Dao ethnic tourist village at the foot of Yen Tu

Located at the foot of Yen Tu Mountain, Thuong Yen Cong commune (Uong Bi City) has nearly 60% of its population belonging to ethnic minorities, with some villages and hamlets where 100% of the residents are Thanh Y Dao people. Here, the local government and people are working together to develop it into a space for preserving the unique culture of ethnic minorities, creating many attractive and novel experiences for tourists visiting Yen Tu.

The Gốc Đa hamlet, Khe Sú 2 village, Thượng Yên Công commune, has 100% of its population belonging to the Dao Thanh Y ethnic group.

The hamlet of Gốc Đa in Thượng Yên Công commune has 67 households. 100% of the residents are Thanh Y Dao people. Families here live together in close-knit communities. In their daily lives, the people wear clothing similar to that of the Kinh people. Only on special occasions such as festivals, village events, weddings, or coming-of-age ceremonies do they wear traditional clothing and perform rituals and customs passed down from their ancestors.

Since the community-based tourism model of Mr. Truong Van Duong's family (in Goc Da hamlet, Khe Su 2 village) came into operation, the beautiful traditional cultural features of the Thanh Y Dao people have been more frequently and widely showcased. Participating in the model, Dao women wear traditional costumes, introduce tourists to the exquisite art of embroidery and sewing; serve tourists traditional dishes; and apply their knowledge of Dao traditional medicine for tourists to experience.

The community-based tourism model of Mr. Truong Van Duong's family in Goc Da hamlet.

“I’ve traveled extensively, visiting ethnic minority villages in Northwest Vietnam, and I realized why they can transform their culture into a tourism product while the Thanh Y Dao people in Thuong Yen Cong commune haven’t. That thought inspired me to invest and work with my brothers, sisters, and neighbors to build this community tourism model,” Mr. Duong shared.

Currently, Mr. Duong's family-run community tourism model only offers sightseeing, herbal baths and foot soaks, and food services. He said that by the end of this year, he will build an additional homestay with 10 rooms, expand the exhibition area for traditional embroidery and clothing making, and add more folk cultural and artistic performances to serve tourists.

Dao Thanh Y women showcase traditional embroidery art and sell handcrafted embroidery products to tourists at the Goc Da hamlet community tourism model in Khe Su 2 village.

The Gốc Đa hamlet is also seeing an increasing number of buildings with a more traditional style. The house and ancestral temple of Mr. Triệu Văn Điền's family, currently under construction, is one such example. The complex consists of three spaces: a two-story main house, with the first floor for living and the second for worship; to the left is an exhibition area showcasing the culture of the Thanh Y Dao people; and to the right is the kitchen and outbuildings.

“Every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, men who have undergone the initiation ceremony visit all the houses to pray for wealth, prosperity, and peace for their families and the villagers. We go to light incense and visit from the village chief's house to the houses of the shamans, and then visit each other's houses. For example, my family has a shaman as a shaman, so every year many people come to visit, wish us a Happy New Year, and light incense. My purpose in building a spacious temple, modeled after traditional architecture, is both to welcome people to visit and to contribute to preserving the culture of my ethnic group. Next year, I will build four more homestays so that tourists can eat, stay, and experience the culture of the Thanh Y Dao people,” Mr. Dien added.

The new house of Mr. Trieu Van Dien's family in Goc Da hamlet was built according to the traditional architecture of the Dao Thanh Y people.

Recognizing the unique cultural characteristics of the Dao Thanh Y people as a distinctive feature of Thuong Yen Cong commune, the commune government has developed a plan to build a community tourism village in Khe Su 2 hamlet. The plan centers around Goc Da hamlet, aiming to transform the Goc Da residential area into a community tourism village with at least two households offering food services; two households providing bathing, soaking, and herbal sales services; establishing embroidery groups or clubs; and encouraging families with suitable conditions to renovate and build new houses reflecting the Dao ethnic identity into homestays for tourists.

Ms. Pham Thi Phuong Thuy, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuong Yen Cong commune, said: "The plan can only succeed if it receives the agreement and support of the people, mobilizing their strength and cooperation in cultural preservation. Along with promoting the role of respected individuals, village elders, and community leaders in preserving traditional culture, we will strengthen propaganda and information dissemination to each individual and family so that people understand and work together to restore traditional cultural features that are at risk of disappearing."

The traditional costumes of the Dao Thanh Y people are displayed in the Cultural Space Exhibition House of the Dao Thanh Y ethnic group.

Recently, the residents of Goc Da hamlet were even more delighted when the Thanh Y Dao ethnic minority cultural space exhibition hall was inaugurated at the Thuong Yen Cong Commune Cultural Center. The building, considered a community museum, was constructed using personal belongings, dowry items, and contributions from individuals and families in Goc Da hamlet as well as the Dao community throughout the city. Not only is it a place to preserve and honor the values ​​of the Thanh Y Dao people, but the exhibition hall also promises to become a major tourist attraction.

At the foot of the sacred Yen Tu mountain, a renowned landmark on the verge of becoming a world heritage site, the precious cultural values ​​of the Dao Thanh Y people are gradually being awakened and given new life, spreading strongly in modern life.