Dao ethnic tourist village at the foot of Yen Tu

Located right at the foot of Yen Tu mountain, Thuong Yen Cong commune (Uong Bi city) has nearly 60% of the population being ethnic minorities, with villages and hamlets where 100% of the population are Dao Thanh Y people. This place is being built by the local government and people together to become a unique space to preserve ethnic minority culture, creating many attractive and new experiences for visitors when coming to Yen Tu.

Goc Da hamlet, Khe Su 2 village, Thuong Yen Cong commune has 100% of the population being Dao Thanh Y ethnic group.

Goc Da Hamlet, Thuong Yen Cong Commune has 67 households. 100% of the population is Dao Thanh Y. Families here live together. In daily life, people wear clothes similar to Kinh people. Only on special occasions such as festivals, New Year, village affairs, weddings or coming-of-age ceremonies do people wear traditional clothes and perform rituals and customs passed down from their ancestors.

Since the community tourism model of Mr. Truong Van Duong's family (in Goc Da hamlet, Khe Su 2 village) came into operation, the traditional cultural beauty of the Thanh Y Dao people has been carried out more frequently and popularly. Participating in the model, Dao women wear traditional costumes, introduce tourists to the art of embroidery and sophisticated sewing; serve tourists traditional dishes and apply knowledge of Dao medicine for tourists to experience.

Community tourism model of Mr. Truong Van Duong's family in Goc Da hamlet.

“I have been to many places, visited the villages of ethnic minorities in the Northwest and realized why people there can turn culture into tourism products but the Dao Thanh Y people in Thuong Yen Cong commune have not been able to do so. From that thought, I determined to invest, together with my brothers, sisters, and neighbors, to build this community tourism model,” Mr. Duong shared.

Currently, Mr. Duong’s family’s community tourism model only provides sightseeing, herbal baths and foot baths, and food services. He said that by the end of this year, he will build a 10-room homestay, expand the traditional embroidery and costume display area, and add cultural and folk art performances to serve tourists.

Dao Thanh Y women perform traditional embroidery art and sell embroidery handicrafts to tourists at the Goc Da hamlet community tourism model, Khe Su 2 village.

In Goc Da Hamlet, more and more traditional-looking structures are appearing. The residential area and the church of Mr. Trieu Van Dien's family, which is being completed, is one of them. The house consists of 3 spaces: the main house has two floors, the first floor is for living and the second floor is for worship; on the left is the Dao Thanh Y cultural exhibition area and on the right is the kitchen area and auxiliary buildings.

“Every year on the first day of Tet, men who have passed the ordination ceremony will visit all the houses to pray for wealth, fortune, and peace for their families and villagers. We burn incense and visit from the village chief's house to the teachers' houses and then visit each other's houses. For example, my family has a grandfather who is a teacher, so every year many people come to visit, wish each other a happy new year and burn incense. My purpose is to build a spacious church, imitating traditional architecture, both to welcome visitors and to contribute to preserving the culture of my people. Next year, I will build 4 more homestays so that tourists can eat, stay and experience the culture of the Thanh Y Dao people,” Mr. Dien added.

The new house of Mr. Trieu Van Dien's family in Goc Da hamlet was built according to the traditional architecture of the Dao Thanh Y people.

Identifying the traditional culture of the Thanh Y Dao people as a unique feature of Thuong Yen Cong commune, the commune government has developed a Plan to Build a Community Tourism Village in Khe Su 2 village. The plan takes Goc Da hamlet as the center, aiming to turn Goc Da People's Group into a Community Tourism Village with at least 2 households providing culinary services; 2 households providing bathing, soaking and selling herbal medicine services; establishing embroidery groups or embroidery clubs and mobilizing families with suitable conditions to renovate and build new houses with Dao ethnic identity into homestays serving guests.

Ms. Pham Thi Phuong Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of Thuong Yen Cong Commune People's Committee, said: "The plan can only be successful if it receives the consensus and support of the people, arouses the people's strength and cooperation in preserving culture. Along with promoting the role of prestigious people, village elders, and village chiefs in preserving traditional culture, we will step up propaganda and information work to each person and family so that people understand and join hands to restore traditional cultural features that are at risk of being lost."

Traditional costumes of the Thanh Y Dao people are displayed in the Thanh Y Dao Cultural Space Exhibition House.

Recently, the people of Goc Da hamlet were even happier when the Dao Thanh Y ethnic cultural space exhibition house was opened at the Thuong Yen Cong commune cultural house. The project is considered a community museum, built from the belongings, dowries and contributions of individuals and families in Goc Da hamlet as well as the Dao community throughout the city. Not only is it a place to preserve and honor the values ​​of the Dao Thanh Y people, the exhibition house also promises to become a major tourist attraction.

At the foot of the sacred Yen Tu mountain, a famous mountain that is facing the opportunity to become a world heritage site, the precious cultural values ​​of the Dao Thanh Y people are gradually being awakened and given new vitality, spreading strongly in modern life.