A journey of over 20 years building happy villages in Thai Nguyen.

Thai Nguyen - From ancient stilt houses nestled amidst pristine wilderness, Thai Hai village has transformed itself into a model of sustainable community tourism.

In late 2003, amidst a still-untouched area in Tan Cuong, Thai Nguyen province, the first stilt houses were erected, marking the beginning of a unique village called Thai Hai. Through unity and shared belief in a common dream, the people here have gradually transformed this barren land into a prosperous community, preserving the core of Tay ethnic culture and opening up a path towards sustainable tourism development.

Thai Hai Village has welcomed international visitors from 40 countries and territories. Photo: Le Nga

From hardship to a close-knit community.

Over 20 years ago, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai, head of Thai Hai village, came up with the idea of ​​buying back the ancient stilt houses of the Tay ethnic group in the ATK Dinh Hoa National Special Historical Site ( Thai Nguyen province) to restore them to their original state on a new plot of land. Not stopping at preserving the architecture, Ms. Hai invited the owners of the stilt houses to live in the village, together creating a cultural preservation area for the Tay ethnic group, encompassing both tangible and intangible aspects.

That idea, in the early 2000s, was perhaps considered risky. However, the steadfastness of the initiator and the belief of the people laid the foundation for a unique community model: living together, working together, and preserving culture as an integral part of their being.

During the first year, life in Thai Hai village was extremely difficult. The villagers had to raise livestock and plant trees to sustain their livelihoods. No one was left out of the collective effort. Every family and every individual contributed to the village's survival and development.

Traditional stilt houses in Thai Hai village, Thai Nguyen province. Photo: Phung Minh

To date, covering an area of ​​over 70 hectares, Thai Hai village is home to 50 families, nearly 200 people of various ethnic groups such as Tay, Nung, Dao, and Kinh, who come from many provinces and cities such as Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang , and Phu Tho...

According to Ms. Le Thi Nga, Deputy Head of Thai Hai village, amidst the ever-changing pace of modern life, the villagers still steadfastly maintain the tradition of "sharing meals and money."

Accordingly, this common fund ensures a livelihood for all members, from the elderly to young children, covering daily living expenses, education, and healthcare. No one is left behind, and no one is exempt from their responsibility to the community.

Community-based tourism is closely linked to cultural identity.

What makes Thai Hai village fundamentally different is not only its ancient stilt houses or lush green natural landscape, but also the preservation of its culture, maintained through generations of villagers.

In Thai Hai village, children are taught to sing Then songs and play the Tinh lute – art forms characteristic of the Tay ethnic group. They speak their mother tongue in daily life, while also learning Vietnamese and English to prepare them for integration.

This dual education system helps the younger generation both deeply understand the roots of their national culture and acquire the necessary skills to engage with the outside world. It also ensures sustainable cultural preservation, preventing the culture from existing only in the memories of the elderly.

As the lives of the local people gradually stabilized, Thai Hai village began to open its doors to tourists. However, the goal was not to develop tourism on a massive scale, but rather to promote community tourism closely linked to cultural preservation.

The Tay ethnic group's New Rice Festival takes place in Thai Hai village. Photo: Le Nga.

Tourists enthusiastically participate in the festival in Thai Hai village. Photo: Le Nga.

To attract tourists while preserving its identity, the village is constantly expanding its experiential activities such as the Golden Bridge, the Silver Bridge, a space recreating the Tay New Year, herbal foot bath services, participation in agricultural labor, or living with the locals...

Traditional festivals such as the Lồng Tồng festival, the Gratitude ceremony, and the Mụ worship ceremony are no longer confined to the community, but have become opportunities for tourists to participate, eat, work, and gain a deeper understanding of the spiritual life of the Tay people.

Ms. Le Thi Nga said: “Tourists come here not only to see, but to truly immerse themselves in the local culture. We introduce Then songs and lively melodies from the Tinh lute. To help tourists participate more deeply in the culture of the Tay people, they will have the opportunity to make traditional swallows' nests for festivals, make five-colored lucky charms, or make the 'con' ball for the festival.”

By directly participating in the creation of cultural products, tourists are no longer outsiders, but become part of the festival and the spiritual life of the place.

The people of Thai Hai village preserve and develop many traditional agricultural products such as traditional herbal medicine, tea, ethnic wine... and handicrafts. Photo: Le Nga

Cuisine is also a major highlight of Thai Hai. Currently, the village boasts over 100 distinctive dishes of the Tay ethnic group, from braised pork belly and carp stewed in fermented rice to wild banana flower salad, five-colored sticky rice, and traditional cakes. Each dish is not only for enjoyment but also tells a story about customs, lifestyles, and indigenous knowledge passed down from generation to generation.

From a remote village to the title of best in the world.

Over the past two decades, thanks to its consistent and appropriate development direction, Thai Hai Village has continuously made its mark with many prestigious titles: Top 10 best restaurants serving tourists in Vietnam in 2016 and 2017; Top 5 leading restaurants in Vietnam in 2019; and recognized by UNESCO Vietnam as a "work of value in preserving traditional culture and educating the spirit of national unity" in 2017.

In 2022, it was the only representative from Southeast Asia to be honored by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) as the "Best Tourist Village in the World" - a well-deserved recognition for its sustainable, community-based development model. In 2024, it will receive the ASEAN Community Tourism Award.

The two most recent awards that Thai Hai village won in 2025 within the framework of the "Vietnam Tourism Awards" competition organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are "Best Community Tourism Destination" and "Best Restaurant Serving Tourists". The product "Tay Ethnic Culture Tourism - Thai Hai Village" will be recognized as a 5-star national OCOP product in 2025.

Thai Hai Village has become a highlight on the tourism map of Thai Nguyen. It is one of the bright spots in preserving intangible cultural heritage through the model of a community-based cultural tourism village; recreating the traditional cultural living space of the Tay ethnic group in conjunction with tourism development.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, Thai Hai steadfastly maintains a lifestyle of sharing and humanity, transforming from a small village nestled in the mountains into a "happy village" in the hearts of both domestic and international tourists. For many visitors, Thai Hai is not just a destination, but a place to learn how to live slowly, share, and live in harmony with nature.

The story of Thai Hai village illustrates that when cultural heritage is placed at the center of development, culture is not only preserved but also becomes a resource for creating livelihoods and improving the quality of life for the community. This is also the overarching direction that Thai Nguyen province and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism are persistently pursuing in their future development strategy.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Nguyen province continues to advise on the development and improvement of institutions and policies, and mobilize resources to promote the cultural identity of the people of Thai Nguyen.

The focus is defined by three directions: making culture a resource and driving force for development; promoting traditional cultural values ​​to inspire aspirations for building Thai Nguyen province into a "peaceful, happy, prosperous, and friendly" province; and simultaneously creating a unique cultural identity, affirming the province's position in the process of international integration and cooperation.

Simultaneously, the province has set the goal of developing cultural tourism rapidly and sustainably, commensurate with its potential and advantages in cultural heritage; focusing on the synchronous development of tourism infrastructure and technical facilities in a modern and professional direction, linked with smart tourism, gradually making Thai Nguyen one of the major cultural tourism centers, so that tourism truly becomes an important economic sector in the socio-economic development strategy of the locality.

The positive results achieved in the conservation, restoration, and promotion of intangible cultural values ​​in the province over the past period have created a favorable foundation for the development of cultural tourism associated with community tourism.

Ninh Phuong

Source: https://laodong.vn/du-lich/kham-pha/hanh-trinh-hon-20-nam-dung-xay-ban-lang-hanh-phuc-o-thai-nguyen-1625443.html