Community-based tourism - A driving force for poverty alleviation.

- In the context of many localities striving to find sustainable economic development directions, community-based tourism (CBT) has become an effective solution exploited by the tourism industry in Lang Son. This model not only maximizes the use of unique cultural and natural resources but also creates sustainable livelihoods, helping local people have stable incomes on-site and contributing to poverty reduction.

Tourists take souvenir photos at a homestay in Quynh Son community tourism village.

Community-based tourism is not only a form of exploiting cultural and natural resources but is also proven to be an effective economic solution, especially in disadvantaged areas.

Livelihood leverage

Over the years, many people in Bac Son commune have proactively invested in community-based tourism models. In 2010, Mr. Duong Cong Trich's family proactively borrowed capital to switch their production model from livestock farming to tourism development. Mr. Trich said: "Running a homestay business also provides jobs for people in the village, helping to reduce poverty. Income from tourism is much higher than from agriculture , because with 2-3 groups of tourists each month, we earn as much as we would in a year of farming. That's also the motivation for my family to continue investing boldly in tourism development."

Initially starting with just a few establishments, the Quỳnh Sơn Community-Based Tourism Village now boasts 12 businesses offering tourist accommodation services. Mr. Trịnh Minh Tuấn, Chairman of the Bắc Sơn Commune People's Committee, affirmed that community-based tourism is a practical solution that brings many benefits to the locality. First, it helps create local jobs and diversify income through services such as accommodation, food, and other services. Tourism activities also contribute to enhancing traditional cultural values. In the first 11 months of 2025 alone, Quỳnh Sơn village attracted nearly 16,000 visitors, including nearly 1,000 overnight guests.

Foreign tourists experience vegetable farming activities at the community tourism village in Huu Lien commune.

Besides Quynh Son, another bright spot in the province's community-based tourism development is Huu Lien village in Huu Lien commune. Visitors here can immerse themselves in the fresh air, experience the life of the local people, and enjoy traditional folk songs, as well as savor local dishes such as sticky rice cakes, sausages, mountain snails, and grilled stream fish.

Ms. Le Thi Thim's family is one of the first five families in Huu Lien commune to register to participate in building the "homestay" model, named Green Forest Homestay. Ms. Thim said: "Previously, my family mainly worked in agriculture, with unstable income. Since 2017, when the commune People's Committee promoted and encouraged the project, my family borrowed 50 million VND to renovate and design additional rooms to build a homestay in our stilt house. In 2020, we invested in building another homestay and expanded services to include: foot baths, traditional Dao herbal baths, experiencing making black sticky rice cakes and pumpkin cakes, and kayaking. Currently, the two homestays are operating stably, welcoming an average of 180-200 guests per month. Income after deducting expenses reaches 45 million VND per month."

The success of the first community-based tourism (CBT) models has become a model for replicating tourism businesses in the commune. After more than 8 years, Huu Lien CBT village now has 36 homestays serving tourists. Mr. Khong Hong Minh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Huu Lien commune, said: "Previously, the economy of the people of Huu Lien depended mainly on agricultural production, especially in remote villages, where people's lives were still very difficult. However, by taking advantage of the strengths of the landscape and promoting the unique cultural values ​​of the ethnic groups, many attractive tourism products have been developed in the commune to attract tourists, such as: products made from brocade, herbs, local wine, traditional cuisine... Thanks to tourism, people have jobs in the area, increasing their income, and many households have escaped poverty through CBT. From the beginning of the year until now, Huu Lien CBT village has welcomed over 42,000 visitors, with tourism revenue estimated at over 15.3 billion VND." The average per capita income is estimated to reach 42 million VND in 2025, and the poverty rate will decrease to 4.2%.

Besides the Hữu Liên and Quỳnh Sơn community-based tourism villages, the province has four other community-based tourism villages recognized by the Provincial People's Committee: the former Yên Thịnh commune (now Hữu Liên commune); the Vũ Lăng commune; the Mông Ân commune (formerly Bình Gia district), now Bình Gia commune; and the Chiến Thắng commune (formerly Bắc Sơn district), now Vũ Lễ commune. Many of these locations, after investment and development, have proven effective. When people engage in tourism based on their own cultural identity, they not only preserve their traditions but also open the door to sustainable poverty alleviation.

Notably, in 2025, the Huu Lien and Yen Thinh community-based tourism destinations were honored with the ASEAN Tourism Award, in the categories of Community-Based Tourism Village (Huu Lien) and Homestay Cluster (Yen Thinh), respectively; in particular, the Quynh Son Community-Based Cultural Village (Bac Son commune) was recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) as the Best Tourism Village of 2025. These results affirm the positive role of community-based tourism in protecting the landscape, biodiversity, and preserving local cultural identity; while also contributing to building and promoting the Lang Son community-based tourism brand, gradually elevating the province's tourism image to regional and international levels.

Promoting sustainable development

To achieve these results, the provincial tourism industry has effectively implemented and promoted support for the construction of infrastructure and technical facilities at tourist destinations; organized training courses for households participating in community-based tourism businesses; provided 12 sets of tools and equipment to standardize food and beverage services; and supported the development of experiential service models for tourists… Through these efforts, the activities of welcoming and relaxing at community-based tourism villages have been gradually standardized.

From 2023 to the present, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (CST) has coordinated with localities to promote and encourage households in community tourism destinations to register to participate in implementing the ASEAN-standard homestay model; improve the quality of tourism human resources, build a system of signposts, and develop infrastructure... As a result, tens of billions of VND have been mobilized from the state budget and social resources to build facilities serving tourism development at community tourism destinations.

In particular, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has coordinated the organization of over 10 training courses for households in community tourism destinations on implementing ASEAN tourism criteria such as housing, food safety and hygiene, communication etiquette, room service, table service, and reception. The households also had the opportunity to learn from the experiences of community tourism destinations that meet the standards in several other provinces.

Notably, to further solidify its brand in community-based tourism development, on July 15, 2025, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution No. 19 promulgating regulations on some policies to support community-based tourism development in Lang Son province and promote the value of the UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark in the period 2025 - 2030.

Mr. Luu Ba Mac, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “Immediately after Resolution 19 was issued, we sent a document requesting opinions from inter-agency bodies, localities, businesses, and business households in the province, and developed inter-agency guidelines for implementing the resolution. This demonstrates our determination to bring the resolution into practice as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Developing community-based tourism is a model suitable for the province's natural conditions and tourism resources. It is also a direction that contributes to protecting and promoting national cultural heritage, creating resources for economic development, and improving the quality of life for the people, especially for ethnic minority communities in mountainous, remote, and border areas.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/khi-du-lich-cong-dong-tro-thanh-dong-luc-thoat-ngheo-5067484.html