Decision No. 1845/QD-TTg dated September 26, 2016 of the Prime Minister giving approval to the master plan for development of Sa Pa national tourist resort in Lao Cai province through 2030

THE PRIME MINISTER 

Decision No.1845/QD-TTgdated September 26, 2016 of the Prime Minister giving approval to the master plan for development of Sa Pa nationaltourist resortin Lao Cai province through 2030

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated June 19, 2015;

Pursuant to the Law on Tourismdated June 14, 2005;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No.92/2006/ND-CPdated September07, 2006 and the Government’s Decree No.04/2008/ND-CPdated January11, 2008 providing for amendments to the Government’s Decree No.92/2006/ND-CPdated September07, 2006 on establishment, approval and management of the master plan for social and economic development;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 92/2007/ND-CP datedJune 01, 2007and the Government’s Decree No. 180/2013/ND-CP datedNovember 14, 2013providing for amendments to the Government’s Decree No. 92/2007/ND-CP datedJune 01, 2007 elaborating the implementation of a number of articles of theto the Law on Tourism;

Pursuant toDecision No.201/QD-TTgdated January 22, 2013 by Prime Minister giving approval to the master plan for development of Vietnam’s tourism by 2020 and the orientation towards 2030;

In consideration of the request ofMinisterof Culture, Sports and Tourism,

DECIDES:

Article 1.The master plan for development of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort in Lao Cai Province (hereinafter referred to as Sa Pa National Tourist Resort) by 2030 is approved hereto with the following main contents:

1.Location and scale of the tourist resort

a) Sa Pa National Tourist Resort covers the entire area of Sa Pa District, Lao Cai Province. The core region of the national tourist resort to be developed shall be 1,500 hectares.

b) A Sa Pa tourism city and four tourism subdivisions shall be developed, including: Ban Khoang – Ta Giang Phinh (in Ban Khoang Commune and Ta Giang Phinh Commune); Ta Phin (in Ta Phin Commune); Ta Van – Seo My Ty (in Ta Van Commune) and Thanh Kim (in Thanh Kim Commune), with the connection to Bat Xat District.

2.Viewpoint

a) Develop the tourist resort in association with the preservation and promotion of cultural identities ofethnic minorities; make the best use of natural conditions (such as climate and landscapes); ensure national defense and security, and cope with climate change; prevent natural disasters and protect environment.

b) Attach a special importance to the development of natural landscapes and diversified and special cultural identities ofethnic minoritiesto develop the tourist resort in a sustainable and professional manner with clear main points; improve quality of provided services and establish tourist trademark for Sa Pa.

c) Enhance private sector involvement and mobilization of resources to develop Sa Pa National Tourist Resort; attach a special importance to the cooperation with othertourist resorts to establish uninterrupted tourist routes and diversify tourist products.

3.Development objectives

a) Generalobjectives

Sa Pa Tourist Resort is expected to meet criteria of a National Tourist Resort by 2020. Before 2030, Sa Pa National Tourist Resort shall become a national and international recreation and cultural tourist center with a synchronous and modern technical facility system, and high-quality, special and diverse tourist products which have brand names and strong competitiveness in regional and international markets.

b) Specific objectives

-Target of tourists: The target in 2020 is expected to reach about 2,000,000 tourist arrivals which includes about 330,000 international tourist arrivals.The target in 2030 is expected to reach about 5,200,000 tourist arrivals which includes about 1,400,000international tourist arrivals.

-Total revenue from tourists (at current prices):Total revenue from tourists shall be more than 2,600 billionVND by2020.It is expected to reach more than 11,000 billionVND by2030.

-Employment target:Provide jobs toabout 5,600 workers, including 3,700 direct workers, by 2020. Itis expected to provide jobs to more than 13,000 workers, including more than 9,000 direct workers, by 2030.

4.Principal development orientations

a) Development of tourist market

-International tourists: Keep and promote traditional tourist markets, including tourists come from the Europe (France, German, UK, and Spain), North America (USA and Canada), Australia and China. Attract and develop neighboring tourist markets such as Northeast Asia (Japan and Korea); ASEAN (Northern Thailand and Laos). Gradually access and develop markets of in-transit international tourists and tourists joining tourist programs from provinces in the Northern Thailand, Northern Laos and Southwest China. Attach a special importance to the development of market segments of tourists of community-based tourism, ecotourism, sports tourism and cultural tourism categories.

-Domestic tourists: Give priority to the development of markets of targeted tourists who come from Hanoi, urban areas of theRed River Deltaand the North East Coast, and provinces in Northern Midlands and Mountains; expand markets from major tourist distribution centers such as Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang City and Can Tho City. Focus on market segments of tourists of weekend tours, cultural tourism, ecotourism, recreational and medical tourism categories

b) Development of touristproducts

-Main tourism products:

+ Typical tourism products: Develop typical tourism products with the aim of enabling visitors to enjoy the climate, natural landscapes and cultures of native people by joining tourism programs such as “Sa Pa – the homeland of attractive trekking programs” and “Sa Pa – the territory of adventures and traditional cultures”; "Conquest of mountain hits” tourism product in association with Fansipan mountain – the roof of Indochina (in Sa Pa District), Ky Quan San and Nhiu Cu San mountains – the paradise for catching clouds for the youth (in Bat Xat District); recreation tours for watching snow in the winter.

+ Sightseeing: Visit and enjoy the view of Sa Pa tourism city and othertourist attractions such as Thac Bac (The Silver Waterfall), Ham Rong Mountain, Cong Troi (the Heaven Gate), Thac Tinh Yeu (Love Waterfall), Sapa Ancient Rock Field, Sa Pa Market, May Bridge (in Sa Pa District); Thien Sinh bridge, Lung Po flag pole, Muong Vi cave (in Bat Xat district).

+ Combination of ecotourism and recreation: Enjoy seasonal natural landscapes (terraced paddy fields, cherry-blossom season, Azaleas flower, harvesting peaches, plums, pears, etc.); visit and experience agricultural production processes at clean vegetable farms, flower farms,coldwater fishfarms; make recreation tours and use herbal healthcare services provided by native people.

-Auxiliary tourismproducts:

+ Combining the spiritual tourism with the system of temples and pagodas within the Fansipan recreation, relaxation and cable car complex; developing regional spiritual tourist attractions; step by step connecting with monuments in vicinities such as Bao Ha Temple (in Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province) and Dong Cuong Temple (in Van Yen District, Yen Bai Province).

+ Combining tours with traditional cultural festivals or events such as seasonal festivals (including “Le hoi tren may”, flower festivals and four seasons’ festivals) and interesting natural phenomena (such as watching freezing rain and snow, etc.).

+ Developing commercial tourism associated with visiting and shopping at trade centers and traditional markets; combining tourism with commercial activities in border regions for the purposes of promoting the consumption of typical agricultural products of Lao Cai Province such as brocade products, coldwater fishes, bamboo sprouts, shiitakes, seasonal vegetables and fruits, etc.

+ Combination of ecotourism and environmental education: Visit Hoang Lien National Park, Bat XatWildlife Sanctuary.

+ Adventure sports tourism: Mountaineering, paragliding, mountain biking, etc.

+ Developing tourism products associated with Lao Cai golf course in Ban Qua Commune, Bat Xat District.

c) Organization of tourism development space

-Principle for organizing development space of the tourist resort: establish the connection between divisions/subdivisions and tourist attractions in order to create architectural space and landscapes in harmony with the nature; limit the transformation of agricultural and forest land area and residential relocation; minimize adverse impact on landscape, environment, life and production of native people; take advantage of natural resources in arranging space for tourism development; ensure the harmony of tourism development space and existing hydropower plant projects in the region.

-Focus on the development of the core region of the tourist resort and main subdivisions:

+ Sa Pa Tourist City is the center of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort: Recreation and relaxation tourism, events, sightseeing, services, accommodation services shall be developed;

+ Ban Khoang – Ta Giang Phinh tourist subdivision (in Bang Khoang and Ta Giang Phinh Communes, Sa Pa District): Community-based tourism and agricultural ecotourism shall be developed;

+ Ta Phin tourist subdivision (in Ta Phin Commune, Sa Pa District):Recreation, convalescence and healthcare tourism, community-based tourism and tourism in conjunction with agricultural ecosystemsshall be developed;

+ TaVan – Seo My Tytourist subdivision (in TaVanCommune, Sa Pa District): Recreation tourism, community-based tourism and tourism in conjunction with agricultural ecosystems shall be developed;

+ Thanh Kim tourist subdivision (Thanh Kim Commune, Sa Pa District): shall be invested to become a center for receiving tourists from the South (to be connected with Lao Cai airport and Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway); recreation and community-based tourism types shall be mainly developed.

-Orientation for developing new tourist subdivisions in Bat Xat District for the purposes of relieving the burden of tourist arrivals for Sa Pa National Tourist Resort and promoting tourism potential of vicinities:

+Muong Hum tourism center(inMuong HumCommune,Bat XatDistrict):Accommodation services, community-based tourism and tourism in conjunction with agricultural ecosystems shall be developed;

+YTy tourist subdivision (inY TyCommune, Bat XatDistrict): Community-based tourism,tourism in conjunction with agricultural ecosystems, and ecotourism at Bat Xatwildlife sanctuary shall be developed;

+ Ban Qua tourist subdivision (in Ban Qua Commune, Bat XatDistrict):Luxury entertainment and sports tourism products, recreation tourism associated with Lao Cai golf course shall be developed;

-Development of tourist attractions: Develop ecotourism and adventure tourism in association with environmental education at Hoang Lien National Park (Sa Pa District), Bat Xatwildlife sanctuary(Bat Xat District); community-based tourist attractions at villages of ethnic minorities such as Cat Cat, Lao Chai, Den village, Nam Cang and Sai village (Sa Pa District); Lung Po II, Xeo village, Sang Ma Sao and Den Sang (Bat Xat District); sightseeing sites: Muong Hoa Valley; Sapa Ancient Rock Field, Silver Waterfall, Love Waterfall and Ta Phin Cave (Sa Pa District); Thien Sinh bridge, Lung Po flag pole, Muong Vi cave (in Bat Xat district).

d) Development of primary tourist routes

-International tourist route:

+ The tourist route connecting Sa Pa National Tourist Resort to Shilin (Kunming, China), Dali, Lijiang (Yunnan, China) through Ha Khau international border gate (Lao Cai).

+ Caravan tour routes connecting Sa Pa National Tourist Resort to Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Luang Prabang (Laos, through Tay Trang International Border Gate, Dien Bien), Vientiane (Laos) and Chiang Mai (Thailand).

-Interprovincial tourist routes: Connect Sa Pa National Tourist Resort to Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Ha Giang, Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen according to highways 4D, 37, 279 and highway 2.

-Tourist routes within the province: Connect Sa Pa National Tourist Resort to Lao Cai City, Bac Ha, Muong Khuong, Bao Thang, Si Ma Cai and Bat Xat districts.

-Tourist routes within Sa Pa National Tourist Resort:

+ Sightseeing routes: Sightseeing routes within Sa Pa tourist city and routes connecting Sa Pa tourist city to other tourist subdivisions within Sa Pa National Tourist Resort;

+ Trekking tourist routes: From Sa Pa tourist city to villages of ethnic minorities, including Cat Cat, Sin Chai, Ta Phin, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Ban Ho, Nam Sai, Sa Pa, Hau Thao, Su Phan, etc.;

+ Thematic routes:Mountaineeringroutes, conquest of Fansipan mountain (in Sa Pa district).

-Expansion of tourist routes connected to Bat Xat District:

+ Trekking routes connected to villages of ethnic minorities, including Ban Xeo, Muong Hum, Sang Ma Sao, Den Sang, Y Ty, A Mu Sung, A Lu, Trinh Tuong, etc.;

+ Thematic routes:Routes for conquering Ky Quan San – Bach Moc Luong Tu mountains(inBat Xatdistrict);

+ Mountain bike racing routes: Connect Lao Cai City to Bat Xat and Sa Pa.

dd) Orientation for developing tourism infrastructure

-Accommodation: Total accommodation rooms by 2020 shall be 6,000 rooms. The number of rooms is expected to reach 15,000 rooms by 2030, including 3,000 hotel rooms ranked from three stars or more.

+ The development of homestay is encouraged at qualified villages or communities, including Cat Cat, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Ta Phin, Seo My Ty, Den village, Nam Cang, Nam Sai, Ban Khoang (Sa Pa District); Lung Po II, Lao Chai, Xeo village, Muong Hum, Sang Ma Sao, Den Sang (Bat Xat district);

+ Luxury hotels, villas and resorts are developed in Sa Pa tourist city and tourist subdivisions: Ban Qua (Bat Xat District), Ta Van - Seo My Ty, Thanh Kim (Sa Pa District); recreation and relaxation areas in association with healthcare services at Sa Pa tourist city and Ta Phin tourist subdivision (Sa Pa District).

-Amusement parks: The development of luxury amusement parks in Sa Pa tourist city, training and rehabilitation center for athletes at Sau Chua (Sa Pa Commune, Sa Pa District), Lao Cai golf course (Ban Qua Commune, Bat Xat District) is given priority.

-Trading and service establishments: Supermarkets, traditional markets in Sa Pa tourist city, Muong Hum tourist center (Bat Xat District), Ta Phin tourist subdivision (Sa Pa District) shall be developed. Qualified souvenir stores shall be gradually established to serve tourists at tourist subdivisions and tourist attractions.

-Food and beverage service establishments: Restaurants, food streets and markets in Sa Pa Tourist City; outdoor restaurants in the following tourist subdivisions: Thanh Kim, Ta Phin, Ban Khoang – Ta Giang Phinh, Ta Van – Seo My Ty (Sa Pa District) and Muong Hum tourist center (Bat Xat District) shall be developed.

-Public cultural centers in community-based tourist attractions, health facilities and public toilets which meet standards at community-based tourist centers, subdivisions and attractions shall be developed.

5.Investment orientation

All resources shall be mobilized to invest in and develop Sa Pa National Tourist Resort, including funding from state budget, tourist development funds, ODA, FDI, contributions from organizations, enterprises and domestic economic sectors, and other legitimate sources of funding. In which the investment in functional zones according to the plan shall be given priority to develop tourism infrastructures system.

Based on annual balance, funding from state budget shall firstly be allocated to invest in and develop infrastructure system. The promotion and establishment of brand names of the national tourist resort, human resource development, preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values in Sa Pa National Tourist Resort and protection of tourism resources shall be also partially funded from state budget.

6. Planning implementationsolutions

a) Solutions for the plan and management of the plan

-Announce and develop plans and investment projects in Sa Pa National Tourist Resort on the basis of revising and/or adjusting investment projects of which application for business registration has been completed or is carried out; revise and adjust the master plan, and prepare detailed plans for subdivisions and component projects in the National Tourist Resort; formulate regulations for management and supervision of the implementation of the plan for Sa Pa National Tourist Resort.

-Establish the Management Authority of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort that is functioned to manage construction, investment, development and operation of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort according to the approved plan.

-Carry out an inspection for every two years for timely dealing with difficulties that arise during the plan implementation and increasing efficiency of the plan.

b) Policies

Formulate and submit specific policies to competent authorities for approval in order to apply them to Sa Pa National Tourist Resort, consisting of:

-Give permission to entities to contribute their land areas to investment projects under the form of contribution of business capital;

-Give exemption fromland rentsto investment projects in the national tourist resort and main places for tourism development of Lao Cai Province in accordance with regulations in Clause 10 Article 19 of the Government’s Decree No.46/2014/ND-CPdated May 15, 2014 providing forland rentsand water surface rents.

c) Investment solutions

-Provide a sufficient fund to invest in infrastructure system; focus on the improvement of traffic system connecting from Sa Pa town to main tourist routes and attractions within the district; make investment in lighting system and domestic water system in order to meet development demand of the tourist resort.

-Promote and call for investment according to the list of investment projects given priority, which is enclosed to this Decision, and other projects for promoting tourism activities in tourist center/ subdivision of Bat Xat District.

d) Human resource solutions

-Do survey on training demand in order to prepare plans for training, improving and developing human resources in tourism sector. Focus on organization of training programs in professional skills and community education at community-based tourist attractions; diversify training forms; provide assistance in training in professional skills forethnic minoritiesin areas where community-based tourism is developed.

-Apply national standards for vocational skills for the purposes of improving quality of tourism services provided by tourism service establishments, especiallytourist accommodationestablished ranked from three to five stars within Sa Pa National Tourist Resort.

-Facilitate universities and colleges in the territory of Lao Cai Province in cooperating with specialized training institutions to organize training classes for tourism managers and staff members.

dd) Scientific and technological application

-Adopt energy saving solutions at tourist service providers.

-Organize training courses in information technology applications in tourism such as e-marketing, development of social networks, etc. for tourism managers, enterprises and local communities.

-Develop and update management software to serve the management of tourism activities.

e) Solutions for developing tourist market and products, promoting and establishing tourism brand names

- Development of tourist marketand products:

+ Focus on development of typical tourist products of Sa Pa, consisting of: Conquest of Fansipan mountain and Ky Quan San mountain; cultural tourism for learning about the life ofethnic minoritiesin conjunction with trekking tourist routes; ecotourism associated with flower seasons, etc.; develop “Sa Pa tourist house” into a tourism information center and an attractive sightseeing site of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort;

+ Follow and do research on features, demand and taste of each group of tourists in order to introduce suitable tourist products to them in each development period;

+ Improve quality of provided services, including tourist accommodation, transport of tourists and public hygiene;take actions against street vendors and persons who create difficulties for or invite tourists with insistence in order to ensure tourism environment and tourists safety.

-Promotion and establishment oftourism brand names:

+ Establish popular brand name for Sa Pa National Tourist Resort imbrued with cultural identities of the Northwestern region; execute promotion programs suitable for each market segment.

+ Design a set of e-marketing tools for Sa Pa and enhance the propagation and promotion through tourism websites; construct the model of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort to provide general introduction about tourist attractions and routes to visitors before they start their journey.

g) Cooperation in tourism development

-Carry out cooperation to promote and introduce general images of tourist activities in border regions. Do research to set up thematic routes for visiting terraced paddy fields from Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai) – Sa Pa (Lao Cai) - Yuanyang (China).

-Improve the efficiency of the cooperation program for developing tourist activities in eight northwestern provinces in which Sa Pa is considered as the satellite – center for tourism development.

-Promote the cooperation with NouvelleAquitaineregion(the French Republic)in training for tourism human resources;take advantage of supports from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for tourism development.

h) Preservation and embellishment of landscapes of Sa Pa tourist city

-Manage the investment and construction in the core region of the National Tourist Resort according to the approved planning for reaching a consistent preservation of the overall space of the tourist resort and the space of each region in the tourist resort, especially regions with beautiful view to Muong Hoa Valley and Hoang Lien Son mountain range, traditional public works and other buildings showing a distinctive imprint of French architecture.

-Propose the renovation and upgrade of urban facilities in traffic routes in association with tourist activities; expand area of verdure, lawn and flower gardens.

i) Preservation, development and protection of tourism resources

-Encourage local communities to preserve and promote cultural values by means of protecting historic-cultural monuments, preserving cultural identities of native people and keeping traditional art activities, rites and customs.

-Restore and construct festival scenarios for developing tourism festival programs; preserve and promote cultural identities of Sa Pa market days, especially Giao Duyen Market (Love Market) on Saturday evenings, and traditional handicraft villages in association with tourist development.

-Ensure the harmony between interests of enterprises and those of people and pay attention to people s interests in order to have a sustainable development of community-based tourism.

k) Response to climate change, prevention of natural disasters and environmental protection

-Improve the training,propagation and education to raise awareness of people, tourists and enterprises about the environmental protection and response to climate change. Adopt technical solutions to reduce damages and cope with events of climate change.

-Improve material facilities and equipment for serving and training professional forces for salvage and rescue activities upon the occurrence of natural disasters.

-Appropriate a portion from tourism revenues in association with other sources of funding to pay for provincial forest environmental services and execute forestation projects for the purposes of reducing direct impacts of extreme weather events such as storm, whirlwind, flood, drought, soil erosion, etc.

l) National defense and security solutions

-Provide training to tour guides and narrators and enhance their vigilance against peaceful evolution scheme by enemy forces posing as tourists topropagatereactionary contents and affect people’s trust in the leadership of the Communist Party and the Government.

-Establish rapid reaction rescue teams to ensure that rescue and salvage services are carried out in a timely manner in cases where any tourists have had traffic accident or climbing accident, suffered from natural disasters or wentmissing, etc., and security forces in Sa Pa National Tourist Resort for protecting security and safety of tourists and of the tourist resort.

Article 2.Planning implementation

1. Ministryof Culture, Sports and Tourism:

a) Propose policies for cooperation between national tourist resorts to the Prime Minister.

b) Assist the People’s Committee of Lao Cai Province in establishing the Management Authority of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort; cooperate with the People’s Committee of Lao Cai Province and relevant ministries/regulatory bodies in determining priority policies; carry out appraisal of planning and investment projects within the scope of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort or projects which cause considerable influence on Sa Pa National Tourist Resort.

c) Coordinate withMinistry of Planning and Investmentto assist the People’s Committee of Lao Cai Province in enhancing the private sector involvement in tourism investment and development, and mobilizing funding for developing Sa Pa National Tourist Resort.

d)Jointly take charge together withthe People’s Committee of Lao Cai Provinceandcooperate with relevant ministries/regulatory bodiesto carry out the appraisal of designs/plans and investment projectswhichmaycause considerable influence on Sa Pa National Tourist Resort.

dd) Take charge andcooperate with relevant ministries/regulatory bodiesto inspect the implementation of this planning.

2. Ministry of Planning and Investmentand Ministry of Finance are responsible for aggregating and allocating funds partially derived from state budget to implement this planning in accordance with regulations of the Law on state budget and relevant documents.

3.Relevant ministries and regulatory bodies shall, within the ambit of assigned functions and duties, coordinate withMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism,the People’s Committee of Lao Cai Provinceand relevant authorities to organize the planning implementation.

4. The People’s Committee of Lao Cai Province:

a) Announce the planning; establish the plan for implementing this planning; formulate regulations for management of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort; propose amendments and/or additions to the planning to competent authorities.

b) Establish the Management Authority of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort with the orientation of lean organizational structure using fewer resources.

c) Review investmentincentivepolicies in which investment projects or strategies for development of Sa Pa National Tourist Resort shall be given priority.

d) Formulate the master plan for construction of the tourist resort, detailed planning andfeasibleprojects on certain important functional zones for the purposes of attracting and calling for investment.

dd) Take charge and coordinate withMinistry of Culture, Sports and TourismandMinistry of Planning and Investmentto organize promotion activities in order to call for investment based on the list of projects given priority enclosed to this Decision.

Based on actual implementation of the planning, the People’s Committee of Lao Cai Province andMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourismmay carry out an agreement on the adjustment of names, addition or reduction of projects.

e) Allocate funds derived from local-government budget to develop technical infrastructure, urban infrastructure and environmental infrastructure for the tourist resort; combine the investment in tourism with the investment in other sectors; promote the investment and development of the national tourist resort.

Article 3.This Decision takes effect on the signing date.

Article 4.Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, head of the government’s affiliates, heads of relevant authorities and organizations, chairperson of the People s Committee of Lao Cai Province, and relevant entities shall be responsible for implementing this Decision./.

For the Minister

The Deputy Minister

Vu Duc Dam

APPENDIX

LIST OF PROJECTS GIVEN PRIORITY IN SA PA NATIONAL TOURIST RESORT, LAO CAI PROVINCE BY 2030
(To attach with Decision No.1845/QD-TTgdated September 26, 2016 by Prime Minister)

Notes: Location, scale, land area and total investment of each of the said projects shall be determined when such project is prepared and applied for approval subject to funding mobilized in each period./.