are different research needs of domestic and foreign tourists, the common interest of visitors is still cultural tourism This shows that the demand of

32 cultural tourism in the tourism market in Dien Bien is really necessary What does it take to grasp the needs of the cultural tourism market in Dien Bien? And how responsive is the locality to visitors? Those are important things that help businesses identify target markets, mainstream products, legacy products, visitors, competitors…

At the same time, market research will help policy makers authorities and state management agencies have policies to plan and develop cultural tourism in accordance with the objectives of both economic development and promotion and preservation of local cultural values

2.1.2 Diversity of visitors to Dien Bien

Since 1994, Dien Bien celebrated the 40th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien victory on May 7, 1954, attracting a large number of tourists from near and far to visit historical sites Every year, March to April of the solar calendar is the month to prepare for the Victory Celebration of the Dien Bien Phu calendar, which is also the peak tourist season in Dien Bien, overcrowding at tourist facilities usually takes place in the middle of the year Even years are organized by the Central Government In recent years, tourists and tour operators have tried to make use of the time before and after the celebration to make travel arrangements.

Diversity of tourists to Dien Bien

Jan - Feb Mar - Apr May - Jun Jul - Aug Sept - Oct Nov - Dec

Survey results show that domestic tourists often choose the time before the great anniversary of May 7 to join the journey to the Northwest, so this month is considered the most crowded time of the year to Dien Bien accounted for 39% The time after the festival from May to June of the solar calendar, the number of visitors to Dien Bien accounts for 21%, at this stage, visitors often focus on the early days of May of the solar calendar because this is the day of the great festival From November to December of the solar calendar is the time with cool weather, many tourists come to Sapa Therefore, Dien Bien during this time also became a common destination to welcome visitors, so the number of visitors in these months also accounted for 16% From January and February of the solar calendar every year, this time is also the time of December or January of the lunar calendar, which is the time when ethnic minorities in Dien Bien province organize folk festivals such as Hoa Ban Festival, The Sam Ban Ceremony, the New Rice Ceremony attract many tourists to visit and learn, so the number of visitors also accounts for 12% From August to September of the solar calendar, tourists also decreased, accounting for only 7% The lowest is from July to August every year, tourists account for only 5% Because this month is the time when Dien Bien rains a lot, the roads are difficult to travel

From November to December of the solar calendar, it is the time of the Western New Year holiday, so the number of foreign tourists such as France, the UK, the US comes to Dien Bien the most, accounting for 33% Next is the period of January and February of the solar calendar, international visitors to Dien Bien account for 25% From September to October of the solar calendar accounts for 17%, and March and April of the calendar account for 13%, followed by May and June of the solar calendar accounting for 8%, the remaining 4% is the time of July and August calendar

2.1.3 Accommodation needs of guests coming to Dien Bien

Guest stay days play a huge role in increasing revenue for the tourism industry This is also the basis for assessing the tourism development of a locality However, at present, in Dien Bien, there is a phenomenon that tourists have little time to stay This,

34 directly reduces the occupancy of tourists and loses a large amount of profit for the tourism business and related industries

Table 2.1: Current status of guest days and average days of stay

Total number of guest days 118.000 155.000 220.500 5,5% 7,2%

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Days of guest stay: statistics show that the number of international visitors accounted for 16.6% and domestic guests accounted for 83.4% of the total number of guest days The growth rate of daily visitors in the period from 2010-2014 was 5.5%, of which domestic tourists accounted for 5% and international visitors accounted for 12.2% In the period from 2015 to 2019, the total number of days of guests staying was 7.2%, of which domestic tourists were 5.3% and international visitors were 21% The numbers show that the increase in days of stay of domestic and international tourists in Dien Bien is very large Especially, international visitors increased their stay days in the period 2015 - 2019 higher than the period 2010 - 2014 by 8.8%; The total number of days guests stay in the period 2015 - 2019 is 1.7% higher than the period 2010 - 2014 and lower than that of domestic tourists, the total days of guests staying in the period 2015 - 2019 is only 0.3 higher than the period 2010 - 2014

Average days of stay: in the period from 2010 to 2014, the average growth rate of international guests' days of stay was 3.3% However, in the period from 2015 to

2019, this growth rate decreased to 1.4%, lower than the previous period of 2.9% The average stay of domestic visitors from 2010-2014 increased by 3%, in the period 2015

- 2019 decreased to 1.6%, lower than the previous period of 1.4% Thus, the average length of stay of both international and domestic tourists is on a decreasing trend The above results reflect the weak status of tourism activities in Dien Bien, the ability to retain tourists in destinations is not worthy of the province's tourism potential

2.1.4 Number of tourists – cultural tourists to Dien Bien

As analyzed above, the strength of tourism in Dien Bien is cultural tourism However, compared to neighboring provinces, Dien Bien tourism market is not very busy The number of tourists to Dien Bien is relatively stable and growing Most of these tourists are tourists visiting culture and history The total number of visitors to Dien Bien every year from 2014 to 2019 is ranked 4th after Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Son La and higher than 2 provinces Lao Cai and Yen Bai In 2019, the number of tourists to Dien Bien is 362,000, which is the lowest number compared to the number of visitors coming to the Northwest region, only 130,000 arrivals higher than Lai Chau province Meanwhile, the provinces in the region with the highest number of visitors are Phu Tho with 6,100,000 visitors, Son La with 1,115,000 visitors, Yen Bai with 390,000 visitors, and Lao Cai with 375,530 visitors

Table 2.2: Number of tourists to some Northwest provinces

Dien Bien 180.000 200.000 250.000 305.000 353.000 362.000 Lao Cai 409.000 279.000 373.558 499.388 527.015 375.530 Phu Tho 3.600.000 4.000.000 4.500.000 5.890.000 6.000.000 6.100.000 Lai Chau 58.500 66.000 80.500 90.000 110.000 130.000 Yen Bai 67.000 209.758 280.447 300.245 307.105 390.000 Son La 219.500 335.000 338.000 382.391 404.000 1.115.000

(Source: Northern Mountain Province Tourism Association)

Overall, the number of tourists to Dien Bien is still very low, not commensurate with the province's tourism potential Because, Dien Bien is a mountainous province with very difficult travel, the cost of a tourist trip when coming to Dien Bien is high Besides, the tourism industry in Dien Bien in general and

37 cultural tourism in Dien Bien in particular has not really developed This is an issue that is being paid special attention by provincial leaders and experts

2.1.4.1 Current status of tourists to Dien Bien

Table 2.3: Current status of tourists to Dien Bien

Total number of visitors to Dien Bien 178.000 180.000 362.000 0,27% 18,9% Guests served by local companies 150.000 96.000 210.000 -11,5% 21,6%

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The total number of guests staying through tourism businesses serving in Dien Bien had an average growth rate of decrease from 2012 to 2014 of -11.5% Specifically, in 2012 Dien Bien attracted 150,000 guests staying, in 2014 the number of guests staying reached 96,000 visitors However, in the period from 2015 to 2019, the growth rate was very high, reaching 21.6%, the number of visitors increased much compared to the previous period of 33.1% That shows that the tourism business in Dien Bien is developing quite well

As for the international tourist market, Dien Bien currently also attracts many visitors from France, the UK, the US, Japan, Laos to visit and travel in Dien Bien quite a lot because Dien Bien is a place Tourism to visit cultural and historical sites is quite famous The total number of international visitors served by tourism businesses accounts for about 75% of the total number of international visitors to Dien Bien

Through statistical analysis, tourism activities in Dien Bien have been developing The capacity of the tourism businesses in Dien Bien has also brought into

38 play the strengths of the tourism business in Dien Bien and somewhat limited the weaknesses Initially, the function was performed as a bridge for tourists to Dien Bien These tourism businesses have also taken advantage of the tourism potential in the province as a strength to attract visitors At the same time, tourism businesses also focus on exploiting both domestic and international tourist markets

2.1.4.2 Source of tourists to Dien Bien

According to the statistics above, the number of visitors to Dien Bien is increasing, but compared to other provinces in the Northwest region, it is still low Dien Bien is a province with an important strategic position, but it is a province with rugged mountainous terrain, difficult traffic and far from Hanoi capital and lowland provinces, so it is difficult for tourists to access difficult and less favorable than other provinces Although, Dien Bien has the largest Muong Thanh field in the region, has the Tay Trang border gate, has convenient air routes to Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces, has a natural landscape, cool climate, and has many typical national cultural identity, the most typical of which is the Dien Bien Phu historical victory relic which is famous throughout the five continents The survey shows that, at present, domestic cultural tourists to Dien Bien are mainly visitors from the Northern Delta region, accounting for 51% of the total number of visitors, visitors from Hanoi accounted for 27% , the North Central region accounted for 13% and other regions accounted for 9%

Source of domestic tourists to Dien Bien

For the international tourist market, Dien Bien has favorable conditions to welcome guests However, because the distance is too far from the major economic center, Hanoi, the travel of visitors to Dien Bien is also limited However, Dien Bien has an airport, and it takes tourists 50 minutes to be in the city center Dien Bien Phu, but the price is a bit high But in recent years, the National Highway 6 route has been expanded and upgraded by the Party and government, so the travel of tourists is also more convenient, it only takes about 10 hours with a ticket price of 300,000 VND to Dien Bien Through the survey, many domestic and international tourists, especially French, British, American, Japanese tourists prefer to travel to Dien Bien by road Because they think that the interesting thing about Dien Bien tourism is in the "road"

Table 2.4: Market of international tourists to Dien Bien Market Unit 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Ha NoiNorthern CentralOthers

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) 2.1.5 Characteristics and trends of visitors

2.1.5.1 Characteristics of cultural tourists to Dien Bien

Road and air are the two most popular routes for tourists to come to Dien Bien The majority of domestic visitors to Dien Bien come from the Northern Delta region, so air is not their first choice because of the high cost This audience likes to travel by car to attractions and likes to arrange their own itinerary in the form of spontaneous group trips The length of stay of this guest is usually short At the same time, if they choose a 3-day 2-night program, they often choose motels or average standard hotels as a place to stay However, there are also guests who want to stay in more upscale hotels Most of these visitors come from big cities like Ho Chi Minh City Hanoi, City Hai Phong and Quang Ninh

Unlike domestic tourists, international tourists prefer to choose air and road routes to Dien Bien and participate in package tours or open tours International tourists buy tours to Dien Bien through travel agencies in Hanoi or in their own country with different accommodation requirements such as homestays or luxury hotels

Demand for accommodation of guests coming to Dien Bien

The chart above shows that the accommodation needs of domestic tourists to Dien Bien 60% are choosing 1-2 star hotels Besides, 28% of the total number of guests choose to stay in hostels to save maximum costs, 10% of tourists choose to stay in 3-4 star hotels and very few guests request to stay at homestay in the villages Culture and tourism account for 2%

About 54% of international tourists to Dien Bien prefer to choose a homestay that is both affordable and suitable for the need to learn about the community culture of the Thai ethnic group in Dien Bien About 35% of international visitors to Dien Bien also prefer to choose high-class hotels from 3 to 4 stars Usually these are tourists on tour, solo or project guests combined with tourism However, about 9% of international guests choose to stay at 2-star hotels and about 3% choose to stay in hostels

The characteristics of cultural tourists coming to Dien Lanh are admiration and admiration for a historical battlefield, besides, they also want to explore a land with many unique national cultural identities However, it is likely that the forecast of the saturation of visitors to Dien Bien will gradually fade away Dien Bien's tourist market is at risk of shrinking and losing opportunities to promote local tourism products

Homestay Guest house Hotel 1 - 2 star Hotel 3 - 4 star

Therefore, Dien Bien wants to develop tourism, must have policies to promote as well as develop a variety of cultural tourism products typical of the province to attract many tourists to Dien Bien

The trend of tourists today is to seek cultural differences in the destination rather than the enjoyment of material conditions Tourists are gradually turning to pristine, exotic and sustainable destinations This has changed the tourist habits of tourists and contributed to discovering many new tourist attractions At the same time, this has changed people's consciousness and understanding of the surrounding world and ethnic communities Cultural tourist attractions in addition to the attractiveness of landscape and architecture, it also gives visitors a better understanding of cultural traditions such as food, accommodation, travel, religion, belief, and food reality… of different regions

The trend of visitors coming to Dien Bien in 2 days is very high This is reflected in a part of domestic guests of groups that go spontaneously from provinces in the region and from Hanoi to Dien Bien after arriving in Dien Bien, visitors will check in at a hotel After that, we will go on a city tour to visit tourist attractions in the city center, ending the first day The next day, tourists go to Muong Phang to visit Dien Bien Phu campaign command area, Pa Khoang eco-tourism area, then return to Dien Bien city in the afternoon Therefore, the proportion of domestic and international visitors with a 2-night stay in Dien Bien accounts for a high proportion, international visitors accounted for 63%, and domestic guests accounted for 69% of the total number of visitors to stay in Dien Bien Percentage of guests staying 1 night in Dien Bien has the second highest rate compared to the percentage of international and domestic guests staying 1 night, mainly only participating in sightseeing at some tourist attractions in the city center Dien Bien Phu street or tourists traveling by plane will reduce travel time Therefore, the number of international visitors with a one- night stay in Dien Bien accounted for 25% and domestic tourists accounted for 23% And the percentage of visitors with 3 days of stay in Dien Bien for international visitors is 11% and domestic guests accounted for 7% For those who stay in Dien

Bien for 3 days, it is because tourists transport by car or tourists go sightseeing in other places of Dien Bien which are far from Dien Bien city And the lowest is that the number of tourists going only during the day, both domestic and international visitors, accounts for only 1% This percentage is very small because Dien Bien has an airport For this number of tourists, they mainly come back from Sapa - Lao Cai and just stop to rest and then fly back to Hanoi or business travelers go to Dien Bien to work and return back in the day.

Duration of stay of guests to Dien Bien

In general, Dien Bien has a system of large historical and cultural relics divided into two main clusters: the cluster of historical relics located in the center of the city Dien Bien; the second is the cluster of Muong Phang base areas; in addition, there are very special community cultural tourist attractions Therefore, the 2-night stay in Dien Bien of international visitors accounted for 63%, domestic guests 69%, so tourists have a high time to spend on accommodation, meals and transportation However, spending on entertainment services, shopping for souvenirs is still limited because the product is still poor and lacks the characteristics of Dien Bien

Tourism business is a general business, so tourism revenue includes revenue from accommodation, food, transportation, travel, shopping and other related services

During day 1 night 2 nights 3 nights

44 Currently, revenue is only relative based on statistical reports from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien province

Table 2.5: Tourism revenue of units through periods

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The above data shows that revenue from tourism businesses from 2012 to 2014 had a strong growth Revenue in 2012 was 53 billion dong, by 2014 it reached 72 billion dong, the average growth rate was 7.8% In 2011, tourism revenue was 250 billion, but the growth rate from 2015 to 2019 increased to 44.7%

Spending structure by visitor: from 2012 to 2014, the average spending of international visitors was 15.3%, but from 2015 to 2019 it increased by 44.7% Thus, spending of international visitors tends to increase sharply Besides, the growth rate of domestic tourists also increased, in 2012 - 2014 was 4.7%, in 2015 - 2019 it was 37.1%

Spending structure by service: From 2012 to 2014, travel service had the strongest growth rate of 33.3%; followed by shopping services at 18.7%; food service reached 8.9%; accommodation services reached 8.5%; other services is 5.6%; The rest

46 is shipping 4.8% However, the growth rate by service structure from 2008 to 2011 tended to increase strongly for all indicators such as travel service increasing by 42.4%; shopping services is 46.9%; accommodation services reached 44.9%; transportation service remaining 34.5%; food service reached 38.9%; other services increased by 27.7%

The above growth rate shows that the efficiency of tourism activities in Dien Bien is increasing sharply compared to the previous period The potential to exploit tourism potential in Dien Bien is high However, in order to attract tourists and let tourists return to Dien Bien, shopping, entertainment and entertainment services must be diversified and developed In particular, it is necessary to know how to exploit the cultural and historical relics, customs and habits of ethnic minorities as strengths to stimulate tourism demand

Table 2.6: Cost of 3 days 2 nights tour to Dien Bien package for domestic guests traveling by plane in 2019

No Content Expense/Guest VAT Price/Guest

3.480.000vn d 3.630.000vn d Tour bus 150.000vnd

6 Letters and arts 50.000vnd 50.000vnd

Domestic tourists join a package program to Dien Bien by plane This audience usually has a high paying ability The average tour cost per person is 5,241,500 VND

Therefore, domestic customers tend to take a package tour with cheaper road transport Having just experienced the road through the Northwest with many different emotions is very interesting With the package tour price, it is only nearly ẵ compared to the tour by plane

Table 2.7: Cost of 4 days 3 nights tour of domestic tourists to Dien Bien by car

No Content Expense/G uest VAT Price/Guest

Through the actual survey, the number of domestic tourists paying for travel services and consumption is less than 3,000,000 VND/pax, accounting for 3% This ratio is quite high with the number of guests spending from 3,000,000 VND to 5,000,000 VND/guest, accounting for 50% with this group of guests often choosing means of transportation by road and staying at 2-star hotels; The number of tourists willing to pay for tourism services is from 5,000,000 VND to 7,000,000 VND, accounting for a high rate with 42% of these guests also traveling by car but staying at hotels from 3 to 4 star The number of tourists consuming more than 7,000,000 VND/pax only accounts for 5% This number of guests is mainly transported by plane, so it costs a tour to Dien Bien Foreign visitors to Dien Bien are also few However, because the cost of transportation and accommodation in Dien Bien is quite high, the spending level below 3,000,000 VND/person is only 1% Guests staying for 2 nights

48 are mainly guests on package tours, guests spending at over 7,000,000 VND/guest are mainly project guests, conference guests and transported by plane.

Spending level of visitors to Dien Bien

The travel companies located in Dien Bien Phu city operate mainly as an organization to welcome guests or as an intermediary for travel agencies in the city In Hanoi, there are very few tours organized outside the province for the people of Dien Bien Because Dien Bien people like to go to tourist destinations outside the province such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Hue, Hanoi But they often follow self- organized agencies or go on their own This cannot be said that the tourist attractions in Dien Bien are not attractive, but this is also a normal factor of tourists, they like to find strange places that the locality does not have Because the tourist attractions of Dien Bien have a close distance, people only go back and forth during the day in the form of a picnic without going through a travel company The travel needs of the people of Dien Bien are very limited, only a small part of them have this need; Besides, people do not have the habit of traveling through travel agencies Therefore, Dien Bien has a limited number of travel companies; there are 3 travel companies in

Under 3 million From 3 - 5 million From 5 - 7 million Above 7 million

49 which 2 international travel companies and 1 domestic travel company However, Dien Bien's travel agencies still act as intermediaries for travel agencies or sell city tours to retail customers

But the scope of activities of tourism companies in the province is still very limited, lack of initiative in finding sources of visitors to organize package tours to bring tourists back to the province At the same time, the exploitation of tourism potential in the province has not been focused and specific orientation This reflects the supply-demand relationship between local tourism units and tourism companies outside the province, between tourism resources and the number of tourists in the province

Table 2.8: Tourism businesses in Dien Bien

No 878 – Group 3 –Tan Thanh Ward – Dien Bie Phu

Group 6 – Him Lam Ward – Dien Bien Phu City- Điện

3 Phuc Lam Trade and Travel

Ward - Dien Bien Phu City- Đien

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

From the reality of tourism potential in Dien Bien, accommodation facilities suitable for each region have been formed Accommodation businesses in Dien Bien

50 are widely distributed in Dien Bien City In the northern midland and mountainous provinces; Dien Bien province, especially Ho Chi Minh City Dien Bien has a system of high-class hotels, second only to Lao Cai But the sleeping service is rated as quite good by tourists, meeting the needs of tourists well

Table 2.9: Accommodations in Dien Bien

No Hotel Number Room Bed

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

High-end hotels from 3 stars to 4 stars in Dien Bien have 236 rooms These hotels mostly welcome domestic and international tourists on package tours or solo travelers and conference guests combined with tourism This number of visitors to Dien Bien is relatively large Most of these hotels are attached to restaurants and other support services The 2-star hotels in Dien Bien have 174 rooms, welcome individual guests and domestic tour groups brought by companies from outside the province according to the season Room demand for this type of 2-star hotel is increasing day by day, because the average room rate is suitable for the living standards of people in the area This type of hotel is often sold out on the occasion of the great victory celebration on May 7 As for the 1-star hotel and motel with 347 rooms, this system also attracts many domestic tourists, especially those Retail customers are students and workers because of the low cost But in the high season, especially on the occasion of the 40th and 50th anniversary of the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu, the system of 1-star hotels and motels is also burnt out The remaining 49 units including

581 rooms are unclassified, these are spontaneous businesses to serve tourists in the peak seasons These are individual business households, the business premises are also the residence of the owner

In Dien Bien, restaurants are often attached to hotels from 2 stars to 4 stars These restaurants, in addition to serving local parties, also serve the number of guests

52 staying in the hotel This is also the place where travel agencies in the provinces you often order meals for delegations to Dien Bien These restaurants serve professionally and on a large scale, the menu is also rich with cultural and culinary exchanges between the local ethnic groups as well as the dishes of Lao and Chinese friends Besides, the separate business restaurants are also very flexible, customers actively build the menu However, this type of restaurant mainly serves local guests and large numbers of spontaneous tourists Dien Bien has a total of 47 restaurants, with a capacity of 2261 guests, qualified to serve tourists from budget to high-class The most distributed restaurants are in Dien Bien City

Table 2.10: Restaurants in Dien Bien STT Classification of restaurants Number Seat

01 Restaurant attached to the hotel 5 520

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

- By road: Dien Bien is a province in the Northwest with rugged mountains So the road is very difficult to travel Therefore, the routes from TP Dien Bien to tourist spots and to villages are all concrete and plasticized However, in the buying season, the roads are collapsed, so traveling is also difficult Especially the city line Dien Bien to Muong Phang tourist area Vehicles for tourism in Dien Bien are many types, high quality, qualified to serve tourists, even fastidious groups Most of the travel companies in Dien Bien have a large number of tour buses, such as the Him Lam International Travel Center

The whole province currently has about 170 vehicles from 12-45 seats registered to "run contract" including transporting passengers and transporting tourists However, about 90% of this is passenger transport on fixed routes The number of tourist vehicles is very small and usually focuses on individual business

53 households and Dien Bien transport cooperatives This is also an associate partner of tourism business units to organize package tours

For international road transport, in Dien Bien, there is 1 unit that has a license to transport tourists by road from Vietnam to Laos and vice versa with the quantity of about 20 units from 16-45 seats This vehicle operates mainly to bring tourists and small businessmen from Dien Bien to Laos and vice versa Currently, this number of vehicles also provides enough for tourists' sightseeing needs

- By air: Dien Bien Phu airport is an airport in Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province, with coordinates 21°23'41'' North latitude, 103°00'10'' East longitude The IATA code for this airport is DIN

Muong Thanh Airport, also known as Dien Bien Phu Airport, belongs to Thanh Binh Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien Province This was originally a field airport in 1954 - a 206-year-old stronghold, a very important French logistics base and also the central airport of the Dien Bien Phu fortress group

Today, this airport has been renovated and upgraded into a civil airport of Dien Bien Phu city Dien Bien Phu airport has coordinates 21°23'50 North latitude, 103°00'28 East longitude The airport has:

Cement-concrete runway for landing and take-off, 1830 m long, 30 m wide The taxiway and apron are 7,500m2 wide with 04 aircraft parking positions The passenger terminal is 2,500m2 wide with modern equipment and technology, serving both international and domestic flights at the same time Weapon detectors…

This is the largest airport in the Northwest of Vietnam Currently, Dien Bien Phu airport operates 2 flights Hanoi - Dien Bien and Dien Bien - Hanoi, some special days can be increased to 4 flights per day and is capable of handling 4 flights per day landing a rush hour

The airport has a runway 1830 m long, 30 m wide, with a concrete surface The apron has an area of 522 m² The passenger terminal is 2400 m² wide

This is a favorable factor for tourists coming to Dien Bien as well as from Dien Bien to travel to Lao Cai, Son La or Laos more easily

In Dien Bien in recent years, the quantity and quality of these centers are gradually being upgraded and improved to meet the needs of the local population's life, and at the same time contribute to participating in cultural events culture, sport and tourism of the province, region and country In 2012, Dien Bien city had 1 museum, 1 cultural center, a gymnasium, 1 cinema, a convention center, 3 swimming pools, 1 stadium, 4 tennis courts meet the needs of tourists

In recent years, Dien Bien has built many shopping centers in the city Dien Bien Phu; commercial center at the central market of the city In Dien Bien, cultural villages organize cultural and artistic exchanges with the Thai ethnic group, nightclubs, night market streets; organizing many cultural and tourist events; Dien Bien Museum is regularly open to welcome visitors; Banking and telecommunications services are present in most tourist destinations to serve tourists

However, in general, additional services for cultural tourism activities of the province are still limited in size and quantity At the same time, the quality of these additional services is still limited and unprofessional That is also the reason for reducing the good impression of Dien Bien tourism

2.3 Cultural tourism products of Dien Bien province

Labor qualification rate in 2019

If on average 1 hotel room needs 1 direct worker and 2 indirect workers, the forecast of demand for human resources for the coming period is as follows:

Table 2.13: Pridiction the number of tourism workers from 2015 to 2030

Table 2.14 : Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism N o Leaders and departments

4 Department of Physical Education and Sports 8

Department of Business Lifestyle, culture and family 5

7 Department of organization and staff 3

Graduate, Undergraduate College Vocational Untrained

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Table 2.15: Dien Bien Tourism Promotion Information Center N o Leaders and departments

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Table 2.16: Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) 2.5.2 Seasonal Staffs

In Dien Bien, seasonal tourism human resources are only popular in tourism business establishments At the same time, the seasonal workforce often fluctuates

77 seasonally and according to the market In general, the state management agencies in charge of tourism rarely use this tourist object Because work in these agencies requires workers to have a certain degree and research ability of workers in the job The seasonal workforce is largely untrained However, in many cases, this staff has direct contact with customers and has a significant impact on the business performance of tourism businesses Customer satisfaction with tourism products and service providers is an important condition that determines the existence and development of tourism business units and state management agencies in tourism Therefore, although the tourism industry tries to cut regular staff and replace them with seasonal employees In fact, the level of using untrained labor in tourism in Dien Bien is increasing in 2012-2019 At the same time, this amount of labor is more common in tourism businesses such as restaurants, hotels, resorts and tourist attractions than state management units This amount of labor is used in the form of calculating wages and working days according to the agreement between the employer and the employee and does not refer to the social insurance, accident insurance and other types of insurance for the rights of workers

2.6 Propaganda and promotion of cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

2.6.1 Levels of government and state management

Leaders of Dien Bien province grasp the needs of tourists as well as the potential and strengths of local cultural tourism, so they have made efforts to propagate, promote, design websites, public relations, and launch markets and introduce cultural tourism products to domestic and foreign markets through specific activities such as:

- July 2010: World Food Festival in Vung Tau

- Exhibition to attract investment in the Northwest, organized by the Northwest Steering Committee in Yen Bai in October 2010;

- The Northwest Passover Program, held in Son La in September 2011;

- Trade and tourism fair in Dien Bien Phu city (celebrating Vietnam - Laos relations);

- Northwest Color Program in Hanoi April 2012; + Vietnam-China Trade Fair held in Lao Cai;

- ITE Fair 2012 September 2012 in Ho Chi Minh City;

- Design contest for souvenirs and tourist gifts for 8 Northwestern provinces expanded, November 2012

- Exhibition to attract investment in the Northwest, organized by the Northwest Steering Committee in Tuyen Quang in March 2013;

- Vietnam International Tourism Fair VITM held in Hanoi in April 2013;

- Beautiful tourism photo contest in 8 Northwestern provinces expanded, August 2013 in Yen Bai;

- ITE Fair 2013 in Ho Chi Minh City (Expected September 2013)

Identify and organize historical, political, cultural and tourism events to become traditional tourism activities in order to propagate, promote and attract tourists to Dien Bien such as: Celebration of Dien Bien historical victory Bien Phu on May 7 every year, Ban Phu citadel festival - Hoang Cong Chat temple, Xem Ban festival ; complete introductory materials on the history, scenic spots, tourist attractions, areas, customs, and cultural practices of the ethnic groups in the province to produce publications serving the media for wide publicity and publicity tourists

Specifically, make billboards hanging on the side of the road, pictures, and signs leading to tourist areas and attractions In particular, during the festival months, the streets are decorated, banderol welcomes, flags are hung everywhere, making the landscape more beautiful and the atmosphere more bustling Besides, every year, the state management agency in charge of tourism uses the budget capital to make brochures, brochures, and print necessary publications to introduce the image of tourism in general and cultural tourism of Dien Bien in particular to tourists near and far

Over the years, the propaganda and promotion of cultural tourism in Dien Bien has undergone many changes Done, in fact, this activity only focuses on festivals, commemorating the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu on May 7, but not a regular job

At the same time, the promotion points are only old ones, not yet expanded to introduce new destination images Therefore, the effectiveness of this propaganda is

79 not high, the images of cultural tourism destinations are not eye-catching and have not made a deep impression on visitors

Propaganda is an important basis for travel businesses to sell products and bring optimal profits for their company Therefore, tourism business people are considered to be sharp people in propaganda and promotion of tourism products and destinations Companies often design websites and put information on the website to introduce and sell tours to domestic and foreign tourists; participate in exhibitions, seminars on domestic and international tourism; create souvenirs printed with local tourist images; The image of the destination is always printed in the tour program leaflets distributed to customers for reference The way to promote the local tourism image of the travel agencies is often limited and irregular, but often follows the general tourist events Therefore, these companies are still not interested in promoting the image of tourism in the province to tourists This, more or less, reduces the dynamism of the product and makes the tourism products in the province less likely to be known to many people

With the development of tourism, the lives of local people have also improved significantly It is this connection that is the purpose for residents to propagate and promote indigenous cultural values to tourists Residents play an important role in promoting the destination and are one of the factors determining the sustainability of the heritage However, from a professional perspective, these residents only follow emotions, do not go through school, do not have a specific plan, and the word-of-mouth method is the main thing The material they know is not an official source, so in the process of promoting it sometimes distorts the meaning, guidelines and policies of the state

2.7 Organizing and managing cultural tourism in Dien Bien province

According to Decree No 13/2008 of the Government, merging the Department of Physical Education and Sports, the Department of Tourism with the Department of

Culture and Information into the Department of Culture and Sports of the provinces and centrally-run cities into the Department of Culture and Sports sports and tourism Accordingly, Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism was also established on February 4, 2008 This is the state management agency for tourism in Dien Bien province This agency is under the direct leadership of the People's Committee of Dien Bien province Is the highest agency to advise the provincial government on state management of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the province.

Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there is also a local tourism management board However, not every locality with tourist attractions has a tourism management board The whole province currently has only 1 Tourism Management Board under the city Dien Bien The city's tourism management board is a non-business unit with income Professionally under the guidance of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the implementation of policies and guidelines of the industry In terms of organization, personnel are under the direct direction of the Provincial People's Committee

Dien Bien Department of Culture,

Department of physical training and sports

Department of Business Lifestyle, culture and family Organization Department

Organization of Dien Bien Phu Monument Management Board

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The Center for Trade, Investment, and Tourism Promotion is a unit that does not have the function of state management of tourism, but has the function of advising and assisting the People's Committee of Dien Bien province in implementing trade and tourism promotion calendar and investment Center for Trade Promotion, Tourism and Investment is a non-business unit with income and legal status Is a specialized agency directly under the People's Committee of Dien Bien province, under the direction and management of the Provincial People's Committee in terms of apparatus, payroll, organization of activities Professionally, this unit is under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism The operating expenses are partly supported from the state budget according to the approved annual plan

Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Environmental cleaning team Security Team Professional team Board of manager Representative Office

Dien Bien Trade - Investment and Tourism Promotion Center

(Source: Dien Bien Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

The People's Committee of the district and city is the agency that directly directs and manages tourist zones and attractions through the district and city's Information and Culture Department The Culture and Information Department is authorized by the People's Committee of the city or district to perform the state management of tourism in tourist zones and spots To be responsible for informing and inspecting the implementation of state regulations on tourism in tourist areas and attractions in the district and city Local authorities in wards and communes are close to local cultural tourism activities and are responsible for maintaining security and protecting a clean and healthy tourist environment for tourists In fact, for many years, local authorities have not made efforts in managing the business of tourism service units The management of the local government has not actively detected the wrongdoing of the business units, but only performed the task when there was a voice of tourists This often happens in touristy places such as A1 hill area, victory monument, Do Cat tunnel,

The tourism business establishments in each area in the province are responsible for reporting the advantages and disadvantages in the process of tourism business to the departments directly managing their establishments These reports are the basis for functional departments to have the right support for business units to be more efficient The management of state agencies helps to orient the business and promptly notify the legal policies to enterprises However, the lack of ability to link between enterprises and state management agencies makes the business scale of households in the area not yet strong and not professional Thereby reducing the attractiveness of products and cultural tourism destinations in the province Dien Bien currently has the main form of tourism enterprises such as:

Limited liability company

(Source: Union Tourism Company Limited)

2.8 Impact of tourism on cultural heritages in Dien Bien province

2.8.1 The impact of tourism on tangible cultural heritage

- Increase visitors' understanding of heritages: if heritage is not known to people, the value of that heritage will not be promoted Tourism is the legal way to introduce

84 heritage to the public When tourism develops, there will be more and more tourists coming to visit and learn about monuments and heritages It is this that has helped heritage values be introduced widely, not only at the regional, regional or regional level but around the world

- Disseminate people about the benefits brought by heritage sites From there, educate and raise awareness of heritage protection: tourism is an integrated economic sector

As tourism grows, so does the economy of the destination People will realize that heritage is a resource that brings prosperity to their lives That benefit will help them promote the strength of the community to protect the heritage as it protects the long- term economic benefits for their family and locality

- Tourism contributes to embellishment and reinvestment in heritage sites: local economy develops, taxes from local businesses contribute more to the state's overall budget The state has funds to preserve and embellish the heritage It also means that the heritage will recreate its value by the way of tourism This is also consistent with the goal of tourism development to preserve heritage

- Tourism helps to improve the investment environment and the support of organizations and individuals: heritage is a resource that brings great economic value to the smokeless industry Therefore, where there is heritage, that place often attracts the attention of investors As tourism develops, heritage sites have more access to investment channels and support from organizations and individuals Tourism becomes an effective propaganda and promotion channel for investment, support for upgrading and preserving heritages

- Tourism helps to improve the management of heritage: When tourism develops, it requires management industries to have commensurate qualifications, otherwise it will not promote the full value of the heritage and bring no economic efficiency optimal economy The tourism market is as wasteful as any other economic market Tourism development poses an urgent problem of the level of heritage management that must be compatible with the general development of society

Besides the benefits that tourism brings to the heritage, there are also negative challenges for the management and conservation of heritage values in tourism development

- Tourism degrades the heritage: Tourism development makes the number of tourists focus more on the heritage The lack of strict management of experts in preserving the heritage is not good, and the lack of understanding in many tourists is shown by touching, touching and touching the heritage which is inevitable Community participation in the issue of exploitation and protection of heritage from human encroachment is not high Each person has a style, a way of touching will gradually erode and degrade the heritage

- Deforming heritage sites: Currently, the movement to restore relics to develop tourism is flourishing in many localities This is still not contrary to the policy of the government and the tourism development scheme of the country However, in some places, just to meet the immediate needs of tourists, the managers try to restore and embellish the relics that lack a scientific basis, do not follow a consistent plan or regulation for legacy deformation compared to the original form

- The environment of the heritage is polluted: In places with a lot of tourists, if there are no appropriate measures to handle the environment, it will lead to an overload of general sanitation The lack of cooperation on the part of local residents, tourists and managers in preserving the environment around heritage sites contributes to the serious pollution of the heritage surroundings and results in is to cause rapid damage to the heritage

- Heritage space is limited: When tourism develops, local economic benefits also develop For personal gain, people began to work hard to build structures such as houses, hotels, restaurants, offices, etc Construction works did not follow the planning and general consistency from all levels Managers, entrepreneurs and indigenous residents will easily overwhelm the heritage space This is also one of the causes leading to damage and loss of architectural values of the heritage

2.8.2 Impact of tourism on intangible cultural heritage

- Tourism helps promote indigenous cultural values: tourism is a bridge for visitors to the region's intangible cultural values Visitors themselves will become effective

86 propagandists, bringing these heritages to the wider community The value of heritage, if not perceived by humans, means that the heritage has no value Du Guests are those who perceive cultural values and affirm heritage values The development of tourism makes the indigenous culture bring into full play its features This brings economic benefits to tourism and also makes heritage sites more likely to survive

- Educating people to have a sense of protecting intangible cultural heritage: Tourism development will reflect the importance of heritage in the economic life as well as the spiritual life of the people Intangible cultural heritage is formed during the development of a resident community It represents people through each historical period People inherit the creative achievements that their ancestors left behind through lyrics, singing, and life experiences Therefore, from any angle, the people in the heritage area are also very proud of their locality Thus, the tangible and intangible benefits that intangible heritage values bring are confirmed From there, educate people's understanding of the values of intangible culture and help people consciously protect them

- Contributing funds to preserve heritage values: Tourism develops, employs a large number of local workers and brings a huge source of income for local residents, contributing to the state budget At the same time, helping many local economic sectors develop along with tourism That source of revenue contributes to restoring heritage values that are about to be forgotten, contributing to regenerating the vitality of the heritage, maintaining funding for the team working in the preservation and embellishment of the heritage produce

- Tourism destroys some traditional art forms: Developing tourism also means bringing civilized life to the locality Tourism helps to raise awareness in community life People who learn from the new art forms that tourism brings will have lame comparisons with traditional art From that arose the thought of "learning", racing to keep up with the general development momentum of the association, forgetting the responsibility of preserving the beautiful culture left by his father From person to person, that wave of civilization inadvertently engulfed some traditional art forms

- Root out specific characteristics of heritage: intangible heritage is very vulnerable to damage and variation This depends greatly on people's perception of the truth about the value of heritage Currently, there are many localities that also come from good thoughts in embellishing and protecting the heritage, and have spent a lot of money and effort to restore the heritage However, due to incorrect perception, the specificity of the heritage has disappeared Since then, the heritage has been radicalized and lost its inherent attractiveness

- Commercialized intangible cultural heritage: this is very noticeable at festivals

Managers and tourism businesses only want to maximize profits, so they are often led by profit In order to satisfy the selfish needs of visitors, they very easily add or subtract details inherent in the festival, taking the festival out of its real space It is the indecision of the managers and business people that makes the festivals commercialize rather than rekindle the real feelings of festivalgoers Therefore, the meaning and image of the festival is misinterpreted by commercial factors compared to the original