Development of Nam Hong CBT

Ha Giang is an attractive place with majestic landscapes, historical monuments and distinctive culture. There is thus great potential for tourism which can potentially improve the lives of subsistence ethnic minority farmers in the region. However, rather than adopt traditional models of mass tourism development, community-based tourism is adopted, such that local people have more ownership over how tourism is developed and its impacts on the community and its culture.

Development of Tourism in Nam Hong Village

The development of tourism in Nam Hong Village was given a headstart by the HELVETAS Vietnam, a Swiss-Based international NGO. The NGO provided loans for infrastructure building as well as tourism-trainings. By 2016, the established homestay facilities were ready to serve the long-term guests. In 2017 the cooperative was officially launched.

Highlights from tourists visiting various homestays in the village

Thereafter, Nam Hong community tourism co-operative or Nam Hong CBT was found by passionate young Dao people who want to develop tourism in the village. They worked hard to gather tea, gather firewood and ask for family loans so that they could invest in developing the community tourism co-operative.

After that, the members of the group gave many ideas to preserve and promote the cultural identities and values of the Red Dao community including preservation of the terraced fields, the primary forests and traditional culture. In 2019, a group of volunteers from the University of Hong Kong came to support the community in the documentation of Red Dao Culture, the co-creating of workshops and revamping the local museum so that tourists who want to understand how we, the Red Dao people in Nam Hong Village, Hoang Su Phi lives, can have authentic experiences.

Looking Ahead

At present, the Nam Hong Community Tourism Cooperative has tourism products including homestays, trekking tours and workshops. Nam Hong CBT will continue to involve more local villagers such that the benefits of tourism can be shared more evenly, and to ensure the sustainability and authenticity of tourism, prioritising the well being of the overall community.

This website was developed in cooperation with Habitat International, Actxplorer Vietnam and volunteers from Hong Kong University.