According to experts, in addition to objective factors due to difficult geographical location, uneven population distribution, and low educational level in some areas, there are also causes due to limitations in management of some localities and community awareness in promoting the endogenous strength of ethnic groups from preserving cultural identity.
Thoroughly grasping the Party and State's guidelines and policies on cultural revival and development, in recent years, many localities have focused on policies in planning orientation, support, and investment attraction; calling on people to join hands in preserving their national identity to improve their lives, transforming the economy from purely agricultural to tourism and services to create "push" for the Northwest to break through.
Lesson 1: From the "Northwest Gateway"
Considered the “gateway to the Northwest”, and adjacent to Hanoi - the country's major tourist center, Hoa Binh is likened to a “gateway” to lure tourists to the paradise of the land with rich cultural identity and magical scenery of Northwest Vietnam. From here, the advantages for developing green tourism and community tourism thanks to the diversity of ethnic cultural identities are aroused, becoming a piece in the colorful tourism picture in the Northern mountainous region.
Light source on the "roof of Muong land"
Early in the morning, Chien hamlet, Van Son commune, Tan Lac district is bustling with people calling each other to go to work in the fields. Opening the window at Thu Bi homestay, the early morning scene is peaceful and clear. No wonder, many tourists come here to experience the feeling of "slow living". Community tourism has just begun in Chien hamlet, creating hope to help people escape poverty.
Van Son Commune is about 20km from National Highway 6. The highland road is small but has just been repaired so it is basically quite convenient to travel. Vice Chairman of Tan Lac District People's Committee Le Chi Huyen warmly introduced: "Going to Chien - Van Son village, the climate is like Sa Pa, Da Lat, Tam Dao, one day has 4 seasons".
Xom Chien is a small Muong village with wild scenery and more than 70 households living there. It is 1,000m above sea level and is still covered by forests, creating a different natural ecosystem. The late summer afternoon has a cool weather, completely different from the hot sun in the center of Tan Lac district.
According to the cultural officer of Tan Lac district, Chien hamlet is one of the rare hamlets that still retains the original stilt houses of the Muong people, and was chosen to pilot a community tourism model based on preserving ethnic identity. In Chien hamlet, there are currently 3 families running homestays: Hai Than, Thu Bi, Xuan Truong.
Ha Van Bi, born in 1986, is a quick-witted and up-to-date person. In 2019, when the AOP organization (an Australian non-governmental organization) supported the implementation of a project to improve sustainable livelihoods through community tourism development in Tan Lac district and chose Chien hamlet to build a community tourism site, Bi pioneered tourism. He used all the money he had saved up for a long time, and borrowed an additional 150 million VND to renovate the stilt house he was living in to make it suitable for welcoming guests.
“Our stilt house is old and leaky in many places. I reinforced the house, built a new toilet, and repainted the doors. The AOP organization supported us with curtains, mattresses, and trained us in how to provide services and cook for customers,” said Bi.
At first, there were no guests, so Bi and his family were very confused. Luckily, a few months later, a Western guest on a backpacking trip stopped by Chien hamlet and stayed at Thu Bi homestay for a night. The whole village welcomed the first foreign guest, both happy and worried. “We had never welcomed guests before, and suddenly welcoming a French person, everyone was confused and worried. I used Google Translate and every gesture to talk to the guest. He also understood and was very comfortable with the way we were welcomed. Luckily, technology support made us more confident,” Bi shared.
After the foreign visitor’s accidental visit, information about the community tourism village of Chien hamlet gradually spread on social networks. The Muong people in Chien hamlet began to change their mindset about tourism. They began to get acquainted with technology and the style of providing services to welcome guests. Some households such as Xuan Truong and Hai Than switched from farming to service. After the initial confusion, now, homestay owners have known how to set up Facebook fanpages to promote tourist attractions and accommodation addresses.
The success of Chien village has a great contribution from the government, from "holding hands and showing how to do things" onwards. Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Tan Lac district, Bui Minh Hong, shared that when choosing Chien village as the place to implement the pilot model of community tourism, she and the officials of Tan Lac commune often went to the village to meet and discuss with the people. More than 30km of mountain road from the district to the commune has become a familiar road. On urgent days, even though it was late at night, Ms. Hong still rode her motorbike to the village alone.
“Community tourism is about people working together and benefiting. We are building a service community model, there will be families specializing in accommodation, families specializing in providing food or experience services... Only when benefits are shared will people be united,” said Ms. Bui Minh Hong.
After nearly 4 years of operation, although the community tourism village of Chien hamlet is still in its infancy, many services are still lacking, the landscape space still needs to be supplemented and completed to be more attractive, Chien hamlet has been positioned and named on the tourism map of Hoa Binh.
Muong people in the village believe that doing community tourism is a way for them to escape poverty and have a more sustainable life.
Mrs. Dinh Thi Dang, over 70 years old, shared that all her life she was only used to leading buffaloes to plow the fields and work on the fields, which was extremely hard. Since the whole village was taught how to do tourism, her family has had less hardship.
Tourists make the village happier. People learn to sing, dance, and perform arts to welcome visitors. During the day, they still work in the fields, but at night, they become artists. People have earned money from serving tourists," Ms. Dang confided with eyes shining with happiness.
“In Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg, dated October 14, 2021, of the Prime Minister “Approving the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 Period, Phase I: from 2021 to 2025” it is determined that: Preserving and promoting the fine cultural identity of ethnic minorities along with eliminating backward customs and practices and associated with tourism development is one of the 10 key projects. That shows the attention of the Party and State in preserving and promoting the cultural identity of ethnic groups in socio-economic development and national stability. |
Escape poverty through mindset change
According to statistics, in Hoa Binh province, there are 6 main ethnic groups living together, the largest of which is the Muong, accounting for 63.3%. Hoa Binh province is considered the cradle of the ancient Muong people with four Muongs "Bi, Vang, Thang, Dong" and the "Hoa Binh culture". Many artistic and cultural values of the Muong people such as folk songs, gong art, mo, epic De dat - De nuoc... are still preserved and highly appreciated in the culture of the Vietnamese ethnic community. That is the condition for Hoa Binh to create its own unique features in developing community tourism in the locality.
Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province, Bui Xuan Truong, said that many Muong community tourism villages are becoming new destinations attracting tourists, typically: Xom Chien (Van Son, Tan Lac) is very unique with mountainous terrain, cool climate; Hoa Binh lake area has Ke community tourism villages, Da Bia tourist destination of Muong people Ao Ta (Da Bac district), Ngoi Hoa hamlet (Tan Lac district), Tien hamlet, Giang Mo village (Cao Phong district)...
Tourism and services are bringing a new life to the Muong people in tourist villages. Many households have escaped poverty and even had a decent life thanks to welcoming tourists. The thinking and working style of the Muong people in many villages have changed. They proactively update information, promote destinations, and introduce their ethnic culture to tourists.
Ngoi Village (Suoi Hoa Commune, Tan Lac District) has been a tourist attraction for international visitors in recent years. The lives of Muong households have completely changed since the whole village started tourism together. In 2016, the People's Committee of Hoa Binh Province recognized Ngoi Village as a Muong ethnic community cultural tourism destination. Previously, 100% of the Muong ethnic people here made a living by farming and fishing on Hoa Binh Lake. Currently, the village has 7 households doing community tourism and welcoming guests.
“Before, we only did agriculture, we were lucky to have enough to eat every day. Since doing tourism, life has been more stable. Households are more aware of preserving the landscape, throwing trash in the right place, planting more flowers and trees. Mr. Bui Manh - homestay owner in Ngoi village. |
Speaking to reporters, Chairman of Suoi Hoa Commune People's Committee Bui Van Mui shared that the success of tourism in Ngoi village is due to the enthusiastic participation of the people. Households here still maintain the traditional stilt houses and many old activities such as fishing on the lake and farming. "The lives of the people in the past faced many difficulties, since some pioneering households switched to community tourism, the appearance of the village has gradually changed, the number of poor households has decreased to 27.7%. Tourism in Ngoi village is oriented to develop in association with preserving cultural identity and protecting the ecological environment," said Mr. Bui Van Mui.
Talking about the local innovations since the orientation to promote tourism development, Vice Chairman of Tan Lac District People's Committee Le Chi Huyen expressed that the success in the district's development strategies is the first step in changing the thinking and service methods of ethnic minorities. The changes in Muong ethnic villages are creating a new vitality for the locality in economic development, which used to be the ancient land of Muong Bi, the cradle of the famous Hoa Binh culture.
“Hoa Binh province is developing a project to preserve and promote the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group and the "Hoa Binh Culture" in the period of 2023 - 2030. The project aims to research, preserve and promote the values of cultural heritages and fine traditions of the Muong people. At the same time, promote and introduce the land and people of Hoa Binh, build unique tourism products to attract domestic and international tourists, contributing to socio-economic development. |
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