(HBO) – Community-based tourism with professional services in renowned Lac village in Mai Chau district left a strong impression on Vu Hong Quan from Ho Chi Minh City. A line-up of ancient architectural and spacious stilt houses in the village can house a throng of visitors at the same time, especially in weekends.
Homestay tourism allows
visitors to stay and experience daily activities with local families. This type
of tourism is worth a try for anyone who is interested in discovering ethnic
minority culture.
Hoa Binh is currently home to 150 households involving in community-based
tourism, 117 of them are in Mai Chau district. In addition, homestay tourism is
also developed in Muong Bi, Muong Vang, Muong Thang and Muong Dong. In recent
years, the province has paid due attention to branching out homestay tourism by
investing in infrastructure, organising tourism training and supporting vital
equipment for homestay providers.
Well-endowed with stunning natural landscapes and standout culture of the Muong,
Thai, Mong and Dao ethnic minority groups, Hoa Binh boasts huge potentials to
develop community-based tourism.
joining homestay tour, visitors truly become part of local families, immersing
in their hosts’ daily activities. They, thus, have opportunities to experience
rich cultures, cuisines and habits of local ethnic residents.
Photo: Tourists enjoy kayaking and
rafting adventures on the Da river at Da Bia hamlet, Tien Phong commune (Da Bac
district).
Coming to Da Bac mountainous district, tourists experience the life of the Muong
ethnic people along the Da river. Various intriguing activities are available
for them to join like cycling, jogging, fishing and kayaking. A simple life
style in harmony with nature and hospitable attitudes from local people has
left overriding impression on the visitors to the Da Bac community.
Vo Viet Hung from Bestway company (
Hanoi) talked
about his escape trip from crowded
Hanoito Da Bia hamlet (Tien Phong commune). "Everything is strange and marvelous. We
had interesting experiences with local residents. The accommodation is nice,
everybody in the host family is friendly and the food is delicious. We went
fishing and kayaking, took a raft adventure and danced with local people. We
will come back soon”.
Nguyen Van Ty, a homestay owner in Phu Minh commune (Ky Son district) said that
his family has welcomed many visitors, mostly foreigners, for years.
"The tourists want to discover daily life of local residents. They relax, enjoy
fresh rural atmosphere, taste traditional cuisine, go jogging and join in farming
activities,” he said.
He noted his family has paid due attention to creating a rural space by using environmentally-friendly
construction materials like wood and bamboo in an effort to preventing
concretisation in the tourism site./.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Hoa Binh province continues to implement the expanded tourism development cooperation program plan of 8 Northwest provinces with Ho Chi Minh City; deploying digital transformation content in tourism and developing a smart tourism province. Hoa Binh province received about 3.6 million views, an increase of 7.9% over the same period. In which, international visitors are about 380 visitors, domestic visitors are estimated at 3 million 220 visitors.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.