Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Tan Hoa commune People's Committee Truong Thanh Duan revealed the locality’s plans to preserve the title and strive to achieve more high criteria so that Tan Hoa will become an ideal tourist destination.

Tan Hoa is the only village in Vietnam selected in the list of 260 tourism villages in 60 countries. The UNWTO announced the list of Best Tourism Villages 2023 at a meeting held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 19.

The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tan Hoa was recognised for its diverse and outstanding cultural and natural resources, as well as its commitments and actions to comply with the sustainable tourism principles.

Tan Hoa, a mountainous commune in Minh Hoa district, is blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes and special cultural identities. In the past, it used to be frequently hit by floods due to its location.

Over the past years, local residents have engaged in tourism activities to help sustainably reduce poverty. With support from businesses, Tan Hoa has become a weather-adaptive tourism village with many unique and typical tourism products.

Launched in 2021, the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO initiative is part of the UNWTO Tourism for Rural Development Programme. The programme works to foster development and inclusion in rural areas, combat depopulation, advance innovation and value chain integration through tourism, and encourage sustainable practices.

The villages are evaluated under nine key areas, namely cultural and natural resources; promotion and conservation of cultural resources; economic sustainability; social sustainability; environmental sustainability; tourism development and value chain integration; governance and prioritisation of tourism; infrastructure and connectivity; and health, safety, and security.

On this occasion, leaders of Quang Binh province presented certificates of merit to organisations and individuals who have made contributions to building and developing Tan Hoa into the best tourist village in the world in 2023./.VNA