"Keeping the flame alive" for community tourism.

A joyful spring festival of throwing the ball at the Ma Village Community Ecotourism Area, Thuong Xuan Commune.

Lunar New Year is a time for family reunions. But for many people involved in community tourism in Pu Luong (Pu Luong commune), Ma village (Thuong Xuan commune), and But village (Nam Xuan commune), Tet is also the busiest season. They dedicate all their efforts to preparing every meal, every room, every cultural performance, so that tourists not only "come to visit" but also experience the Tet atmosphere of the local people.

In Lan Ngoai village, Pu Luong commune, while plum and peach blossoms bloom by the verandas of stilt houses, Ms. Ha Thi Ly, the owner of a brocade shop, is still diligently working with other women in the village weaving carpets, wrapping banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), making com lam (traditional Vietnamese rice), and preparing ingredients for the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) feast. She shared: "The number of visitors during this time is not as large as usual, but everyone wants to experience the traditional Tet culture of the Thai people. My family has brewed delicious rice wine to welcome guests. Usually, they like to wrap cakes with us, sip rice wine, and listen to stories about Tet of the past. We don't create tourism through extravagance, but through the genuine way of life of our family."

Community-based tourism in Thanh Hoa province captivates visitors with its cultural depth and sense of intimacy. Each stilt house is not just a place to stay, but an "open cultural space" where visitors can listen to the lively sounds of drums and gongs, participate in traditional bamboo dances, enjoy the warm taste of rice wine, and hear stories about customs and traditions that have been preserved by the community for generations.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, folk artists and performing arts groups at tourist destinations are crucial "keepers of the flame." In Ma village, Ms. Vi Thi Phuong and the members of the Huong Rung performing arts group are actively practicing traditional dances and folk songs to welcome visitors during the spring festival. She said: "Each dance, each drumming and gong playing is not only for performance, but also an opportunity to spread cultural values. Thanks to tourism, the village has become more vibrant. Welcoming visitors is like welcoming relatives returning from afar."

Tet (Lunar New Year) is a special occasion for tourists to explore and experience the unique cultural atmosphere of the Pu Luong mountain region.

"Keeping the flame alive" for community tourism is not just about maintaining business momentum, but also about preserving identity. With Tet (Lunar New Year) approaching, young people working far from home have returned to their villages. Many homestays in Pu Luong, Nang Cat village, and Ma village are seeing increasingly active participation from local youth in guiding tourists, organizing folk games, and promoting destinations on social media. Ngan Anh Tuan, a young tour guide in Bang village, Pu Luong commune, said that Tet is when he most clearly feels the value of community tourism. Every time he leads tourists to wish them a happy new year and participate in folk games at the beginning of spring, he feels proud of his homeland. Tourism provides him with income, but more importantly, it helps him understand and love his own ethnic culture even more.

As spring spreads across the mountains and forests, those who "keep the flame" of community tourism burning quietly tend to every small detail to make their villages even more beautiful. They understand that a beautiful experience for tourists today is the seed for tomorrow's development. Ultimately, "keeping the flame" of community tourism burning means keeping the villages warm, ensuring that culture is not forgotten, and preserving for Thanh Hoa province a unique springtime charm – enduring, sincere, and rich in identity.

Text and photos: Le Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/giu-lua-du-lich-cong-dong-276826.htm