Though a poor village 10 years ago, Ban Don or Don village in the mountainous district of Ba Thuoc, Thanh Hoa province has now become one of the emerging travel destinations with its homestay service for visitors who wish to explore the local life.

Over the last five months of this year, the village hosted nearly 10,000 tourists, mainly foreigners.

“This is among the most beautiful places I have visited in Vietnam,” said Gian Marco, an Italian visitor. “The people are amazing, especially in the village.”

Ha Van Thuoc, a local resident who offered homestay service, said since the beginning of the year, his family welcomed 400 visitors, with 60 percent being foreigners. The tourists, mainly from France, Switzerland and the US, joined his family in their daily meals and visiting terrace fields.

Ba Thuoc district is now home to 58 homestay accommodations. More than 100 other households benefit by planting clean vegetables and weaving brocades for these homestays. 

Homestay tourism services have helped local people in the locality escape from poverty and improve their livelihood.

“We have been providing tourism services since April 2017. We have improved our livelihood thanks to tourism,” Ha Van Hoanh, another local resident of Don village said. “ I hope that the roads to the village will be widened to make it easier for tourists to travel here,” he added. 

According to Lo Van Thang, Vice Chairman of the Ba Thuoc district People’s Committee,  the district has been focusing resources on developing community based tourism in Don and Kho Muong villages. It has also combined building new style rural areas with the tourism service in the localities. 

The initial successes in Ba Thuoc are a vivid example for other districts to make community based tourism an economic spearhead.

A view of Don village in Ba Thuoc district

Gian Marco, an Italian visitor 

Homestay tourism services have helped local people escape from poverty

A local is weaving in a traditional manner

VNA