Enhancing community tourism

In recent years, the traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities have become an important resource in the province’s tourism development, creating unique heritage tourism and community tourism products that attract a large number of visitors to visit and experience.

The Ben Than community tourism site offers visitors many experiences to explore the wildness of nature and the unique customs of indigenous ethnic communities.

Ben Than village in Dong Son commune, Tan Son district, is located in the majestic Xuan Son National Forest System, rich in natural products. As the most remote area of the commune, Ben Than has more than 100 households living on the mountainside, mainly Dao ethnic people. In recent years, investment in infrastructure has made it easier for people to travel and trade. People actively work in production to develop the economy. At the same time, they actively teach their children to preserve the cultural identity of their ethnic group.

Recognizing the potential and advantages of nature, in August 2023, Tan Son Organic Agricultural Cooperative launched Ben Than community tourism. In addition to renovating roads and building a number of items to serve the needs of eating and resting tourists, the cooperative has established the Ben Than community tourism group, organizing interesting experiential activities such as bathing in streams, visiting caves, and enjoying and learning about local culinary culture. Coming to the Ben Than community tourism area, visitors will learn about customs and culture and participate in folk art activities of the Dao and Muong people; enjoy culinary culture with typical flavors of the Northwest region with dishes made from available fresh ingredients; experience bathing in Dao medicinal herbs, soaking in a tub of boiled tobacco, or bathing in cool streams amidst majestic natural scenery; and experience wearing traditional costumes to take photos with local people. Taking advantage of the cool climate, the water flowing from the cave is fresh all year round, suitable for raising cold-water fish. The cooperative has established a sturgeon farming group and an organic Shan Tuyet tea group to serve the needs of tourists and supply the market.

Ms. Trieu Thi Thom, Head of the community tourism group, shared: "The landscape is always green, clean, and beautiful, with the green of the forest mixed with the brilliant colors of native flowers. The culinary culture of our Dao ethnic group has left many good impressions on tourists. Developing tourism is also an opportunity to create jobs and improve the quality of life of the people. With direct income from tourism activities, the people’s lives will be improved, and the culture of local ethnic minorities will be promoted and widely promoted."

Tourists also have the opportunity to experience picking old tea trees and participate in the process of processing tea products with the Dao people.

Community tourism is becoming a highlight in the journey to explore the Ancestral Land, helping to promote and introduce unique cultural values to tourists. Preserving, conserving, and promoting ethnic cultural identity is a solution to diversify typical tourism products, attracting tourists from localities in the province. In particular, Tan Son and Thanh Son districts with the cultural identity of the Dao and Muong people and the natural beauty of Xuan Son National Park are suitable locations for the development of this type of tourism, with the proportion of ethnic minorities accounting for over 80%.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Chairman of the Provincial Folk Arts Association, said: “With the characteristics of the province having many ethnic minorities living together, in the process of living and working, customs and cultural identities suitable to the living environment conditions have been formed, creating unique identities. Up to now, the province has preserved and promoted many unique cultural values, thereby applying them to tourism development, creating unique and distinct products of each ethnic group, which are highly appreciated by tourists.”.

With the goal of developing tourism with an attractive cultural identity and becoming an important economic sector of the province, the tourism industry clearly defines the goal of building high-quality, diverse, branded tourism products and being one of the leading tourist destinations in the Northwest region. The province is encouraging and supporting a number of potential and strong tourism types, such as community cultural tourism, eco-tourism combined with agricultural tourism, and discovery tourism, to meet the increasingly diverse needs of tourists.

Thu Giang