The Lạng Sơn Geopark was officially designated by UNESCO as a Global Geopark in April. Photo courtesy of Lạng Sơn Geopark

HCM CITY The northern province of Lạng Sơn showcased the potential of its newly recognised UNESCO Global Geopark at a recent tourism promotion conference in HCM City, aiming to attract investors, tour operators, and visitors with its rich natural, cultural, and historical resources.

Tourism has always been an important economic sector with strong impacts on the socio-economic development of the entire country, including Lạng Sơn.

In particular, the Lạng Sơn Geopark was designated by the UNESCO as a Global Geopark in April 2025.

This new was announced at the conference “Lạng Sơn UNESCO Global Geopark: The Flow of Life in the Sacred Land” held in HCM City last week by the Lạng Sơn Centre for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion.

According to Lưu Bá Mạc, deputy director of Lạng Sơn’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the province aims to introduce the potential of its geopark tourism to businesses, investors, and visitors both inside and outside the province, as well as to promote the beauty of its land, people, culture, and history; its tourism products and services; and outstanding destinations.

The province’s tourism sector is committed to creating opportunities for enterprises to strengthen information exchange, expand markets, and cooperate with travel companies to develop diverse tours and itineraries to attract more visitors to Lạng Sơn.

Furthermore, Lạng Sơn is one of the localities participating in a 2020-25 tourism development linkage programme between HCM City and the Northeastern provinces. Particularly in the final two years (2024-25), the programme has achieved many positive results.

Close coordination between HCM City and the eight Northeastern provinces, including Lạng Sơn, has enhanced competitiveness and built distinctive tourism brands for each locality. Lạng Sơn especially has been leveraging its rich natural resources and diverse cultural identity.

In the first nine months of 2025, the province’s tourism industry is estimated to have attracted about 3.66 million visitors, reaching 90.1 per cent of the year’s plan, up 5.6 per cent year-on-year, while revenue reached VNĐ3.18 trillion, or 73.8 per cent of the plan, up 16.3 per cent.

Bùi Thị Ngọc Hiếu, deputy director of HCM City’s Department of Tourism, said that as one of the largest tourism hubs in the country, HCM City values cooperation in tourism promotion with localities nationwide and internationally.

Regarding the Lạng Sơn UNESCO Global Geopark, the department will work to introduce its image to potential markets and develop inter-regional tour products.

Linking destinations nationwide, including Lạng Sơn, not only helps share resources but also demonstrates HCM City’s commitment to building a sustainable tourism industry in Việt Nam, aligned with global digital and green transformation trends.

Hà Văn Siêu, deputy general director of the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism, said that the Lạng Sơn UNESCO Global Geopark is Việt Nam’s fourth UNESCO global geopark, covering nearly 5,000 square kilometres with over 100 unique geological, cultural, and archaeological heritage sites.

The park is not only significant for its geology but also as a convergence point of traditional cultural values, revolutionary history, and magnificent natural landscapes, especially the rich and diverse culture of local communities.

Therefore, the province’s tourism sector needs to implement specific programmes and solutions to fully exploit the geopark’s value, bringing practical benefits to local people and visitors through tourism activities. VNS