Lac village improves tourism service quality

6/14/2017 - 9:19:29 AM

(HBO) – About 60km northwest of Hoa Binh city, Lac village of Chieng Chau commune, Mai Chau district, is hidden among mountain ranges. It is a popular destination, especially among those who passion natural beauty and ethnic minority culture.

Foreigners tour Lac village by bicycle

Lac village is situated in Mai Chau valley and is home to Thai ethnic people. Once here the peace and picturesque that nature has given to this place become apparent. In the past, locals depended on farming rice and making brocades for a livelihood. However, the village’s hidden charm has recently been explored, particularly through increasing community-based tourism, helping turn it into a key tourism site of Mai Chau and the northwestern region.

The number of tourists to Lac village has risen in recent years. Stilt houses have been upgraded but still have traditional features, while 57 houses provide homestay services in the village at present. More than 12,880 tourists, including about 2,950 foreigners, enjoyed the services in 2016. Service quality is improving and foreigners are not overcharged as all service prices are publicised. Tourists in groups can rent a stilt house at 500,000 – 1 million VND (22 – 44 USD) while single travellers can rent a room at 200,000 VND (8.8 USD).

Lang Cam Van, a student of the University of Industry, said her group with more than 50 members rented two houses at 750,000 VND (33 USD) each. The houses were clean while the host was very friendly, making them feel at home.

Foreign visitors enjoy coming here. They can eat traditional dishes of Thai ethnic people such as "ga doi” (free-range chicken), "mang dang” (bitter bamboo shoot), "ruou can” (wine drunk out of a jar by pipes), and "nep nuong” (sticky rice grown in hills). Daniel, a tourist from

New Zealand

, said: "I love the food here, especially "com lam” (bamboo-tube rice). This is the first time I seen rice is cooked in a special way. The sticky rice in combination with coconut and the typical fragrance of bamboo tubes create a perfect dish. We are not confused by the language because local people could communicate in English fluently. We also had a brocade weaving experience and joined art performances. We made a lot of unforgettable memories in this place.”

Head of the Lac hamlet Ha Cong Hong said tourism is the main source of income for locals at present. The previous year’s average per capita income was estimated at 27 million VND. We are always aware of improving service quality to attract visitors. Social order and security are ensured. We plan to build a tourism development project and create flower gardens for visitors to take photos.

According to Hong, locals understand that a good environment will boost community-based tourism. Households clean the streets and dredge the sewers. However, there are no effective measures to treat waste, with most rubbish burnt. Local communes have encouraged families to contribute money to hire an environment company to collect garbage.

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