INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN SAPA, Vietnam

Abstract

Sapa tourism occupies an important position in the socio-economic development of Lao Cai. This is a border highland province, located in the middle of the Northeast and Northwest region of Vietnam, 296 km from Hanoi by railway and 265 km by road in general. With its position right on the borderline, and important investment in the restoration of monuments, Lao Cai city is becoming a large-scale tourist destination, each year, there are more than a hundred thousand tourists from China and Visiting from other countries, especially after the Hanoi - Lao Cai expressway system and Fanxipan cable car project came into operation in late 2015.

The number of visitors coming to Sapa has increased dramatically, bringing great revenue to the locality, creating livelihoods and incomes for indigenous people. A survey was conducted with 375 tourists, 100 residents, and 25 cultural and local officials to research and assess the sustainability of tourism development in Sapa (Lao Cai) out of three aspects: economic, social, and environmental to point out the differences in each party's thinking and actions, and the difficulties in achieving sustainability. On that basis, proposing a number of solutions to help Sapa tourism develop sustainably, promote its full potential, and build a strong brand for Vietnamese tourism.