Nam Dam develops sustainable tourism.

Nestled at the foot of Doi Mountain, Nam Dam village in Quan Ba ​​commune (Tuyen Quang province) still preserves the unique traditional culture of the Dao ethnic group. The preservation of this traditional culture has become the "key" to Nam Dam's success in attracting tourists and developing sustainable community tourism.

Folk artist Ly Dai Thong researched and recorded the customs and traditions of the Dao ethnic group.

In the early 1990s, the Dao ethnic minority households, who had previously lived scattered on the high mountain slopes, where fog covered the area year-round, decided to descend from the mountains. After surveying many places, they chose Nam Dam, a flatter area with arable land and a stable water source, as their new settlement.

In this new land, the people diligently engage in agriculture and livestock farming, and their lives have improved significantly. Furthermore, the village is close to the commune center, so children can attend school regularly, and adults can easily access medical facilities when they are sick. Therefore, from just a few dozen households in the beginning, the village now has nearly 70 residents.

The most valuable aspect is the Dao people's unwavering commitment to preserving their traditional culture. Mr. Ly Dai Thong, a folk artist from the village, shared: "The people here believe that traditional culture, passed down from previous generations, is intrinsically linked to the lives of the Dao people from one generation to the next and cannot be abandoned. Therefore, customs, folk songs, traditional clothing, house architecture, festivals, and cuisine are all preserved."

With that mindset, despite many changes in life, the people remain consistent in preserving traditional house architecture. The thick-walled earthen houses with tiled roofs, built according to the distinctive architecture of the Dao people, not only embody ethnic identity but also create harmony with the mountains and forests. Mr. Ly Quoc Thang, one of the first households to offer accommodation services, shared: “The traditional earthen houses nestled in the tranquil mountain landscape are the first highlight that attracts tourists to the village. Therefore, all the houses in the village, whether old or newly built, are traditional earthen houses.”

The unique culture of the Dao ethnic group here is also clearly expressed through traditional festivals, most notably the coming-of-age ceremony, an important ritual marking the maturity of a man in the community. To preserve and promote the value of this festival, Ly Dai Thong proactively established two folk art groups: one group of adults as the core, regularly performing for tourists and participating in ceremonies for families in the village; the other group consists of children with the aim of teaching and nurturing traditional culture. “Every week, the folk art group is requested by tourists to perform at homestays in the village. Each time, the group performs five acts during the Dao people's coming-of-age ceremony. The fee for the 10 members of the group is one million dong, not including money given by tourists,” Mr. Thong said.

Besides cultural performances, there are many types of experiences for tourists, activities closely related to the culture and daily life of the Dao people, such as traditional herbal baths, cooking with the host family, farming, and participating in fishing festivals. Thanks to these, each visitor to Nam Dam not only gets to relax amidst peaceful nature but also gets to experience the local culture, clearly feeling the spirit of community, friendliness, and hospitality of the people.

Preserving traditional culture has helped Nam Dam develop sustainable community tourism. In 2013, Mr. Ly Quoc Thang and several households in the village pioneered tourism. Initially, the households only renovated their houses, building toilets and bathrooms to accommodate guests. Today, the entire village has 34 households offering homestay services, welcoming thousands of domestic and international tourists each year. In the first six months of 2025 alone, tourism revenue reached nearly 3 billion VND.

Beyond simply welcoming tourists, households involved in tourism in the village actively learn and improve service quality, ensuring hygiene and food safety, developing basic communication skills with foreign visitors, and promoting the image of the tourist village on digital platforms. As a result, Nặm Đăm has achieved sustainable tourism development and received numerous accolades; notably, in 2017 the village was awarded the title of "Houses with rooms for rent to tourists meeting ASEAN standards"; and in 2023 it proudly received the ASEAN award for community tourism.

Village head Ly Ta Danh shared: “Tourists come here not only to find a place to stay, but also to experience the unique cultural space of the Dao people. The villagers have created many attractive tourism products such as folk art performances, herbal baths, experiences of farming life, and traditional dishes with rich mountain flavors.”

Text and photos: HAI CHUNG, KHANH TOAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nam-dam-phat-trien-du-lich-ben-vung-post902930.html