Raising the Value of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area

With its stunning natural beauty, refreshing climate, unique spiritual and cultural heritage, Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area is an ideal destination for tourism, worship, and relaxation. Mr. Tran Thai Nam, Director of the Management Board, said that the area aims to be a key leader, connector, and promoter of regional and local tourism, positioning itself as an important destination of the Southeast region, the country and the world.

Ba Den Mountain is a must-visit destination for travelers exploring Tay Ninh province

To promote the special values of natural resources and indigenous cultural and historical features of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, what tasks and solutions has the board advised?

Immediately after the Government issued Decision 2383/QD-TTg dated December 29, 2014 of the Prime Minister ratifying the Overall Plan for development of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, Tay Ninh province to 2020, with a vision to 2030", the management board coordinated with relevant bodies to advise the Provincial People's Committee to ask the Prime Minister to promulgate Decision 1099/QD-TTg dated September 5, 2018 of the Prime Minister ratifying the "General Planning Project for construction of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, Tay Ninh province to 2035"; consulted on the promulgation and implementation of the "Ecotourism, resort and entertainment at Ba Den Mountain Cultural - Historical Forest Area in the 2022 - 2030 period" Project focusing on developing ecotourism associated with preserving and promoting cultural and historical values, along with protecting the natural forest ecosystem.

In recent years, the board has focused on investing in developing Ba Den Mountain Tourist Area as the general construction planning approved by the Prime Minister; fulfilling conditions for recognition of Ba Den Mountain Tourist Area as a National Tourist Area, a high-class tourist site in the Southeast region and the whole country. It has strengthened the management, protection, development of forests, and protection of the ecological environment by adopting a sustainable forest management plan for the 2021 - 2030 period.

The board has also coordinated with relevant units to counsel the Provincial People's Committee to carry out the thematic tourist area project on the top of Ba Den Mountain. The Prime Minister approved of the conversion of forestland use purposes for implementation of the project in Tay Ninh province. The Provincial People's Council passed a resolution on repurposing of special-use forestland. On that basis, the board has worked with relevant sectors to build an action plan, selecting contractors to mark the purpose-converted area of forestland as a basis for inventorying asset values on the land which is used for auctions to choose investors for the project to be executed according to regulations.

At the same time, to always preserve the intact value of revolutionary relics, based on the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the management board proposed the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to soon carry out the Project "Upgrading, renovating and embellishing historical relics at the Ba Den Mountain Historical Relic and Scenic Area". At the same time, the board continued to coordinate in organizing cultural and traditional festival activities to both preserve identity and improve service quality.

Many businesses and investors have expressed their interest in researching and implementing investment projects to develop many attractive tourism products to enhance the value of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area. Would you tell us more about investment attraction results?

Together with the province's preferential investment attraction policies, the Management Board has actively collaborated with relevant agencies to advise the Provincial People's Committee to approve zoning plans and detailed plans, thereby calling for and facilitating investors to implement their projects. With its continuous efforts, Tay Ninh province has invited and attracted some important strategic investors.

The participation of Sun Group marked a breakthrough development step for the tourist area. Sun Group-invested projects in Ba Den Mountain include a modern station system and cable car line system built according to European standards in addition to various construction works like Tay Bo Da Son Buddha statue - the highest bronze Buddha statue in Asia, Maitreya Buddha statue - one of the largest sandstone statue in the world, and many unique landscape projects, which have helped raise the class of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area and attract a large number of domestic and foreign tourists.

Currently, Sun Group is carrying out the Commercial and Service Area project at the foot of the southern mountain and the Urban Area for Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area. These projects focus on commercial functions, accommodation services, and spiritual areas linked with thematic tourist areas on the top of the mountain. The arrangement of the above accommodation and service facilities aims to create a complete service ecosystem and provide optimal support for tourists during their tour.

Tay Ninh aims to develop Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area into a regional and national tourism hub by 2025, serving as a leader and connector for local and Southeast tourism. How is the area preparing to achieve these goals?

On infrastructure, under the attention and direction of the Provincial People's Committee, key traffic routes are being invested synchronously to ensure convenient traffic connectivity and connect the tourist area with neighboring provinces. The province has formed and operated tourism development projects that are rated as top in the world and Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, the province has maintained and preserved spiritual values, promptly met religious needs for millions of pilgrims through traditional festivals in the first lunar month every year such as Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival, Kim Quang Cave Traditional Festival; coordinated in organizing religious festive activities like Linh Son Thanh Mau Festival - a festival recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of the province, and Quan The Am Bodhisattva Festival. Tay Ninh has also preserved the intact value of historical revolutionary relics.

With the dedicated investment of all levels and sectors in the province and Sun Group, Ba Den Mountain Tourist Area strives to complete all necessary conditions for being recognized as a national tourist area by 2025 and gradually becoming a tourist area of regional and national class, with increased international popularity.

Could you tell us about the upcoming development orientation of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area?

Based on the Action Program 68-CTr/TU dated October 14, 2021 of the Provincial Party Committee, by 2030, tourism will become a key economic sector and Ba Den Mountain Tourist Area will be selected as a nucleus for development. Ba Den Mountain Tourist Area will be turned into a four-season destination that attracts tourists all year round with diverse activities. To achieve this, we are determined to expand and attract visionary, devoted investors to accompany the Management Board and Tay Ninh province to create classy, quality and distinctive tourism products.

Currently, the board is coordinating with relevant bodies to complete legal conditions to select investors for the project "Theme-based tourist area, resort on the top of Ba Den Mountain, Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, Tay Ninh province" to create a unique eco-tourism and resort destination. The agency is collaborating with sectors to continue executing the master plan for construction of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, with focus on completing zoning plans and detailed plans as a basis for attracting investment capital into the tourist area. It has launched eco-tourism forms according to the "Eco-tourism, resort and entertainment project at Ba Den Mountain Cultural - Historical Forest Area in the 2021 - 2030 period" approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision 2595/QD-UBND dated December 16, 2022.

At the same time, we have continued to coordinate in organizing festive activities on a modern scale, cooperate with religious facilities to organize spiritual and belief activities, and preserve the values of recognized intangible cultural heritages.

Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area also has special historical relic values associated with the two resistance wars of our nation. We will gradually turn the relic sites in Ba Den Mountain into an attractive destination, imbued with historical identity for educational purposes.

We believe that, with the above strategic orientations, the close coordination between the Management Board of Ba Den Mountain National Tourism Area, related units and investors, Ba Den Mountain National Tourism Area will soon emerge into a unique tourist center in terms of culture, spirituality, comprehensive entertainment, sports, high-class accommodation and resort services and eco-tourism systems, and an important destination in the Southeast region, the country and the world.

Thank you so much!

By Nguyen Bach, Vietnam Business Forum