The event was co-chaired by Trang Thi Xuan, member of the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee and Standing Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People's Committee; Ho An Phong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).

Representatives from departments, agencies, districts, Son La city, and travel firms in and outside the province attended the conference. 

Covering 206,150 hectares in Moc Chau and Van Ho districts, the Moc Chau Tourist Area serves as a gateway connecting Son La and other northwestern provinces with Hanoi and the Red River Delta; as well as the Long Sap International Border Gate with Houaphanh and Luang Prabang provinces of Laos. 

With fresh, cool climate, it is famous for resort tourism in Vietnam. In the tourism development space of the northern midland and mountainous region, the Moc Chau National Tourist Area is considered an important national tourist site for tours of the Northwest. 

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism on April 22 issued Decision No. 1077/QD-BVHTTDL recognising the Moc Chau National Tourist Area. This is an important basis for the plateau to further affirm itself as an attractive destination on the Vietnamese and international tourism maps.

In her opening remarks, Xuan stressed that Son La province wants to consult state management agencies, experts and travel firms in putting forth plans, strategies and solutions to promote the development of the tourist area, and maximising its potential, advantages, scale and stature.

Attention will be paid to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values, and protection of landscapes and the environment, towards green, sustainable development, she continued. 

At the conference, participants opined on the green, sustainable development of the Moc Chau National Tourist Area.

Addressing the conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong congratulated Son La on its achievements and the recognition of the Moc Chau National Tourist Area. 

He suggested Son La pay more heed to the planning work, invest more in infrastructure, material and technical facilities, tourism services, and roads to tourist sites and other matters, while working to complete and improve national tourist area criteria. 

Son La was also asked to launch diverse, unique and attractive tourism products, preserve and promote tangible and intangible cultural values ​​associated with tourism development, build community-based tourism sites and hamlets, preserve its typical agricultural ecosystem, and gradually turn the Moc Chau National Tourist Area into one of the key national tourist areas, creating a strong, sustainable brand for Son La and northwestern tourism.

In her concluding remarks, Xuan, on behalf of local leaders, thanked the ministry and the VNAT  for their support to the province in tourism development, and highlighted contributions by businesses inside and outside the province to the development of the provincial tourism sector in general, and the Moc Chau National Tourist Area in particular, especially in the roll-out of high quality tourism products and services, boosting linkages in tourism development, and luring more tourists with longer stay and higher spending to the site. 

Son La will consider the opinions raised at the conference, and translate them into solutions to spur the development of its Moc Chau National Tourist Area, she promised. 

On this occasion, travel firms and cooperatives in Son La, the Hanoi UNESCO Travel Club, VietTravel and others signed commitments to fostering tourism cooperation, establishing an alliance to sell tourism products, and improving the effectiveness of activities promoting tourism products and services in accordance with local orientations./.