The Da Nang authorities have been paying a special heed to boosting the local community-based tourism in tandem with the generation of more economic benefits to inhabitants.

Mr Nhu, who gets dressed in a brocade jacket, is seen discussing with representatives from the local authorities on the construction of his homestay

In recent times, a number of highly practical projects have been implemented successfully in the mountainous commune of Hoa Bac in Hoa Vang District, thereby step by step accelerating the tourism development in the western part of the city, diversifying locally-created tourism products and creating imprints for these community-based tourism sites.

The first homestay to be constructed in Gian Bi Village, Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District, owned by local resident Dinh Van Nhu, is currently nearing its completion, under the commune-initiated project for building a community-based tourism model associated with the preservation of the Co Tu culture in the Ta Lang and Gian Bi villages by 2020.

The Ho Chi Minh City-based Community-based CBT Consultant Co., Ltd has already provided consulting services for the construction of this homestay.

The villages of Ta Lang and Gian Bi, in reality, both boast their pristine natural landscape such as wide and shallow streams.

In addition, these venues together feature many special characteristics which are imbued with the Co Tu ethnic minority people’s own identity, including cuisine, traditional crafts, Goul houses, gong arts, ‘tung tung da da’ dance, stream trekking, shooting crossbows, and making traditional handicrafts and ‘ruou can’ (rice wine drunk out of a jar through pipes).

Up to now, 2 training courses on brocade weaving have opened to a total of over 32 Co Tu women with the hope of creating attractive products serving visitors that best describe the mountainous region’s imposing nature and the distinctive ethnic culture. In fact, these brocade items prove the talent, ingenuity, diligence and industriousness of these ethnic women.

In a similar vein, other training courses on gong arts, ‘tung tung da da’ dance, cuisine, trekking and introduction commentaries, environmental protection, security and skills to satisfy the demand and tastes of tourists have been offered to residents in these mountainous villages.

In his point of view to boost the community-based tourism development in Hoa Bac Commune, Mr Le Tan Thanh Tung, the Deputy Director of the city-based Viet Nam Tourism Joint Stock Company (Vitours), proposed that the city authorities release a detailed plans for the establishment of a certain tourist area in this mountainous commune.

In addition, it is necessary to issue preferential investment attraction policies so as to attract more active engagement by inhabitants in developing tourism products.

In his perspectives on this issue, Mr Nguyen Xuan Binh, the Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism, underlined a need to ensure that homestays in Hoa Bac Commune must feature special characteristics which are really different from ones seen in other places.

Besides, how to develop a proper master plan for the development of homestay systems and community-related factors should be taken into account.

It is expected that, following its success, this community-based tourism model will be expanded into other local communes in the coming time.