From a small village in the flood zone, after 10 years, Tan Hoa has transformed into an attractive destination. Tourism has truly changed life in this land.
Tan Hoa Commune, Minh Hoa District, Quang Binh Province is nestled between limestone mountains. In the past, during the rainy season, water from upstream flooded this area, making people's lives miserable and poor.
However, nowadays, people no longer have to flee from floods, but most of them adapt to climate change, equipping floating houses to avoid floods to ensure safety. During rainy and flood days, Tan Hoa people will move to floating houses to live. Each family has a wooden boat or aluminum boat to travel around.
Tan Hoa is blessed with a sparkling landscape of green grassy hills at the foot of the mountain, the winding Rao Nan stream and the fairy-tale-like Tu Lan cave system.
In 2011, a travel company was licensed to survey and test adventure tours in the Tu Lan cave system. By 2014, the Tu Lan discovery tour was officially operated with 9 tours of various types.
From a village facing poverty and floods all year round, Tan Hoa began to participate in tourism activities.
Every year, tourism products bring 10-12,000 visitors to Tan Hoa. In 2024 alone, there were 11,000 tourists, of which 80% were foreign visitors, coming to Tan Hoa. The economic and social situation of Tan Hoa has also seen clear positive changes.
Farmers who used to farm corn, raise cows or harvest timber all year round are now taking training courses to become chefs, safety supervisors and porters to serve tourists.
Life changing through sustainable tourism
Currently, there are more than 130 Tan Hoa residents directly participating in tourism activities as porters for tourists, chefs, tour guides, home-based food service businesses, homestay owners, etc. with an average income of 6-12 million VND/month.
Besides, there are many people who indirectly benefit from tourism activities such as pig, cow, chicken farming cooperatives, vegetable growers and forest owners through food supply activities...
Thanks to participating in sustainable tourism activities, within 10 years, from 2014-2024, Tan Hoa people significantly improved their average income from 4.8 million VND/year to about 36-42 million VND/year.
From 2022, Tan Hoa residents will be guided and supported to own businesses and operate tourism services such as homestays, welcoming guests for dinner at home, generating an income of 8-12 million VND/month.
On days when the flood waters rise, floating homestays can still welcome guests to stay and experience. Instead of cycling, guests can now kayak to dinner. Tan Hoa has 10 homestays built on floating houses and guests can stay on flood days.
Mr. Truong Xuan Thom (born in 1970), a homestay business owner in Tan Hoa, shared that in the past, his family only did farming, so life was very difficult. He never thought that one day, the floating house in the corner of his garden would become a regular destination for tourists.
“My family’s floating house has 1 room with 2 beds. Every month, we earn about 4-5 million VND from this house. This is the main source of income, helping my family’s life become much more stable than before.”
Tourism has really changed people's lives, besides, Tan Hoa's budget revenue has also increased sharply. If in 2014 the budget revenue was only a few million VND, by 2024 it will reach more than 592.1 million VND.
The poverty rate has decreased sharply from 85.7% in 2010 to 2.65% in 2024, and the local workforce has also been given the opportunity to participate in professional training courses specifically for tourism activities.
After continuous efforts, in 2023, Tan Hoa was recognized by UN Tourism as the World's Best Tourist Village. Realizing the potential of the village, authorities at all levels and organizations also joined hands to support upgrading infrastructure, creating further momentum for Tan Hoa's development.
Speaking to VietNamNet , Mr. Truong Thanh Duan, Chairman of Tan Hoa Commune People's Committee, said that tourism has contributed greatly to the development of the locality. Previously, the people's lives were extremely difficult, but after 10 years of striving to build, the face of the countryside here has changed significantly, people have jobs, income, and their lives have improved.
From a small village in the flood zone, Tan Hoa has transformed into an attractive tourist destination, where visitors can admire the magnificence of nature, immerse themselves in unique indigenous culture, and witness the efforts of the local community to develop and spread the beauty of their homeland.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ngoi-lang-vung-ron-lu-chuyen-minh-ngoan-muc-nho-khai-thac-du-lich-hieu-qua-2365693.html
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