(HBO) – A 800-metre road section of 15 households in Hai Son hamlet, Mai Hich commune (Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province) was previously full of moss and weeds. With the helping hands of 27 voluntary students from the Hanoi University of Fine Arts, the village has been covered with colourful paintings featuring the unique culture of the Thai ethnic minority group.
Thanks to a
project of the Centre for Community Health and Development (COHED), Mai Hich
commune (Mai Chau district) now has a new name as "Hai Son community-based
tourism fresco village”
The activity was inspired by the Centre for
Community Health and Development (COHED) as part of a project designed to
develop rural areas via environmentally friendly community-based tourism
sponsored by the Bread for the World (BFW) with the target of improving living conditions
of ethnic people in
Vietnam.
Through which, community-based tourism initiatives have generated incomes for
ethnic people in Mai Chau district. The paintings were created by voluntary
students and COHED staff along with residents in Hai Son hamlet. After eight
days of working hard, they changed the grey walls into lively paintings.
Not only painting on the wall, vegetable fences
were also decorated. Children in the hamlet were encouraged to join the
activity with the assistance from voluntary students. Children were
enthusiastic to create lovely pictures highlighting the beauty of their
countryside.
Nowadays, when arriving in Hai Son hamlet,
visitors could put their souls into the nature of the Mai Chau mountainous
region which is poetic through pictures capturing four seasons of the year as
well as the daily life of people such as rice sowing, cultivating and pounding,
along with gong culture, drinking "ruou can” (literally "stem wine"
or "tube wine”), and enjoying "mua sap” (dance of the bamboo)
performances.
Hai Son is a poor hamlet in Mai Hich commune,
mainly cultivating rice and vegetables. Locals enjoy a peaceful life but still
face many difficulties. Endowed with natural advantages, locals hope to
introduce the natural beauty of their land to visitors to develop
community-based tourism and increase their incomes.
Head of Hai Son hamlet Dam Quang Thuong said the
COHED project has empowered local residents to develop community-based tourism.
At present, the hamlet is opening a training course for people to provide homestay
services, focusing on keeping the clean environment. Tourists could experience
local daily activities such as growing rice, weaving brocade and cooking local
special dishes.
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.
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