1. Community Tourism in Thanh Hoa – A Journey to Touch the Soul and People of Thanh Hoa
1.1. What is Community Tourism?
Community tourism is not simply about “going to see,” but also about “going to live.” It’s a type of tourism where you immerse yourself in the daily lives of local people, joining them in cooking, farming, weaving, participating in festivals, and exploring unique customs and traditions. Each tourist becomes a new member of the village, sharing, experiencing, and preserving traditional cultural values.
1.2. What’s Special about Community Tourism in Thanh Hoa?
Thanh Hoa – a land of outstanding people and natural beauty, where the lush Pu Luong mountains meet misty valleys and the vibrant villages of the Muong, Thai, and Dao people. Here, you can sleep in stilt houses amidst nature, savor local specialties like sticky rice, grilled stream fish, and fragrant hill chicken. In the evening, the sounds of the khen (mouth organ), the Sap dance, and the bright campfire will captivate you, making you forget the worries of city life.
Moreover, tourists can participate in unique experiences: trekking through Pu Luong forest, picking tea, harvesting rice, learning to weave brocade, exploring mysterious caves, or boating on the poetic Ma River. Every moment in Thanh Hoa is an unforgettable mark, a story filled with emotion.
Tourists can also participate in unique experiences with local people (Image: collected)
1.3. Why does Thanh Hoa have the potential to develop community tourism?
Thanh Hoa possesses rare advantages for developing community tourism. These include diverse nature, rich local culture, hospitable people, and sustainable development policies. Villages nestled on mountain slopes, golden terraced rice fields, and vibrant traditional festivals throughout the year – all create a Thanh Hoa that is both familiar and mysterious, attracting all explorers.
Especially, in the trend of green tourism and experiential tourism rising, Thanh Hoa is becoming an ideal destination for those who want to return to nature, culture and authentic values. Community tourism not only contributes to preserving identity and developing the local economy but also brings you valuable experiences and unforgettable memories.
2. Value and potential for sustainable development
2.1. Cultural and economic value
Community tourism in Thanh Hoa is not only a bridge connecting tourists with nature and local people but also the “golden key” to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values. Distinctive customs, festivals, and traditional crafts such as the Thai people’s brocade weaving in Pu Luong or soy sauce making in Tho Xuan are preserved and given new life, becoming unique tourism products that attract domestic and international tourists. Each experience, each handicraft product not only preserves cultural memories but also creates job opportunities, increases income for local people, contributes to sustainable poverty reduction, and builds new rural areas.
In practice, in the period 2016-2020, community tourism sites in Thanh Hoa welcomed more than 2.3 million visitors, double that of the previous period, although only accounting for 5.5% of the total number of visitors to the province. This figure demonstrates the strong appeal of community tourism and the important role of local cultural values in local economic development. Not only does it help preserve heritage, community tourism also provides stable livelihoods, creating motivation for people to bond, be proud of, and continue to preserve their hometown’s identity.
Tourists get to participate in the Xap dance with the Thai ethnic people in Pu Luong (Image: collected)
2.2. Sustainable development
Thanh Hoa community tourism is gradually asserting its position thanks to its sustainable and environmentally friendly development orientation. At destinations such as Pu Luong or Ngam village, the homestay model uses natural materials, encourages recycling, and actively inspires tourists to protect nature. Each trip is not only a journey of discovery but also an opportunity for tourists to learn about and experience a green lifestyle, and join hands in preserving the landscape and local ecosystem.
Tourists can experience the local stilt house lifestyle here (Image: collected)
Local authorities have worked closely with the community to continuously raise awareness of sustainable tourism development – from waste management and forest protection to preserving clean water sources. According to a report by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, intensive training programs have helped the people of Ba Thuoc and Quan Hoa improve their service skills, creating high-quality community tourism products, increasing competitiveness and attracting more and more tourists.
Looking to the future, community tourism in Thanh Hoa possesses strong breakthrough potential thanks to synchronized investment and support policies from the government. Infrastructure to tourist destinations such as Pu Luong and Quan Hoa is constantly being improved, along with the participation of many investors, opening up many new development opportunities for this sector.
The Thanh Hoa tourism review conference in 2024 also emphasized the plan to connect with neighboring provinces, building a diverse network of community tourism products, aiming to attract not only domestic tourists but also international tourists, especially from markets in South Korea, Japan and Europe. This is a solid foundation for community tourism in Thanh Hoa to reach further, becoming an attractive destination on Vietnam's green tourism map.
3. Community Tourism in Thanh Hoa: Diverse Products, Strong Attraction
Community tourism in Thanh Hoa is not just a sightseeing trip, but also a journey of slow living, immersing yourself in the local rhythm of life and discovering the unique cultural values of Thanh Hoa province.
3.1. Exploring Pu Luong - Paradise in the middle of the forest
Community tourism paradise in Thanh Hoa (Image: collected)
On the journey to explore community tourism in Thanh Hoa, you cannot miss the Pu Luong Nature Reserve (Ba Thuoc, Quan Hoa) – which is becoming an ideal destination for domestic and international tourists thanks to its pristine scenery, peaceful villages and countless exciting experiences. When visiting Pu Luong, you shouldn't miss:
Traditional stilt house stay: Immerse yourself in a rustic atmosphere amidst mountains and forests, listen to the murmuring streams, feel the mountain breeze, and experience life like a true local. In the evening, guests can enjoy ethnic art performances and interact with locals around a campfire.
Trekking and nature exploration: Trekking routes through virgin forests, conquering the 1,700m Pu Luong peak, or exploring Kho Muong cave, Hieu waterfall, and Don village all offer breathtaking, pristine natural landscapes and a rare sense of freedom and serenity.
Experience unique Thai culture: Participate in traditional weaving classes, savor sticky rice and grilled stream fish – the culinary highlights of the mountains, or join in the Sap dance, Xo dance, and listen to folk music at cultural nights. This is an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the customs, traditions, lifestyle, and soul of the Thai people here.
Visiting villages and festivals: Visiting villages like Kho Muong, Don, Bang…, tourists can not only admire the terraced fields during the golden rice harvest season but also have the opportunity to participate in highland markets, traditional festivals, folk games, and fish with the locals.
Here, tourists can experience traditional brocade weaving (Image: collected)
3.2. Join the locals in the villages
Besides the majestic Pu Luong, the highest peak in Thanh Hoa, destinations such as But village (Quan Hoa), Ma village (Thuong Xuan), Ngam village (Quan Son), and Lung village (Nhu Thanh) are likened to hidden gems in the Thanh Hoa forest, waiting for visitors to discover and experience.
Here, you will have the opportunity to live like a true local: join the Muong and Thai people in the fields planting rice, working in the fields, wading in streams to catch fish, feeling the peaceful rhythm of life, close to nature and the people here. Each passing day is a journey of new, authentic and emotional experiences. The highland cuisine is also an unforgettable highlight. Visitors will enjoy delicious dishes with the rich flavors of the mountains and forests, such as fragrant grilled hill chicken, sweet sticky rice from terraced fields, and boiled mountain bamboo shoots dipped in spicy salt - all bearing the strong cultural imprint and skillful hands of the local people.
Here, visitors also get to experience life as a local with traditional cuisine and culture (Image: collected)
In particular, traditional festivals such as the Poon Poong festival of the Thai people or the Kin Lau Khau Mau festival of the Muong people will open the door to exploring the depth of culture, where you can immerse yourself in the dances, songs, sacred rituals, and bustling atmosphere of the village festival. Each experience in these villages will leave visitors with unforgettable memories, contributing to the special attraction of community tourism in Thanh Hoa.
Not only enjoying the scenery or exploring the cuisine, community tourism in Thanh Hoa also opens up a rich and unique world of experiences for visitors. You can transform yourself into a village artisan, try your hand at weaving vibrant brocade, shaping traditional pottery, or skillfully carving stone in famous craft villages such as An Hoach, Tat Tac. Each stitch, each touch contains the essence and dedication of generations of people from Thanh Hoa.
As night falls, the village atmosphere becomes more vibrant than ever with warm campfires, resonant Then singing, and graceful gong dances. Tourists immerse themselves in the cultural vortex, singing and dancing with the locals, sharing joy, and cherishing unforgettable memories on their Thanh Hoa exploration journey.
Saving unforgettable exchanges with the local people here (Image: collected)
With the potential for sustainable community tourism development, Thanh Hoa is gradually asserting its position on Vietnam's tourism map. Not only does it bring economic benefits to the local people and preserve traditional cultural values, community tourism also contributes to diversifying products and creating a distinct attraction for Thanh Hoa tourism. Are you ready for a colorful and meaningful adventure in Thanh Hoa - a land with both sea and forest, and countless rich experiences? Don't hesitate, plan a trip to Thanh Hoa to swim in Sam Son beach, enjoy the entertainment paradise, explore the Pu Luong villages hidden in the mountains, savor the specialties, and participate in unique traditional festivals. Surely, you will bring back wonderful memories and unforgettable experiences of this land.
