Creating "vitality" for community tourism

Amidst the peaceful space of Tay stilt houses hidden under the green forest canopy, the sound of Tinh lute and Then singing resonates as if pulling visitors into a unique cultural region. That is the picture of community tourism becoming increasingly vivid in many rural areas of Thai Nguyen - a land converging natural beauty and cultural depth of ethnic minorities.

One of the typical models is Thai Hai Reserve Area of Ecological Houses-on-stilts Ethnic Village (Thinh Duc commune, Thai Nguyen city), which was honored by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as the “Best Tourism Village 2022”.

Thai Hai Reserve Area of Ecological Houses-on-stilts Ethnic Village  (Thinh Duc Commune, Thai Nguyen City), is the first village in Vietnam to be honored as the “Best Tourism Village 2022”

On an area of more than 70 hectares, the village gathers more than 30 ancient stilt houses, authentically recreating the living space of the Tay people. Coming here, visitors can immerse themselves in the local rhythm of life: pounding Day cakes, cooking corn wine, weaving fabric, singing Then, playing Tinh lute, enjoying traditional dishes such as five-color sticky rice, grilled hill chicken, Lam rice (Bamboo-tube rice)...

Ms. Pham Kieu Anh, a visitor from Hanoi, shared: “I am truly impressed by the way people preserve and introduce their national culture. The feeling of eating, sleeping and living in a space imbued with mountainous quality makes me feel like living slowly and loving my country more”.

According to Mr. Nguyen Chu Thu, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Nguyen province, Thai Hai model has proven the right direction in combining tourism development with preserving national cultural identity. “Thai Nguyen identifies community tourism as an important pillar of cultural tourism, a way for local people to directly benefit from available cultural and natural resources”, Mr. Thu emphasized.

Along with Thai Hai, many other community tourism spots in the province are also being invested in and developed strongly. Mo Ga hamlet connects experiential tourism with forest ecology and limestone caves; Quyen village recreates the resistance space associated with revolutionary traditions; Tan Son hamlet develops an agricultural tourism model combined with tea planting experience and clean agricultural product harvesting.

The development of community tourism has helped people change their thinking and way of doing things, from self-sufficiency to professional service. Many households have had stable income from tourism. People are also more conscious of preserving the environment, preserving festivals, Then singing, Tinh lute... the values creating the soul of this land.

In recent years, Thai Nguyen has focused on investing in infrastructure, supporting people to learn homestay models and improving skills in serving tourists. Hundreds of households have been trained in environmental sanitation, food safety, product promotion communication and homestay management. The Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also coordinated with units to organize training classes for local guides and narrators, helping people confidently become “cultural ambassadors” of their own homeland.

Sustainable livelihoods from indigenous culture

In Khuan Bang hamlet, Cho Moi commune, the image of bright red tiled stilt houses, clean and beautiful village roads along with the bustling laughter of visitors is clear proof of the effectiveness of the community tourism model. Mr. Nguyen Van Hien, a resident of the hamlet, said that his family boldly invested in renovating the campus, adding auxiliary works to welcome guests. “Since opening for tourism, my family has had a significant additional source of income and people around here also have stable jobs. Each visitor coming is another opportunity for us to introduce Tay culture to friends everywhere”, Mr. Hien said excitedly.

According to statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Nguyen province, currently, the entire province has dozens of community tourism models operating effectively, in which many homestays meet 3-star OCOP standards. These tourist destinations have created regular jobs for hundreds of ethnic minority workers, contributing to increasing income, sustainable poverty reduction and preserving traditional cultural values.

Mr. Nguyen Chu Thu said: “What makes the success of Thai Nguyen community tourism is the consensus between the government and the people. Each house, each Then melody, each ethnic dish becomes a unique tourism product, contributing to promoting the local image”.

To maintain the development momentum, Thai Nguyen province is focusing on implementing synchronous solutions. According to Mr. Nguyen Chu Thu, the Department has proposed integrating community tourism activities with OCOP programs, new rural areas and digital transformation in tourism management. Along with that is the plan to promote destinations through online platforms, build digital tourism maps, introduce typical homestays and cultural heritage of ethnic minorities.

Not stopping at attracting domestic tourists, the province also aims to expand the international market. Mr. Nguyen Huu Cuong, Vice Chairman of Thai Nguyen Tourism Association, said: “Enterprises are coordinating with the province to build thematic experience tours, such as the journey to discover Tay, Nung culture, tea tourism routes and Viet Bac regional culture. This is a suitable direction for Thai Nguyen to affirm its green and sustainable tourism brand”.

The picture of Thai Nguyen community tourism today wears a new look. Tay, Nung, Dao, San Chay villages are no longer purely agricultural rural areas but have become attractive destinations, where visitors live with people, enjoy indigenous cuisine and hear stories about ancient culture.