Inner strength from national culture

Lesson 1: From the "gateway to the Northwest"

Many ethnic minority villages of the Thai, Dao, and Mong people have become famous tourist destinations, not only creating a brand for Northwest tourism but also becoming an underlying source of internal strength for the socio-economic development of these localities.

Ethnic people 4.0

Late in the afternoon, Ms. Ha Thi Tho (owner of Minh Tho homestay) in Mai Hich village (Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province) and her family, along with several other homestay owners in the village, were busy preparing dinner to welcome guests. That day, her family hosted several groups of nearly 50 people, including a group of tourists from Italy. The menu for the guests still featured traditional Thai dishes: free-range chicken, stream fish, pa ping top (grilled fish), and some local vegetables. After the Covid-19 pandemic, Mai Hich is one of the few community tourism villages that continues to regularly welcome tourists for relaxation.

A group of international tourists arrived at Mai Hich village.

Ms. Ha Thi Tho shared that Thai families running homestays all have their own fan pages to promote their establishments. Many customers book services online. "We have to learn technology to promote our services, receive bookings, and respond to customers. Local people are already proficient in using Zalo and Facebook. Guests can scan QR codes to pay for services," Ms. Tho shared.

Like Ms. Ha Thi Tho, Mr. Nguyen Van Ba and his wife, Ms. Vi Thi Yeu, were busy answering phone messages while simultaneously receiving us. Even while attending to guests, Mr. Ba was still finalizing online bookings for a group of 20 people.

“Previously, Mai Hich mainly welcomed foreign tourists, mostly families. After the Covid-19 pandemic, many domestic tourists, seeking a safe space close to nature, came to Mai Hich. Now we welcome both Vietnamese and foreign guests,” Mr. Ba said.

Foreign tourists happily sing along with the locals.

The Mai Hich village of the Thai ethnic minority in Mai Chau district has 7 hamlets and 923 households. Currently, 11 households operate homestay services, each with a capacity of 25-30 guests. These households are located close together, forming a mutually supportive and similar service cluster with open spaces for tourists to easily experience.

What sets community-based tourism in Mai Hich apart is its focus on preserving the environment and promoting effective green tourism. Local households maintain traditional stilt houses and use environmentally friendly materials like bamboo, rattan, and wood for their auxiliary structures. The villagers work together to create an attractive community tourism destination. Those with high visitor numbers then recommend their businesses to neighboring households.

Dressed in a graceful white Thai outfit, with rosy cheeks after applying makeup, Ms. Vi Thi Yeu shared that today she would be joining the performing arts group to entertain tourists after dinner.

"Our village's performing arts group is entirely made up of local people, performing Thai folk dances, singing folk songs, and even international songs to 'entertain' foreign guests. We learned many international folk dances online, and foreign guests really enjoy them."

Ms. Vi Thi Yeu

Leading us on a tour of homestay households, the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Mai Hich commune (Mai Chau, Hoa Binh), Vi Van Viet, shared that Mai Hich is building a sustainable community tourism model, using ethnic identity as the core to transform from farming to service-based tourism. Families are conscious of sharing and supporting each other in tourism development, and many unique cultural features of the Thai people, such as cuisine and traditional dances, are being promoted by the locals and become tourism products for visitors to experience. The villagers are equipped with tourism skills and knowledge, and can now skillfully utilize technology and social media to build a brand for Mai Hich tourism.

Providing further information on digital transformation in tourism development, Vice Chairman of Mai Chau District People's Committee Hoang Duc Minh said that the district has digitized 8 tourist destinations, built a digital tourism map, and introduced a virtual reality MC application to help tourists easily search for information and explore cultural features and attractive destinations in the area.

The story of the households in Mai Hich, as well as many stories of successful community-based tourism villages in the Northwest provinces such as Lac Village of the Thai people (Hoa Binh); Sin Suoi Ho Village of the Mong people, Si Thau Chai Village of the Dao people in Lai Chau; or A Chu homestay (Moc Chau, Son La)... Notably, many villages that were once "hotspots" for drug trafficking have now transformed into attractive tourist destinations. The adoption of technology and quick innovation in service upgrades are helping many ethnic minority villages in the Northwest to change for the better. Many ethnic people are even learning English and creating bilingual tourist guides for visitors.

"Now everyone understands that preserving cultural identity will create an attraction for tourists."

During a meeting with us, Mr. Vang A Chinh, Head of Sin Suoi Ho village (Lai Chau), shared that he had created fan pages to introduce Sin Suoi Ho community tourism village in both Vietnamese and English. After shifting towards tourism, along with upgrading services, households have been learning English and improving their communication and service skills to welcome guests. Many Hmong people are now confident in communicating with foreign visitors.

"We don't just wear traditional costumes when welcoming guests; we wear them regularly in our daily lives. Now everyone understands that preserving our cultural identity will create an attraction for tourists," Vang A Chinh expressed.

Da Giang Lake, Ba Khan, Mai Chau, Hoa Binh.

Ethnic minorities in the Northwest highlands have undergone a transformation in their awareness and actions regarding the preservation of cultural identity and the adoption of modern digital technology, creating intrinsic strength for socio-economic development. Many villages have been able to prosper, sustainably and effectively improving the lives and incomes of their people.

Recalling the early days of deciding to switch from farming to tourism, Ms. Ha Thi Tho, owner of Minh Tho homestay (Mai Hich commune, Hoa Binh province), shared with a satisfied smile: "Before, our lives were very poor. After receiving guidance and training in tourism, we realized that by striving to preserve our cultural identity and natural beauty, more tourists would come here."

When asked about the profits after switching to tourism, Ms. Tho candidly shared that in 2017, her family welcomed over 7,000 visitors, the majority of whom were international tourists from France, England, Spain, and the Netherlands. After deducting expenses, the profit from developing community tourism reached 250 million VND per year. Minh Tho Homestay has become a model in Mai Hich for many households to follow in the footsteps of other community tourism businesses.

Bản Lác (Mai Châu, Hòa Bình) welcomes many tourist groups.

The achievements of preserving cultural identity in modern life have yielded many positive results for the development of community-based tourism in Northwest Vietnam. Numerous international tourism awards have honored village destinations as recognition of the success of community-based tourism among ethnic minorities. A prime example is the Mai Hich community-based cultural village in Hich 2 hamlet (Mai Chau, Hoa Binh), which was selected by ASEAN as a community-based tourism destination for the period 2017-2019. Sin Suoi Ho village (Lai Chau) was awarded the title of Outstanding Community-Based Tourism Destination of Vietnam in 2019; and the 3rd ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Award within the framework of the Southeast Asia Tourism Forum - ATF 2023. Recently, Business Insider magazine (USA) selected Mai Chau (Hoa Binh) as one of the top 10 attractive destinations in the world for local cultural tourism tours.

Regarding the significant transformation of community-based tourism villages, which not only helps ethnic minorities escape poverty but also gradually creates a unique brand contributing to local socio-economic development, Vice Chairman of the Hoa Binh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Toan stated that the province has developed a Resolution on preserving and promoting the cultural values of ethnic groups, considering it a key task to leverage ethnic strengths in the area. "The province will implement a plan to build and preserve 'Hoa Binh's cultural heritage'; focusing on planning, linking culture with tourism development," Mr. Nguyen Van Toan shared.

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