Attractive community tourism in Vat Hong

In the last days of autumn, we returned to Vat Hong residential group, when the typical cold air of Moc Chau began to seep through each stilt house. Different from the hustle and bustle of the city center, Vat Hong welcomed us with a fresh, peaceful atmosphere. The small concrete road winds between rice fields and strawberry gardens; on both sides are homestays that are carefully invested in from the decoration to the clean and beautiful landscape, and flower hedges that are colorful all year round.

What makes community tourism here attractive and successful is the joint efforts of service providers. Together they diversify tourism products, cooperate with travel agencies to organize experiential tours, increasing the number of tourists, bringing a stable source of income for local people.

Tourists experience cultural space at Vat Hong residential group, Moc Chau ward.

Mr. Ha Van Trong, Party cell secretary, head of Vat Hong residential group, shared: Currently, the residential group has over 20 households doing tourism. We propagate and mobilize people to preserve traditional cultural features, support each other in investing in infrastructure, share experiences in tourism, communication skills, cuisine ... all aimed at promoting and introducing residential group community tourism to domestic and foreign tourists.

Coming to Hoa Moc Mien homestay of Ms. Luong Thi Hong Tuoi, Head of the community tourism development group of Vat Hong residential group, visitors will stay in a spacious stilt house, with a capacity of about 30 people, surrounded by a strawberry garden, a clean dining area and restroom.

Taking us on a tour, Ms. Tuoi said: In 2019, Vat Hong was selected to pilot a community tourism model. Households in the village, including my family, were all trained in tourism skills, from decoration, cleaning, serving, to food preparation. All activities have clear standards, no longer done spontaneously like before.

Thanks to that, Vat Hong's appearance has changed significantly, and more and more people know about it. Ms. Tuoi's homestay now regularly welcomes 20-30 guests every weekend, peaking at about 200 guests/month. In addition to accommodation, visitors can enjoy Thai cuisine, foot baths, herbal baths, join campfires and cultural exchanges with local people.

Impressed by the experience of community tourism in Vat Hong residential group, Ms. Hoang Quynh Trang, a tourist from Hung Yen , shared: After researching, my family chose to stay at a community homestay in Vat Hong. What I like most is the sincerity and warmth of the people here. Besides providing services, they also helped us understand more about local customs and culture, such as staying in a stilt house, enjoying mountain specialties, immersing ourselves in a cultural exchange night, holding hands and dancing the impressive Thai xoe dance. We felt like we were living in our own family, not tourists. In the morning, the hostess also invited me to pick vegetables in the garden, a simple but valuable experience. I will definitely come back to this place many more times.

Visitors enjoy ethnic cuisine at Hoa Moc Mien homestay.

Thanks to the consensus of the people and the support of the government, the community tourism model in Vat Hong is helping people escape poverty, become rich sustainably in their homeland, contributing to preserving and promoting national cultural identity, enriching the tourism picture of the highlands.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/du-lich/hap-dan-du-lich-cong-dong-o-vat-hong-7jjCDMzDR.html