Thung Nai Commune Taps Its Potential to Develop Tourism

From a land blessed with poetic landscapes—where the Da River reservoir meets the distinct Muong cultural identity—Thung Nai Commune is gradually awakening its tourism potential to become an attractive destination on the regional tourism map.

Thung Nai Port – the gateway for tourists exploring the Da River reservoir.

In recent years, Thung Nai has become a familiar name in tours exploring the Hoa Binh hydropower lake area. After the merger of Thung Nai, Binh Thanh, and Bac Phong communes, the newly formed locality now spans more than 86 square kilometers with a population of around 10,600. It boasts diverse natural scenery: limestone mountains, rivers and lakes, valleys, and Muong ethnic villages interwoven throughout. Its “green mountains – blue waters” landscape combined with rich cultural heritage provides a golden opportunity for developing ecological, resort, and community-based tourism.

According to the commune’s statistics, in the third quarter of 2025 alone, Thung Nai welcomed more than 103,000 visitors, generating revenue of 25.6 billion VND. Accommodation establishments such as Moc Homestay (Xom Mo), Haloco Resort (Xom Lon), and Lang Kayak (Xom Mon) have become favored stopovers for both domestic and international tourists. OCOP products—such as black turmeric extract, banana-flower leaf liquor, and tien nien kien herbal balm—are popular with visitors, contributing to increased local income.

Alongside infrastructure development, the commune has established tourism routes connecting: Thung Nai – Hoa Binh Lake – Chua Thac Bo Temple – the Cu Chinh Lan Hero Monument. This chain of destinations combines ecological, cultural, and spiritual tourism, diversifying products while encouraging longer visitor stays. Experiential activities such as kayaking, sampling ethnic cuisine, visiting traditional weaving and bamboo craft villages, and discovering Muong culture in Xom Mo are gradually becoming the signature of the local community tourism model.

Lai Anh Long, Vice Chairman of the Thung Nai Commune People’s Committee, noted: “Right after the new commune was established, we identified tourism as our spearhead economic sector. In addition to attracting investment into eco-resort complexes, we have focused on training community tourism skills for residents, upgrading transportation, electricity and water systems, wharves, developing rest stops, and establishing local cultural markets. Our target by 2030 is to welcome around 610,000 visitors, achieve tourism revenue of 150 billion VND, and create 1,000 jobs.”

Currently, three large-scale tourism projects are underway in the commune: Binh Thanh Ecological Resort, PARAHILLS Hoa Binh Tourism Complex, and Thung Nai Peninsula Eco Resort. The commune is also collaborating with the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources to invest in preserving Muong cultural spaces in Xom Mo, with completion expected in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Discussing the commune’s tourism development direction, Lai Anh Long emphasized: “Our long-term pathway is to pursue green and sustainable tourism, closely linked with preserving Muong culture and protecting the reservoir environment. The commune has proposed that the province support investments in transportation infrastructure, electricity systems, clean water, telecommunications coverage, and the construction of specialty markets and tourist rest stops at Thung Nai Wharf; at the same time, we aim to mobilize resources from the New Rural Development Program to integrate tourism development goals.”

With clear orientations and concrete actions, Thung Nai is opening a new chapter—where tourism not only creates livelihoods for local residents but also serves as a “bridge” to preserve and spread the cultural values of the Muong people, helping this picturesque land truly shine on the tourism map of Phu Tho Province.

Huong Lan