People in Cha Day village in Pa Co commune, Mai Chau district of Hoa Binh province, have been taking advantage of natural conditions and traditional cultural values to develop community-based tourism which has helped improve their quality of life.
Tourists join in picking tea leaves with local people
in Cha Day village.
In the past, Mong people in Pa Co commune mostly
earned their living by growing corn, paddy and raising cattle and poultry. Six years ago, Phang A Pao, a local resident,
was the first person to start community-based tourism model in the commune. Pao, who is now head of a group of farmers who
provide Mong homestay service, said that since he started his tourism business,
he has learnt many things. He understood that preserving the natural
landscape and cultural identity can help people from ethnic groups to develop,
and escape from poverty.
So far, ten families in the village have joined
in developing community-based tourism in association with preserving and
promoting tangible and intangible cultural values.
In the village, the homestay service providers
have still preserved traditional houses made of natural materials and decorated
in the style of Mong people. New tourism products have been exploited such as
cultural space of the Mong people, traditional night market, and camping
combined with cloud watching in the mountains, which helped attract domestic
and international visitors.
Anline, a visitor from France, said that she was
impressed when she visited "Mong Space" and was told interesting
stories about traditional costumes, patterns on fabric, and long preserved
items. She was also guided to make paper, paint with beeswax and relax with
herbal bath.
After 6 years of implementing the
community-based tourism models, Cha Day village has become one of the popular
destinations for domestic and international tourists. While running tourism
business, households in the village are highly aware of the importance of
preserving local culture, particularly traditional costumes, cuisine, and
festivals.
Up to now, the "Homestay Mong and
experience Pa Co agriculture" has gathered 35 members with six homestays.
Houses that provide homestay service got an average annual income of 100
million VND (4,000 USD).
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.
Currently, in the region of Mong ethnic people, Hang Kia commune (Mai Chau) is exploiting the community tourism activities relatively effectively. The tourism economy has been sustainably developing, basing on the potential and advantages of the natural resources and traditional cultural identity. The model is increasingly being replicated, creating changes in awareness, and contributing to the progressive changes in people's lives.
