Lao Cai
Sapa & Surrounds: Lao Cai Province Urban Resilience Development Project
DURATION: Completed
POPULATION: 799.900 (Growth rate 1.74%)
TOPICS: SUSTAINABLE TOURISM, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, REGIONAL ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, HUMAN SCALE, SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
URA SCOPE: ECOLOGY. Green Urbanism, ECONOMY Urban Prosperity Beyond GDP, STRATEGY. Shared Vision
MAIN ACTORS:Atelier Dubosc et Associés Vietnam, Dr Paul Rogers, World Bank
Sheltered in the breathtaking hills and valleys of Northwest Vietnam, Lao Cai Province is home to over 20 ethnic minority communities. Distributed in villages, scattered around the famed Sapa region—a magnet for domestic and international travellers—hold a unique cultural and environmental significance. However, the unbridled growth of tourism has brought profound socio-economic and environmental challenges to the region.
To address this, a groundbreaking project has emerged, offering a model for sustainable and culturally sensitive development. Over nine months in 2019–2020, a team of Vietnamese and Australian professionals collaborated to create a framework for Community-Based Tourism (CBT) that empowers local communities while preserving their cultural heritage and natural environment.
Guided by Dr. Paul Rogers and leveraging the Hansen Partnership’s decades of experience in Southeast Asia, the project followed a meticulous process. Fieldwork, site analysis, and community engagement formed the backbone of its design strategy, integrating insights from five ethnic minority villages in Sapa District. This two-way exchange deepened understanding of traditional ways of living while fostering trust and collaboration.
The result is a comprehensive approach to landscape and site planning, blending international best practices with local knowledge. By focusing on cultural tourism as a central pillar, the project shifts the lens from mere infrastructure development to enhancing community resilience and fostering sustainable growth. Improved land use, integrated infrastructure, and bioclimatic design aim to uplift livelihoods while mitigating the effects of overtourism.
The project’s vision aligns with global sustainability goals—supporting affordable clean energy, climate action, and the preservation of natural waterways. Equally important, it addresses social objectives, such as reducing hunger, enhancing educational and economic opportunities, and fostering responsible consumption.
Endorsed by the Lao Cai People’s Committee, the initiative is set for implementation in 2024. Its collaborative spirit between Australian landscape architects and Vietnamese professionals demonstrates a remarkable capacity for cultural exchange and shared learning.
This project exemplifies leadership in creating sustainable and inclusive futures for sensitive cultural and environmental settings. As its details unfold, it has the potential to serve as a blueprint for similar regions across Vietnam and beyond, ensuring that growth is not only strategic but also respectful of the communities and landscapes it touches.
Challenge & Context
The challenges faced by Lao Cai Province are deeply intertwined with its stunning yet delicate natural and cultural landscape. Home to over 750,000 people from more than 20 ethnic groups, the region has seen significant pressures due to rapid tourism growth, particularly in Sapa Township, a world-renowned destination attracting over 3.3 million visitors annually. This influx has resulted in visible signs of over-tourism, including increased congestion, unregulated redevelopment, and environmental damage, all of which threaten the area’s unique ecological and cultural integrity.
Adding to these issues are inadequate infrastructure systems for roads, drainage, waste management, and sustainability, particularly in Sapa and its surrounding villages. The challenge lies not only in mitigating the immediate impacts of over-tourism but also in preparing for climate change and ensuring integrated urban and environmental planning that aligns with the natural and cultural setting. Moreover, the region struggles with balancing economic growth and community development while preserving its rich ethnic heritage and scenic beauty.
The need for a holistic, scalable approach to place management and improved infrastructure planning has become critical to safeguard Lao Cai Province’s future and set a replicable model for other sensitive regions facing similar challenges.
Solution Proposed
To address the challenges in Lao Cai Province, the Sustainable Urban and Infrastructure Development Project (SUIDP) embraced a holistic and scalable solution. The approach integrates urban planning with infrastructure improvements across regional, township, and village scales. Over eight months in 2020, the project followed a structured process, from field analysis to framework planning, including urban concepts, design guidelines, and strategic recommendations tailored to the province’s unique cultural and environmental context.
The initiative prioritizes better land use and infrastructure integration, focusing on essential systems like roads, drainage, waste management, and sustainability. For Sapa Township, the project enhances public spaces, pedestrian access, and urban resilience while addressing over-tourism impacts. At the village level, five ethnic communities benefit from investments in civic facilities and essential infrastructure.
Led by international experts and supported by local teams, the project’s replicable methodology emphasizes strategic interconnections between destinations, improved public spaces, and sustainable urban management. The effort showcases a collaborative model for addressing change in sensitive cultural and environmental settings a model for other Vietnamese regions to balance growth and preservation.
Impact
The project serves as a transformative model for engaging and empowering ethnic minorities in strategic visioning, land management, and community development. By reinforcing public and private investment, it enhances the form, function, capacity, and resilience of villages, directly benefiting host communities. Endorsed by the Lao Cai People’s Committee, the initiative, set for implementation in 2024, highlights the creative collaboration between Australian and Vietnamese planning and design practices. It addresses vulnerabilities and day-to-day needs through meaningful engagement with ethnic minorities.
At its core, the project exemplifies best practices in Community-Based Tourism (CBT) and Sustainable Infrastructure Development (SID) by delivering integrated land use and infrastructure solutions that align with urban and environmental enhancement goals. Its coherent strategy fosters equitable sharing of benefits while respecting cultural heritage, ensuring sustainable socio-economic and environmental outcomes.
The true brilliance of this initiative lies in its collaborative approach, where complex concepts are distilled into practical, actionable solutions. By exemplifying leadership in cross-national planning and design, Australian landscape architects and Vietnamese professionals have set a precedent for international cooperation and capacity building.
As the project unfolds in 2024, it holds the potential to become a blueprint for future initiatives, particularly in culturally and environmentally sensitive settings, ensuring sustainable growth and preservation across Vietnam and beyond.
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