Transforming Potential into Reality: Advancing Community-Based Tourism in Vietnam
In Vietnam, community-based tourism (CBT) is blossoming into a vital pathway for sustainable rural development, placing local people at the heart of organizing, managing and benefiting from their own heritage. With the cultural identities of 54 ethnic groups and rich natural landscapes, the country holds immense potential.
By 2021, around 300 villages nationwide participated in CBT, offering over 5,000 homestays. But the journey has not been without challenges. Many destinations still struggle with inadequate infrastructure and the risk of losing their authentic local identity to rushed modernization and "concretization." A national vision now seeks to nurture CBT into a high quality, mainstream experience that ensures economic and social sustainability while preserving traditional values.
The driving force behind local tourism
In the mountainous region of Tuyên Quang province, Nguyễn Thị Huyên has been the unwavering driving force behind local tourism for nearly two decades. Starting as a junior officer in the Tourism and Hospitality Management Unit of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, she has risen to become the Head of the Unit, guiding the province's tourism through its critical emerging phase.
Living and working in this remote area, Huyên often felt the immense weight of its challenges — from difficult transportation links to a stark lack of trained human resources. Yet, with 22 ethnic groups making up over 56% of the population, Tuyên Quang boasts a deep diversity of tangible and intangible cultural heritages, serving as a fertile ground for meaningful CBT. For Huyên, the work was never just about increasing visitor numbers; it was about nurturing a path where locals could improve their lives without losing who they are.
Transforming the tourism landscape
A turning point arrived in 2024 with the Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development (ST4SD) project. Funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and implemented by Helvetas, the project emerged as the vital catalyst Tuyên Quang needed to truly transform its tourism landscape.
It brought best practices for community development and cultural preservation from Switzerland and beyond. One inspiration came from Switzerland’s Entlebuch Biosphere, rooted in a community-led philosophy of creating vibrant living spaces with a guiding principle: "Let the community own the story, write the rules, and host the world — on their terms."
In Entlebuch, local cooperatives actively manage tourism, with residents deeply involved in offering experiences and holding regular meetings for continuous reflection. ST4SD introduced this successful model to Tuyên Quang through participatory structures like open dialogues, capacity building and creating a shared vision that aligns tourism with local values.
For Huyên, the ST4SD project delivered exactly what was needed to turn potential into reality. “The project provides technical assistance in the field of tourism, improving local capacity, completing and leveraging tourism products, and advising on master plans for sustainable development,” she said. “The project also gives us confidence that if we follow the correct direction, we can develop our tourism in a sustainable way for the long term.”
Promoting an award-winning village
This tourism vision and powerful partnership showed its full potential in Lô Lô Chải, a village nestled in the far north. The village is known for its sacred tradition of worshipping ancestors with bronze drums and is visually defined by its characteristic rammed earth “trình tường” architecture.
Lô Lô Chải is like a living museum. But what truly makes the village remarkable is the community's creative application of technology and their unwavering solidarity in building CBT together.
Despite its remote, mountainous location, Lô Lô Chải has adapted to the digital age. Every homestay now offers a 5G connection, and almost all local services accept cashless payments via QR codes, with some even taking credit cards. Travelers can easily book their stays through platforms like Agoda and Booking.com. Meanwhile, residents often use social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok to share a look at their daily lives and connect with visitors.
Beneath these modern updates, the village remains grounded in togetherness. The community meets regularly to discuss local activities and where help is needed. When a family builds a house, the whole village gathers to lend a hand. This unity is also how they protect their culture. An annual ceremony brings everyone together for a centuries-old ancestral ritual, and practicing traditional dances is just a normal part of village life, a natural way to bond and to ensure the Lô Lô traditions continue for the next generation.
Huyên and the ST4SD project were determined to elevate the village, and collaborated to maximize Lô Lô Chải's potential on a global scale. When the Best Tourism Village Award by UN Tourism was suggested, Huyên immediately championed the idea.
“Lô Lô Chải has everything for the award,” said Huyên. “It has a rich and unique culture with original architecture and its own language. It also has a vital location at the foot of the famous Lũng Cú flag tower next to the border with China and in the area of the Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark.”
Huyên successfully convinced the provincial authority to nominate the village for the award. Then Huyên, her unit, and the ST4SD project experts worked side-by-side to review the village against the award criteria, identifying and implementing immediate interventions for a compelling application.
One of these interventions was to invite more women to join the village tourism management board, ensuring that community decisions included everyone's voice. Together, the board agreed on simple, fair ways to share tourism benefits, work cooperatively, and protect both their natural environment and their traditional earthen houses. Because the village is located high in the mountains where water becomes precious and scarce during the winter, they began raising awareness about saving water and energy, including exploring solar power. The community was also encouraged to use natural, eco-friendly materials for their homes and everyday items.
When Lô Lô Chải was officially awarded the Best Tourism Village by UN Tourism on October 17, 2025, Huyên broke down in tears of joy. It was a shared milestone, proving that the collective, patient efforts of a remote province could rightfully earn a place on the global tourism map.
Addressing challenges that accompany tourism
The recognition of being a Best Tourism Village brought a sudden wave of attention. A rapid influx of tourists pushed the limits of the village's capacity. The damaging effects of overtourism quickly surfaced, such as strained waste management and rushed construction that threatened the village's traditional architecture.
Seeing the impact on the community she cared so deeply for, Huyên quickly stepped in. “I saw the issues,” she said. “I discussed it with project experts and asked for advice and then organized meetings at the province level to update our leaders on the situation early in 2026. Thanks to their support, we immediately met with Lũng Cú commune and Lô Lô Chải to discuss what to do and to guide them to overcome the issues.”
Lô Lô Chải issued its own village regulations to manage tourism activities sustainably. These agreements cover everyday village life: how to build homes that follow traditional architecture, how to protect their environment and security, and how to preserve their deeply rooted culture. The villagers also agreed on simple, fair ways to encourage good practices and hold each other accountable. This critical step was guided by the ST4SD project, leveraging long-standing expertise from Switzerland, a country that has successfully navigated similar challenges in its own mountainous destinations.
The events in Lô Lô Chải became a catalyst for broader systemic change. To ensure that communities wouldn't have to navigate these pressures alone, the ST4SD project supported the province to develop official Guidelines for Sustainable Community-Based Tourism Destination Management and Development based on UN Tourism standards, which were piloted in Tuyên Quang starting in May 2026.
These comprehensive guidelines aim to help destinations in Vietnam develop professionally, sustainably and to gradually reach international standards. Through nine UN Tourism criteria, community tourism villages can self-assess their current status, develop action plans and prepare the necessary conditions to elevate destination quality. The main objective is to transition the model from spontaneous tourism to professional management, providing a clear technical roadmap that ensures sustainable growth and readies Vietnamese villages to earn the Best Tourism Village's title.
Understanding that true sustainability requires grassroots comprehension, the ST4SD project translated these guidelines into an engaging animation video to ensure the message truly resonated with locals.
To further Lô Lô Chải's professional development, the ST4SD project also spearheaded the creation of a distinct brand identity and logo. Officially handed over to the local community by the Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam in May 2026, this vital branding asset has revolutionized their marketing efforts. It allows the village to promote its unique story effectively on both a national and international level, ensuring they stand out to travelers.
The project also supported a master tourism development plan for Tuyên Quang that runs through 2030, making sustainable tourism a central focus for the very first time. The proposed sustainability initiatives present a meaningful shift from the province's past strategies and provide a good example to inspire other localities in Vietnam.
Looking back at the extraordinary milestones of recent years, Huyên says she feels a deep gratitude for what her province has achieved through this transformative partnership. Yet her focus remains fixed on the horizon. For Huyên, true success has never been about the prestige of global titles or the sheer volume of travelers. The real enduring reward is seeing the communities of Tuyên Quang protect their vibrant heritage, nurture their environment, and confidently hold their future in their own hands, sharing their stories with the world for generations to come.
About the Authors
Lien Le is the Communications Manager for the ST4SD Project at Helvetas Vietnam.
Nam Vu is the Component Manager on Technical Support for Tourism Policy Implementation for the ST4SD project at Helvetas Vietnam.
