Hanoi, Oct. 29 -- Community-based tourism and adventure sports are helping transform remote villages in northern mountainous provinces, making them more beautiful and attractive while gradually raising local incomes and contributing to cultural value preservation.

Despite difficult terrain and limited transport infrastructure, villages in Lai Chau and Son La provinces are turning their natural landscapes, distinctive cultures and rural lifestyles into tourism assets.

Turning difficulties into advantages

Reaching Lao Chai 1 village in Khun Ha commune, Lai Chau province, from Hanoi takes more than half a day by road. Yet visitors who make the journey are rewarded with peaceful scenery, clean surroundings and well-maintained paths winding...