Leveraging Indigenous Culture as a Core Driver for Tourism Attraction

Alongside unlocking the vast potential of their natural landscapes, ethnic minority communities across the province are actively mobilizing the raw authenticity and historical depth of their indigenous culture to drive community-based tourism, effectively transforming this unique heritage into a powerful competitive edge to captivate international and domestic travelers.

International travelers explore traditional weaving arts at a local community-based tourism hub.

Mo Village in Thung Nai Commune is widely recognized as a premier community-based tourism destination, drawing visitors through its well-preserved network of over 100 ancient stilt houses and an authentic, rustic, and untouched Muong cultural space. Visiting the village, travelers can explore a unique stilt-house architecture crafted from wood and roofed with palm leaves, seamlessly nestled at the foot of mountain ranges and enveloped by valleys that create a tranquil, poetic landscape.

At this community-based tourism hub, visitors can fully immerse themselves in the indigenous lifestyle, discovering traditional crafts kept alive by the villagers, such as brocade weaving, bamboo basketry, and agriculture. They can savor local forest delicacies, including bamboo-tube rice free-range village pork, grilled river fish, sour bamboo shoots, and fermented straw wine, while enjoying folk song performances, generational Muong gong recitals, and traditional dances preserved across eras.

Sung Village in Cao Son Commune remains another pristine community-based tourism destination where the Dao Tien ethnic group leverages their cultural identity for regional development. Here, travelers can experience a rustic lifestyle—sleeping in stilt houses, enjoying local village meals, taking medicinal herb baths, and watching cultural performances staged by the village’s own youth. Visitors can also explore the intricate art of brocade weaving using beeswax-painting techniques, observe how the Dao Tien “keep the flame alive” for handmade Dzo paper-making—gradually creating economically valuable products for export—and witness the preservation of medicinal plants and traditional family herbal medicine integrated into tourism to foster sustainable livelihoods.

The architectural footprint of ancient stilt houses offers an authentic immersion experience for visitors.

Among the prominent indigenous cultural destinations are the community-based tourism villages within Xuan Dai Commune. In the native cultural spaces of the Muong in Du and Lap villages, and the Dao in Coi village and Lang hamlet, travelers thoroughly enjoy homestays in traditional stilt houses, tasting local cuisine, taking medicinal baths, exploring cave networks, and participating in traditional festivals and dances.

Following National Highway 6 along the Northwestern tourism corridor, the indigenous culture of the Thai ethnic group in Mai Chau, Mai Ha, and Bao La communes, as well as that of the Hmong group, leaves a profound impression, enhancing the destination’s appeal. Nathalie, a tourist from France, shared: 'I had an extended holiday and the opportunity to meet and learn about the native culture of the Thai and Hmong communities. The reward of this vacation was not only relaxation and nature exploration but also unforgettable experiences within rustic village settings that harmonize beautifully with nature, alongside traditional cultural and artistic activities, folk games, and festivals. Notably, the Hmong people in Pa Co highly focus on preserving their ethnic attire and traditional crafts.'

Phu Tho is the shared home of 51 ethnic groups, hosting over 1 million ethnic minority citizens, predominantly the Muong, Dao, Cao Lan, Thai, Tay, and Hmong. Mr. Bui Xuan Truong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, affirmed: 'For each locality, cultural identity is not only a source of community pride but also serves as the core “key” to driving sustainable tourism and economic growth. Preserving and promoting these heritage assets helps safeguard the nation’s cultural soul throughout global integration.'

In recent years, marrying the preservation of the Ancestral Land heritage with the development of community-based tourism has been anchored as a core provincial strategy. This model focuses heavily on ethnic minority zones populated by the Muong, Thai, Dao, and Hmong. The cultural identity of these communities delivers a highly differentiated experiential value, fosters deep human connections, and acts as a vital lever for sustainable livelihood optimization and long-term poverty alleviation.

Bui Minh