ベトナム最北端トゥエンクアン省（旧ハザン省エリア、Hà Giang）ドンヴァン石灰岩高原に位置するロロチャイ村（Lô Lô Chải）が、国連世界観光機関（UNWTO）の「世界最優秀観光村2025」に選出されたことを受け、航空業界が一斉に動いた。Vietnam Airlines、VietJet、Bamboo Airways、Qatar Airways、Emiratesの5社がハノイや主要国際都市からベトナム北部へのフライトを増便・新設し、この辺境の少数民族集落へのアクセス競争が激化している。世界270以上のノミネートから選ばれたロロチャイは、人口わずか数百人のロロ族（Lô Lô）の集落でありながら、持続可能な観光と文化保存の両立で国際的な評価を獲得した。
The full picture of the UNWTO “Best Tourism Village 2025” selection
2025年10月17日、中国・湖州（浙江省）で開催されたUNWTO観光サミットにおいて、ロロチャイ村は世界270以上のノミネート地域の中から「Best Tourism Village 2025」に選出された。選考基準は以下の9項目で、ロロチャイは特に「文化保存」「コミュニティ主導の観光」「持続可能性」の3分野で高評価を得た。
| UNWTO selection criteria | Lo Lo Chai’s applicable points |
|---|---|
| Cultural and natural resources | Located within the Dong Van Karst Plateau (a UNESCO Global Geopark) |
| Cultural preservation and sustainability | Inheritance of the Lo Lo people’s bronze drums, hand embroidery, and earthen-wall architecture |
| Economic sustainability | Over 50 homestays operated by local residents |
| Social inclusion | Embroidery workshops for ethnic-minority women serve as a source of income |
| Environmental conservation | Restrictions on plastic use, maintenance of traditional earthen-wall architecture |
| Tourism development and value chain | Integrated provision of local guides, cuisine, and lodging |
| Infrastructure and connectivity | Within walking distance of the Lung Cu Flag Tower (the northernmost point of the border) |
| Health and safety | A community-led safety management system |
| Governance and priorities | トゥエンクアン省政府の観光持続可能性計画に統合 |
From Vietnam, Quynh Son village was awarded at the same time, bringing Vietnam’s cumulative total to five villages recognized as UNWTO “Best Tourism Villages.”
背景：トゥエンクアン省（旧ハザン省エリア）観光の急成長と「秘境ブーム」の実態
トゥエンクアン省（旧ハザン省エリア）は、ベトナム最北端の国境地帯に位置する山岳省で、中国との国境をルンクー旗台（Cột Cờ Lũng Cú）で接する。ドンヴァン・カルスト高原は2010年にユネスコ世界ジオパークに認定され、「天に向かって突き出す石灰岩の針山」が連なる独特の景観が広がる。
It was once a remote land visited only by backpackers, but entering the 2020s, the Ha Giang Loop (the Ma Pi Leng Pass and the sheer cliffs of the Nho Que River) spread on social media (especially TikTok and Instagram), and tourists rapidly increased.Safety regulations were strengthened in 2026Behind this lies the frequent accidents due to the increase in motorbike tourists.
トゥエンクアン省（旧ハザン省エリア）には現時点で商用空港がなく、最寄りの空港はハノイ（ノイバイ空港、車で約7時間）またはラオカイ省（車で約5時間）だ。このアクセスの困難さが「秘境感」を生む一方、観光スケールの天井にもなっている。
The flight-increase competition among five carriers: heading to Ha Giang via Hanoi
トゥエンクアン省（旧ハザン省エリア）に直接の空港がないため、5社の増便は「ハノイおよびラオカイへの国際線・国内線の増強」という形で実現している。
| Airline | Flight increases and new routes | Relevance to Ha Giang | Fare guideline (yen conversion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam Airlines | Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo → Hanoi flight increases | To Ha Giang via Hanoi (about 7 hours by bus) | 25,000–50,000 yen one way |
| VietJet | Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang → Hanoi domestic flight increases | Bus travel after arriving in Hanoi by domestic flight | 5,000–15,000 yen one way |
| Bamboo Airways | Hanoi → Hong Kong, Singapore new services | Hong Kong, Singapore → Ha Giang via Hanoi | 20,000–40,000 yen one way |
| Qatar Airways | Doha → Hanoi aircraft upsizing and flight increases | Europe, Middle East → transfer in Hanoi | 60,000–120,000 yen one way |
| Emirates | Dubai → Ho Chi Minh City flight increases (linked with Hanoi connections) | Middle East, Africa → Ho Chi Minh City → via Hanoi | 50,000–100,000 yen one way |
The entry of the two Middle Eastern carriers Qatar Airways and Emirates is a move anticipating an increase in long-haul travelers visiting northern Vietnam from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It can be said to be the result of Lo Lo Chai’s UNWTO award pushing up the international profile of northern Vietnam as a whole.
The Lo Lo Chai village experience: a “living museum” of bronze drums and earthen walls
Lo Lo Chai village is located at the foot of the Lung Cu Flag Tower (Vietnam’s northernmost border marker), a settlement where the ethnic minority called the Lo Lo people live. The Lo Lo people number only about 4,500 across all of Vietnam, and a considerable number of them reside in this Lo Lo Chai village.
The village’s greatest cultural heritage is the “Lo Lo people’s bronze drum.” Used in religious rites, forest worship, new-rice festivals, and funeral ceremonies, this drum is said to be an instrument inherited only by the Lo Lo people in Vietnam. A hands-on bronze-drum demonstration experience is also offered in the village.
In terms of architecture, traditional houses built with earthen walls about 1 meter thick line up. This earthen-wall structure has insulating function against the plateau’s harsh climate (dropping to near 0°C in winter), and the design that minimizes windows serves both as windbreak and heat retention. Over 50 homestays are operated by local residents, and you can stay in a traditional house for 200,000–400,000 VND per night (about 1,200–2,400 yen).
The local response: “The world recognized it, but the roads and lodging capacity can’t keep up”
After the UNWTO award, the following reactions stand out on Vietnamese travel forums and social media (the Facebook “Ha Giang Phuot” group, TikTok) (paraphrased, anonymized).
“I’m proud that Lo Lo Chai was chosen as the world’s best tourism village, but unless we do something about the 7-hour access from Hanoi, the reception capacity will hit its limit right away.”
“If tourists come from all over the world to 50 homestays, the village’s tranquility will be lost. Whether we can protect UNWTO’s ‘sustainability’ is the real test.”
“When I went on the weekend, the sunrise hike (leaving at 4 a.m.) was already crowded. The embroidery workshop with a Lo Lo grandmother is a genuine cultural experience—it’s worth going just for that.”
“Korean and Western tourists are rapidly increasing. My impression is that the clientele changed completely before and after the UNWTO award.”
The impact on Japanese travelers: a “destination” has been added to the Ha Giang Loop
Among Japanese motorbike tourists, the “Ha Giang Loop” was known as a standard route in northern Vietnam, but much of it was aimed at “scenic driving,” not a style of visiting a specific village deeply. Lo Lo Chai’s UNWTO award adds a new layer of a “cultural-experience destination” to Ha Giang travel.
Here’s an example of an experience plan in Lo Lo Chai village.
| Experience | Time required | Estimated cost | Yen conversion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise hike (Lung Cu Flag Tower) | 4:00–6:00 a.m. | Free (100,000 VND with a guide) | About 600 yen |
| Bronze-drum demonstration and hands-on experience | About 30 minutes | 50,000–100,000 VND | About 300 to 600 yen |
| Lo Lo embroidery workshop | About 2 hours | 150,000–200,000 VND | About 900–1,200 yen |
| Traditional-cuisine experience (au tau porridge, grilled corn cakes) | About 1 hour | 50,000–80,000 VND | About 300–480 yen |
| Earthen-wall traditional-house homestay (1 night) | One night | 200,000–400,000 VND | About 1,200–2,400 yen |
The Ha Giang Loop’s 2026 strengthened safety regulations—after checking this in advance, it’s realistic to build an itinerary of about three nights and four days. From Hanoi to Ha Giang city, an overnight bus (about 7 hours, about 300,000 VND one way = about 1,800 yen) is common, and from Ha Giang city to Lo Lo Chai village takes a further roughly 2.5 hours by car.
Ripple effects on the industry: the development and dilemma that “remote-land recognition” brings
UNWTO「Best Tourism Village」の称号は、ベトナム政府の観光開発計画を加速させる。トゥエンクアン省政府はロロチャイ周辺のインフラ整備（道路拡幅、電力安定化、携帯電話基地局の増設）を急ピッチで進めている。一方で、過度な開発が受賞の根拠である「持続可能性」を損なうリスクも指摘されている。
5社の増便競争が示すのは、航空業界が「目的地としてのベトナム北部」に賭け始めたという構造変化だ。これまでベトナムの航空需要はホーチミン・ハノイ・ダナンの3大都市に集中していたが、トゥエンクアン省（旧ハザン省エリア）のような辺境地域が国際的な観光賞を受賞することで、周辺の航空ルートに波及効果が生まれている。Phu Quoc’s mega-hotel development toward APEC 2027—in contrast to this, Lo Lo Chai is drawing international attention with a different model of “small-scale × sustainable.”
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | トゥエンクアン省（旧ハザン省エリア）ドンヴァン県ルンクー社ロロチャイ村 |
| Access from Hanoi | About 7 hours by overnight bus (about 300,000 VND = about 1,800 yen), then about 2.5 hours by car from Ha Giang city |
| Lodging | Over 50 homestays (200,000–400,000 VND/night = about 1,200–2,400 yen) |
| Best season | September–November (buckwheat-flower season), March–May (the terraced-field flooding period) |
| UNWTO recognition | Best Tourism Village 2025（2025年10月17日、湖州にて発表） |
| Cautions | New safety regulations in 2026 (confirm motorbike license requirements); temperatures drop to near 0°C in winter |
Summary
Lo Lo Chai village’s UNWTO “Best Tourism Village” award is an event that redraws the map of Vietnamese tourism. The fact that five airlines responded with flight increases to Hanoi and surrounding airports is proof that this remote settlement has begun to be recognized as an international tourism destination. A bronze-drum demonstration, a homestay in an earthen-wall house, a 4 a.m. sunrise hike at the Lung Cu Flag Tower. Lo Lo Chai, offering Lo Lo culture as an “experience,” isHo Chi Minh City’s Noong Oi—at the opposite pole from a concept café like this, it’s a “genuine ethnic-minority cultural experience.” Worth visiting even if it takes 7 hours from Hanoi, Vietnam’s last remote land has begun to open to the world.
