Loc An - starting point for community tourism

Tourist groups from provinces and cities experience the traditional space of the Southern Central Highlands in B'Dor village.

B'Dor village has a natural area of ​​over 337 hectares with 506 households, more than 2,200 people are ethnic minorities. The life of the villagers is mainly agricultural production with 2 main crops: coffee and tea. Currently, the villagers have also switched to growing some fruit trees with high economic value such as durian, mangosteen... Up to now, B'Dor village has more than 97% of households with solid houses, over 85% of households are cultural families, the whole village has 3 poor households.

Village chief K' Juyen said: In addition to making efforts to develop the economy, people in B'Dor village, with the desire to preserve the traditional values ​​of their ancestors, have established gong and traditional dance teams, and preserved the traditional weaving profession. From these traditional values, people have begun to do tourism , and visitors from other provinces and cities have come to know this small village. Currently, Mr. K' Dech is the one who still preserves the precious gong set of the local people. During festivals, the sound of gongs resonates in the space of the mountains and forests, the community house, and the church. Or like old lady Ka Breu, who is still diligently preserving the tradition through the loom to weave brocade. In addition, wooden houses with flower trellises are also the highlight of the village.

One of the outstanding strengths of Loc An commune is its cultural and culinary value, where the dishes are not only "specialties" but also stories of the land and people. Ngoc Kim restaurant and Tam Chau restaurant are two typical places for local cuisine to be elevated, both preserving the traditional spirit and ensuring service quality. Here, rustic dishes such as grilled hill chicken, bamboo rice, steamed stream fish with forest leaves or wild vegetables with sesame salt not only satisfy the taste buds but also evoke deep memories and emotions about the highland.

In particular, the traditional cultural values ​​of indigenous people are the "precious gem" that Loc An possesses. The K'Ho community in B'Dor village is a "living museum" of indigenous culture. Interacting with the local people, visitors will experience the village lifestyle, learn about traditional customs and practices, and enjoy the strong rice wine in the bustling sound of gongs. The space of Central Highlands gong culture is alive in every beat of drums, gongs, cymbals, dances, and daily activities of the people.

Village chief K' Juyen also added that his brother is a tour guide currently working in Ho Chi Minh City. During festivals, he takes visitors to visit the village and opens a facility to introduce rice wine and brocade of the local people in the city. As a son born and raised in Loc An, Dr. Duong Duc Minh - Deputy Director of the Institute for Economic Development and Tourism Research said: Different from familiar destinations such as Da Lat or Bao Loc..., Loc An has the beauty of the primitive, peaceful but no less unique. This place is a wonderful blend of natural and human elements, between poetic scenery and the depth of indigenous culture. This makes Loc An especially suitable for the development orientation of cultural experience tourism, sustainable agriculture, where visitors can not only admire but also interact, participate and understand.

Notably, according to Dr. Duong Minh Duc, the Institute for Economic and Tourism Development Research is currently promoting the development of a specialized tourism product called “The Great Forest Forever in Our Hearts”, a model of profound experiential tourism, aiming to contribute to positioning and exploiting Loc An as an important link in the Central Highlands tourism value chain. This is not just a simple tour program but a development strategy associated with the community, in which businesses and people participate in creating products and at the same time benefit together.

Diversifying types of experiences such as cultural exchange, festivals, cuisine, to school tourism, creative tourism, healing tourism helps tourists have more choices and also creates unforgettable, deeply personalized impressions. Along with that, the positivity of the local government, the imprint of Loc An's children working in the tourism industry are opportunities, potentials, and advantages for community tourism to develop more and more.

Mr. Do Hoang Ngoc Diep - Vice Chairman of Loc An Commune People's Committee said: Loc An has a lot of potential to develop community tourism, the problem is how to exploit and develop this type of tourism appropriately. Up to now, tourists inside and outside the province have known Loc An through its traditional cultural values, cuisine imbued with national identity. In addition to focusing on developing agriculture, business, and trade, community tourism is also an advantage for people to develop, especially ethnic minority villages.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/du-lich/202505/loc-an-khoi-diem-cho-du-lich-cong-dong-3930602/