Vinh Phuc (VNA) – The northern midland provinceof Vinh Phuc has given the green light for Vinh Tuong district to implement its264-billion-VND (11.35 million USD) project on building the Rung lakecultural-eco tourism site.

Designed to span 240.26 ha, including 80 ha of watersurface, across the four communes of Tam Phuc, Tu Trung, Ngu Kien and Phu Da,the site will consist of five functional sectors surrounding the Rung lake.

There are a convention centre serving the organization ofconferences and other cultural and musical activities; a resort that offeraccommodations and relaxation services; an entertainment area where touristscan join several sports like canoeing, football, volleyball, and tennis; anarea for eco-tourism and cultural activities; and an eco-residential quarterwith villas, garden houses and greenery.

Formed as a result of the Ky Giang river changing itscourse, the 80-ha Rung lake has long been known far and wide not only for itsclean air and green landscape but also for cultural activities of localcommunities like the Dung festival, festivals of  Phu Da and Duc Ong temples, along with many cultural,historical sites and several craft villages.

The lake is divided into two separate areas serving fishfarming and eco-tourism with a tree-covered mound emerging at the centre.Locals said the lake has never been run out of water, even during prolonged hotand drought periods.

With the ongoing development project, the site is expectedto become a local tourist destination, attracting approximately 10,000 visitorson an annual basis once operational and contributing to Vinh Phuc’ssocio-economic growth.

The Rung lake site will also become a base for short toursto local tourist destinations such as the An Tuong cultural-historic reliccomplex, traditional craft villages and folk festivals. From the site, touristscan also get tours to other famous destinations in Vinh Phuc such as Tam Daoresort town, Tay Thien relic site, and Dai Lai lake.

The project is in line with the province’s goal to welcome 6million tourists this year, including 43,500 foreigners, and rake in 1.91trillion VND (82.13 million USD) from the tourism sector.

With the increasing numbers and the diversification oftourism services, the target is reachable, the provincial Department ofCulture, Sports and Tourism department said.

Vinh Phuc is now home to 67 hotels and 299 lodgingfacilities with a total of 6,389 standard rooms. There are 10 travel businessesoperating in the locality, including four international firms.

It also houses to several popular tourist destinations. Notably,Tam Dao Resort is an ideal summer resort in the north, standing 900m abovesea-level.

The Tam Dao National Park is just nearby where thevegetation coverage is representative of five types of tropical forest. Theflora consists of 904 species and the rich fauna includes 307 species.

At the foot of Tam Dao Mountain, Dai Lai Lake is anartificially created lake. Dai Lai is blessed with a favourable climate, coolsummer and warm winter. Over the lake lies a 3-hectare island which is home todifference kinds of birds. Tourists also have a chance to enjoy panoramic viewof the lake from top of Than Lan Mountain.

Located 90km from Tam Dao, Tay Thien Site is well-known withthe beauty of forests, streams, waterfalls, and grottoes.

The province also has bountiful tangible and intangiblecultural values through nearly 1,000 relics such as Ha Tien Pagoda, Binh SonTower, Huong Canh Temple, Hai Ba Trung Temple and Dong Dau archeological site.Visitors will also be fascinated with local traditional feasts, peculiarcrafts, melodious folk songs, traditional popular games as well as tastefullocal dishes./.