April 5 to 7, 2023, Lang Son Geopark Management Board coordinated with the Advisory Team, representatives of the People's Committees and Information and Culture Divisions of districts and the city to survey 23 sites on 4 tourist sites in Lang Son Geopark.

Dr. Guy Martini, an international senior expert, Chairman of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council, surveyed the woodblock system at Bac Nga Pagoda, Gia Cat commune, Cao Loc district

These locations were proposed by the leaders of the People's Committees of the districts and the city to additionally survey at the meeting with the provincial leaders and the Advisory Team on March 27, 2023. At each site, the survey team researched, analyzed and evaluated the necessary conditions to add to the system of attractions on four planned tourist sites.

In Huu Lung district, the mission surveyed two production facilities of fermented pork rolls in Dong Tan and Yen Thinh communes, Dao ethnic minority village in Lan Chau village, Huu Lien commune as well as a proposed location to build an Information Center for the entire Lang Son Geopark area at the parking area of Bac Le Temple.

Surveying the location of the parking lot at the community eco-tourism village in Bac Quynh commune, Bac Son district. Parking is a mandatory criterion for each UNESCO Global Geopark attraction

In Chi Lang district, the mission surveyed five additional sites including Chau Nam Temple, Chau Muoi Temple, Fairy Cave (Thuong Cuong commune), Van Linh dry noodle production village and Star Anise Resting Stop. These Sites are located along National Highway 1A and National Highway 279, convenient for integrating attractions along the tourist route of Lang Son Geopark No. 3. In the goal of building and developing Lang Son Geopark, the Advisory Team pays special attention to the criteria of sustainable socio-economic development associated with the conservation of geological values, traditional indigenous cultural values.

Van Linh dry noodle production village is selected to the tourist route of Lang Son Geopark

The mission also surveyed 14 additional sites in Cao Loc, Loc Binh, Van Quan, Bac Son districts and Lang Son city, in which there are sites with unique attractive features such as star anise forest and production facilities. Star anise essential oil is extracted in Binh Phuc commune, Van Quan district, with elements combining geological associated with historical culture such as the cliffs of Khanh Khe bridge area where the governor Ngo Thi Si engraved the poem in 1779 or Bac Nga Pagoda with cultural and spiritual values, the belief of worshiping Buddha and Mother Goddess associated with the tourist route No. 4... The mission also surveyed and proposed to choose the location to build the Lang Son Geopark Information Center in the area of Tam Thanh Pagoda.

The Advisory Team at the organic star anise forest in Ban Cuom village, Binh Phuc commune, Van Quan district

Immediately after the survey, the Advisory Team held a preliminary meeting with the Lang Son Geopark Management Board to discuss, compare, evaluate and eight additional sites for the tourist routes and exchange information on some contents about the confirmation of parking lot arrangement at each site, the selection of partners, the roadmap to build the Information Centers and the progress of construction of Lang Son Geopark in the upcoming time.

Nguyen Minh Chuyen