(HBO) – As a magnet for tourists, Mai Chau has been honoured by the Traveller Review Awards, which evaluates the hospitality of tourist destinations, as one of the 10 most hospitable destinations in Vietnam in 2023.
An Italy tourist group pose for a photo in Hich village, a community-based tourist site in Mai Hich commune, Mai Chau district.
The award was based on more than 240 million verified reviews from Booking.com travellers. It shows Mai Chau’s role in Vietnam’s tourism map, and reflects the efforts of the Party Committee, administration and local residents of Mai Chau in promoting tourism.
Hoang Duc Minh, Vice Chairman of the Mai Chau People’s Committee, said that Mai Chau is a mountainous district, which is home to seven ethnic groups with diverse cultural identities.
Over the years, the committee has taken great efforts to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the ethnic groups through the issuance of many plans, directives, resolutions and projects in the field.
The locality’s efforts have reaped fruits. The district has revived and restored "Xen Muong” festival of Thai ethnic minority people, and "Gau Tao” festival of Mong ethnic minority people. In 2021, "keng long” dance of the Thai people was proposed for the title of national intangible cultural heritage.
Today, Mai Chau is one of the bright spots in the Vietnamese tourism map with 197 accommodation facilities for tourists, including four resorts - Avana Resort, Mai Chau Ecolodge, Ba Khan Village Resort, and Mai Chau Hideaway Resort. The district has eight community-based tourism sites.
Mai Chau welcomed 324,536 visitors in 2017, 332,000 visitors in 2018, and 379,500 visitors in 2019. After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, the district served 534,000 tourists, including 19,713 foreigners and 504,287 domestic visitors.
In the first nine months of 2023, Mai Chau welcomed 467,713 visitors, including 54,807 foreigners. Revenue from tourism has greatly contributed to the district's socio-economic development.
Ngan Van Tuan, head of the district’s Division of Information and Communications, in the time to come, in order to maintain its position as an attractive and hospitable destination, Mai Chau will continue to invest in tourism development, while expanding community-based tourism in association with environmental protection, encouraging local people to join hands in promoting cultural values and building the image of Mai Chau tourism.
Hoa Binh province’s rich natural and cultural resources position it as a prime location for developing community-based tourism (CBT). In recent years, support from central and provincial policies, as well as assistance from non-governmental organisations, have encouraged local ethnic minority and mountainous communities to actively engage in the sector.
Van Son Commune, Tan Lạc district, Hoa Binh province also known as "Cloud Valley," boasts a cool climate, stunning natural landscapes, and majestic scenery. Visitors who have been to this place should make a stop at Chien Hamlet to experience a lot of fascinating things and feel the friendly, warmth of the Muong ethnic people.
Thanks to the effective exploitation of natural landscape and the cultural diversity of ethnic minorities, Hoa Binh province has become an attractive destination for tourists seeking experiences and exploration.
The Department of Cultural Heritage has just coordinated with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province to organize a training on implementing the model of the cultural heritage connected in the cultural tourism journey in Cao Phong and Lac Son districts.
The Sung village in Cao Son commune, Da Bac district, is endowed with pristine natural landscape, and Dao Tien ethnic minority community in the village preserves rich cultural heritage, including traditional housing, clothing, language, scripts, customs, and daily life practices. Since the community-based tourism model was introduced in the locality, these traditional cultural values have been further preserved and promoted.
