In the atmosphere of historic August, on 18 August 2026 Tay Bac University, in coordination with the People’s Committee of Muong Chanh Commune, Son La Province, held the scientific conference “Muong Chanh Tourism: Potential, Current Situation and Solutions”.
The conference implemented Plan No. 103/KH-UBND of 30 June 2026 of the Muong Chanh Commune People’s Committee and gave concrete form to Resolution No. 07-NQ/TU of the Son La Provincial Party Executive Committee and Plan No. 49/KH-UBND of the Provincial People’s Committee on developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector. Attending were Mr. Lo Minh Hung, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Son La Provincial People’s Council; leaders of the Provincial Party Committee’s Commission for Propaganda, Education and Mass Mobilisation; leaders of the Son La Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; representatives of the Party Committee and authorities of Muong Chanh Commune; the Board of Rectors and lecturers of Tay Bac University; experts, scientists, travel companies and local people.
Photo 1: Mr. Lo Minh Hung, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Son La Provincial People’s Council, speaks at the conference
In his keynote, Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh, Party Secretary and Rector of Tay Bac University, affirmed that Muong Chanh – newly formed by merging Chieng Chung and the former Muong Chanh communes – possesses a geographical, cultural and ecological space rich in identity, with the Nam Chanh valley, Pa Hoc peak, revolutionary relics and the traditional pottery craft of Ten Hia village. However, these rich resources have not yet become a competitive advantage because of five core bottlenecks: fading heritage, a broken supply chain for tourism products, rudimentary tourism infrastructure and institutions, a workforce lacking tourism skills, and a “blind spot” in digital communication.
On this basis, Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh proposed four strategic pillars of solutions: preserving heritage in its original state while re-creating cultural spaces; building a “5 at Muong Chanh” experience ecosystem (Eat – Stay – Play – Work – Buy); establishing a “four-party” linkage mechanism – the State, the University, businesses and the community – with local people at the centre; and accelerating digital transformation and “softening” destination promotion.
Photo 2: Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh, Party Secretary and Rector of Tay Bac University, delivers the keynote
Following the keynote, the conference heard five in-depth presentations by scientists, management agencies and businesses on: preserving and promoting historical and cultural heritage (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thanh Hoa); investment promotion, travel connections and market development (Son La Centre for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion); developing signature tourism products based on local resources (Dr. Tong Thanh Binh); designing a two-day, one-night experience tour (VN Express Tour Son La Co., Ltd.); and applying digital transformation in image building and tourism communication (Ms. Dang Thi Van Chi, MA).
Photo 3: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thanh Hoa presents her paper
A highlight of the conference was the direct dialogue session, in which experts and managers frankly answered the concerns of local people, homestay owners and pottery artisans about choosing priority tourism products, preserving culture while avoiding over-commercialisation, mechanisms for local people to truly benefit, conditions for travel companies to bring visitors regularly, and a digital transformation roadmap suited to local resources.
Photo 4: Ms. Le Thi Hong Anh, Deputy Director of the Son La Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, speaks in the dialogue session
Emphasising the University’s role in the province’s development, Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh affirmed that over 66 years, the consistent mission of Tay Bac University has been “connecting with and serving the communities of the Northwest”. At the Muong Chanh conference, the University sees itself “not merely as a research institution presenting academic theories on paper” but as “a companion and constructive partner committed to accompanying the authorities and people of Muong Chanh on a long journey”, helping bring scientific knowledge into practice and promoting sustainable socio-economic development in Son La.
Affirming its long-term commitment, Tay Bac University announced three specific commitments to Muong Chanh for 2026–2031: mobilising interdisciplinary expertise from the Faculties of Social Sciences, Economics, and Agriculture and Forestry to support heritage digitisation, tourism skills training and the upgrading of OCOP products; making Muong Chanh a “real-world classroom” for students of Tourism, Culture, Information Technology and Agriculture; and acting as a bridge to resources and international projects such as JICA and domestic travel associations.
The conference closed with the delegates’ firm belief that, through the proposed solutions and the partnership between the University, the authorities and local people, Muong Chanh tourism will gradually turn its potential into sustainable livelihoods for ethnic communities, helping Muong Chanh Commune and Son La Province develop in a green, fast and sustainable way.
Some photos from the conference
