Dong Thap province taps into community-based tourism

• Space helps youngsters get closer to ethnic cultures
• Quang Binh promotes tourism on YouTube and Google Arts & Culture
• HCM City to host Vietnam–RoK Culture and Tourism Festival

Lotus field at Dong Thap Muoi eco tourist site (Photo: dulich.tuoitre.vn)

According to Vice Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ngo Quang Tuyen, community-based tourism model has created a highlight in the local tourism, making the province become the third most attractive locality in the Mekong Delta region.

Also, it contributed greatly to the local tourism revenue, which stood at estimated 500 billion USD in the first half of 2019, up 25 percent year on year.

Deemed as the land of lotuses, visitors to Dong Thap province could not miss visiting the Dong Sen Thap Muoi eco tourist site in Thap Muoi district to take a boat trip around immense lotus ponds to enjoy the beauty of lotuses in full bloom. Besides, they will be certainly excited about going fishing in the middle of the vast lotus fields, and tasting local staples made from lotus.

Earlier, there were only five families offering tourism services at the site; and the number now nearly doubles, and their lotus fields greet average more than 10,000 visitors a month. 

Meanwhile, Cao Lanh city has already developed culinary eco-tourism, education eco-tourism and resort tourism at Tan Thuan Dong tourism village. Two families in Tan Thuan Dong commune have spent more than 800 million VND improving infrastructure and landscapes over the past two years, making the village qualified to serve both domestic and foreign visitors. Since its opening, the village has hosted around 25,000 arrivals, including 3,000 foreigners.

Seeing the potential of community-based tourism, farmers in Lai Vung district have opened their citrus orchards for tourism. They have gained some 24 billion VND from greeting over 75,000 visitors so far.

However, Tuyen described Sa Dec city as the most successful developer of community-based tourism. The city is oriented to become the flower city of the southern region with pictresque flower gardens, and a flower museum with hundreds of flower kinds which are famous both inside and outside the country. 

Such flower gardens as Hai Cao, Happy Land Hung Thy and Ngoc Lan, Hoa Ech Homestay and Bamboo House Homestay are attractive destinations, according to Tuyen.

Furthermore, feasting on various kinds of cake made from rice powder is a fantastic experience in Tan Phu Dong village.

Tuyen said community-based tours lured a great number of visitors to Sa Dec. Last year, the city welcomed over 1 million arrivals in total.

Furthermore, several destinations have become popular among tourists like Homestay Tu Ca Linh in Tam Nong district, Tam Viet clean vegetable and organic paddy field cooperative in Hong Ngu district, and honeydew farm in Thanh Binh district.

The province has developed tourism in tandem with promoting local agriculture and cultural values.