Khanh Son District enjoys favorable conditions to develop tourism as it has plenty of wonderful sceneries and historical vestiges such as Ta Gu Waterfall, To Hap Revolutionary Base and lithophones...
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| Khanh Son lithophones. |
Tourism development potentials
To Hap Town is a place where lithophones were first found, dating back to over 3,000 years ago. The fact was claimed by Bo Bo Ren, a Raglay man, in 1979. Lithophones used to be put along rivers to keep wild animals away to protect crops. The player uses a stick to knock the stones, each of which produces a different tone. Lithophones have become traditional musical instruments.
Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee has just issued a decision to rank Ta Gu Waterfall as a provincial-level monument. Ta Gu means imposing cliff in Raglay language. A trip to Ta Gu will be an unique travel experience. Visitors will be attracted by cool forest air and then the mist and spray that Ta Gu throws in all directions. Ta Gu descends down from the rocks to form small pools with clear water. Holiday-makers can rest or camp on the riverbanks listening to the unique sounds of the lithophones or gongs before climbing to the top of Ta Gu.
To Hap Revolutionary Base is located along the To Hap riverside in the communes of Ba Cum, Son Binh and To Hap Town. It is surrounded by the range of mountains named Da Bia, Shoung Khong, YaBio, Doc Gao, La Bin, Hon Gam, etc. It is opposite the Cam Ranh Military Base, the USA’s biggest military base in Vietnam before 1975. Many big events happened there during the resistance against the U.S occupation.
Lithophones, Ta Gu Waterfall and To Hap Revolutionary Base are three main tourist attractions in Khanh Son District.
Obstacles in tourism promotion
Tourism development may help alleviate poverty as well as preserve local culture in Khanh Son. However, many difficulties have arisen.
The routes to Khanh Son, 30km from Cam Ranh, is quite challenging for travelers. Many beautiful sceneries and historical vestiges have not been protected and developed to open to tourists. Lithophones are only used in festivals or provincial musical shows. Ta Gu Waterfall is being damaged by pollution caused by unregulated tourism activities. The district’s funding for tourism development is limited.
Khanh Son is an important traffic joint of the three provinces of Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa, so Ta Gu Waterfall and To Hap Revolutionary Base may become attractive tourist destinations. To protect cultural values, clubs and exhibitions should be held to introduce cultural and historical values to visitors. “More investment in tourism is required to stimulate tourism in Khanh Son,” said Pham Van Hop, Chief of the Culture & Information Bureau.
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