Hoa Binh: Community tourism - a strategic direction to create sustainable income

With its pristine scenery and closeness to nature, Trang waterfall is an impressive tourist destination in Hoa Binh.

Outstanding potential for community tourism

Hoa Binh province possesses ideal conditions for developing community tourism as it is the homeland of the “Hoa Binh Culture” - a famous archaeological heritage, along with the epic “Birth of the Earth, Birth of Water” of the Muong ethnic group. Along with that are famous traditional festivals such as the Tien Pagoda Festival (Lac Thuy), Khai Ha Festival (Tan Lac), Gau Tao Festival (Mai Chau). Other cultural forms such as traditional brocade weaving, bamboo dance and cuisine, especially bamboo rice, grilled fish from the Da River... These can be considered valuable cultural “assets” to attract tourists to explore and experience.

In addition, the natural landscape of Hoa Binh province has a wild and peaceful beauty with Hoa Binh Lake, nature reserves such as Ngoc Son - Ngo Luong (Tan Lac - Lac Son), Pu Canh (Da Bac), Kim Boi hot spring. These locations are very suitable for resort tourism combined with community activities such as boating, mountain climbing, or participating in activities with local people.

In Da Bac district, the Da Bia community tourism site was honored to receive the ASEAN Community Tourism Award. The villages of Da Bia and Mo Hem are popular destinations, helping local people escape poverty through homestay businesses, tour guides and selling handicrafts.

According to Ms. Quach Thuy Kieu, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province, community tourism is also supported by a favorable geographical location, only about 70 - 80 km from Hanoi, easily connecting with the large tourist market from the capital and neighboring provinces. In particular, destinations such as Mai Chau, Da Bac, Tan Lac have made their mark with the homestay model, where visitors can rest in traditional stilt houses, enjoy local cuisine, and participate in activities such as rice planting and weaving.

Currently, in some localities of Hoa Binh province, in addition to homestays providing concentrated community accommodation services, some households in hamlets are implementing the construction of homestay accommodation models to help enhance tourists' experiences of national cultural identity.

As a pioneer in implementing the homestay tourism model, Mr. Hang A De (Pa Co commune, Mai Chau) wishes to introduce and promote to tourists who love Mong culture the experience of the simple and close life, customs and practices of the Mong community in each family.

Ms. To Ly (tourist from Hanoi) shared that when coming to Mai Chau, visitors can explore the cultural values, living and production habits of the Mong people in the two communes of Hang Kia and Pa Co. With the homestay model, they can experience daily life through activities with the family, interesting conversations and interactions with the local people.

According to data from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province, since the beginning of the year, in Mai Chau, the Gau Tao Festival has attracted over 6,000 visitors and locals to visit and experience. The Hang Kia and Pa Co community tourism sites have welcomed over 3,000 visitors. The Khai Ha Festival of the Muong ethnic group held in Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district attracted 95,000 locals and visitors to participate...

Terraced fields in Mien Doi commune (Lac Son district, Hoa Binh).

During the Lunar New Year, tourist areas and spots in Hoa Binh province welcomed 250,000 visitors, an increase of 25% over the same period, with total revenue from tourism business activities reaching 132 billion VND, an increase of 11.8% over the same period.

Turn advantages into sustainable tourism development

Despite its great potential, advantages and impressive achievements, community tourism in Hoa Binh still needs to overcome difficulties to develop more strongly.

The province’s transport infrastructure is not yet synchronous, especially in remote communes such as Da Bac, Tan Lac, Mai Chau, etc. The tourism human resources are still lacking and weak, the increase in the number of tourists can put pressure on natural resources and erode cultural identity if not well managed. The promotion and advertising of tourism in Hoa Binh province is not really effective, the scope of access is still limited, especially to the international market.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province, Bui Duc Hinh, said that competition with other famous destinations such as Moc Chau (Son La), Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Ninh Binh... is also a challenge for the tourism industry of Hoa Binh province to create many unique tourism products for strong and sustainable development. The People's Committee of Hoa Binh province has had many solutions to prioritize investment in upgrading traffic infrastructure, especially the routes connecting to tourist villages such as Da Bia, Ban Sung, Xom Ke (Da Bac), Ngoi Hoa, Van Son (Tan Lac).

The tourism industry in Hoa Binh province needs to build more standard accommodation facilities and equip them with modern equipment to enhance the experience for tourists. Along with human resource training, training in service skills, foreign languages, and tourism management for local people...

Promote promotion, take advantage of digital platforms such as social networks, tourism websites, cooperate with international travel companies to bring the image of Hoa Binh to the world. Develop unique tourism products, such as brocade making tours, participating in Muong festivals, or exploring local cuisine, to create a unique mark.

In particular, cultural and environmental conservation must go hand in hand with tourism development. Policies that encourage people to preserve their customs and practices, while controlling the number of visitors and effectively handling waste, will help Hoa Binh maintain its pristine beauty and unique identity.

Community tourism in Hoa Binh is not only a “magnet” to attract tourists but also a “key” to economic development, poverty reduction, and cultural preservation. With its existing potential and current efforts, Hoa Binh can absolutely become a leading destination for community tourism in Vietnam. However, to achieve that, close coordination between the government, businesses, and people is needed to overcome challenges and effectively exploit existing potential advantages.

The People's Committee of Hoa Binh province has also issued the Project "Developing community tourism associated with building new rural areas in Hoa Binh province by 2030" with the goal of building facilities for 290 community tourism households by 2030, welcoming more than 1.65 million visitors, and contributing 19.5% of total tourism revenue.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/hoa-binh-du-lich-cong-dong-huong-di-chien-luoc-tao-nguon-thu-ben-vung-20250410104454346.htm