(HBO) – Sung hamlet of Da Bac district’s Cao Son commune is home to more than 70 Dao ethnic minority households.
Muong ethnic people in Luy Ai hamlet in Tan Lac district’s Phong Phu commune preserve their stilt houses and traditional cultural values in association with community-based tourism development.
From a locality that mainly engaged in agricultural production,
Sung hamlet has become an attractive community-based tourism destination. In
2008, there were not many services for tourists. Now, the hamlet’s roads have
been concretised. Locals have poured capital into homestays. In particular,
people still keep their traditional houses, maintain brocade weaving and revive
their unique cultural features.
Dang Van Xuan, owner of a homestay establishment in Sung hamlet, said that over
70% of tourists who visit and stay overnight in the village are foreigners,
adding that they are excited to experience the cultural characteristics of the
Dao ethnic people.
He also said that an art troupe, a brocade weaving and a tour guide team have
been set up todiversify the hamlet's services.
Coming to Sung hamlet, visitors can also bathe in herbal water from the
traditional medicine of the Dao ethnic people and enjoy traditional dishes.
Luy Ai hamlet in Tan Lac district’s Phong Phu commune where Muong ethnic
minority people inhabit is also a community-based tourism site in the province.
like Sung hamlet, tourism products of Luy Ai hamlet are stilt houses, the
customs and habits, the beauty in daily life and the culture of the Muong ethnic
people.
Dinh Cong Lon's family was one of the first households to involve in tourism
activities in Luy Ai hamlet. His family upgraded their old stilt house which is
over 30 years old to serve guests. Despite being refurbished, it still keeps
the typical features of a Muong stilt house.
The development of community-based tourism has changed the lives of people in
Sung and Luy Ai hamlets and other hamlets will also enjoy positive changes
thanks to this orientation.
Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic
minorities in association with tourism development is one of the important
projects in the implementation of the National Target Programme on
socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the 2021
– 2030 period, with the first phase from 2021 - 2025, in the province.
It focuses on preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, fostering
and training cadres who are in charge of cultural affairs as well as supporting
cultural facilities and equipment for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas
to improve the spiritual life for ethnic minorities in association with
community-based tourism development.
The implementation of the project is expected to contribute to preserving and
promoting the traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities in the
locality./.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.
Da Bac district, bestowed with stunning landscapes, is developing ecological and resort tourism offerings. Several tourist sites, put into operation this year, has attracted throngs of high-spending and young domestic visitors.