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| Villagers posing for photos with international visitors |
Passing through the gate of Doi Village, formerly of Thuong Lo Commune - now Khe Tre Commune, a winding road shaded by lush green trees greets visitors like a gentle invitation, leading them into the peaceful village nestled deep in the wilderness.
The gardens are thriving, heavy with ripe fruit: guavas, pineapples, jackfruit, … fragrant and sweet under the summer sun. Ms. A Lang Thi Be, Director of Ka Zan Waterfall Community Tourism Cooperative, shared that guava and pineapple orchards owned by villagers such as Tran Van Lan and Le Van Hoa are linked with the cooperative. “For just 30.000 VND, visitors can enter the garden, pick guavas and pineapples with their own hands, enjoy the fresh, sweet taste right there, or take some home”, Be said, with clear joy on her face as she spoke of how locals are now earning extra income from community tourism.
The Ka Zan Waterfall Community Tourism Cooperative was founded in 2018. In the early days, the number of visitors was modest, barely more than a dozen groups a year at a time when community tourism was booming in other areas. Yet, for this Co Tu woman devoted to her homeland, giving up was never an option. She tirelessly rallied the villagers, encouraging the women to join hands in developing tourism: cleaning the village, planting flowers along the roads, fixing up the simple homestays, attending training sessions in communication and hospitality. Bit by bit, Doi Village began to spread its forest-scented charm, drawing more and more visitors.
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| Ms. Be (left) giving instructions to a homestay owner about guest services |
According to Be, Doi Village preserves the distinct cultural values of the Co Tu people. From bamboo weaving and Zeng weaving to traditional dances and lullabies. Visitors can bathe in the Ka Zan stream, join the villagers in harvesting rice or picking vegetables, and gather around the fire to enjoy highland delicacies.
When the jars of fermented rice wine run dry, it is time for guests and hosts to merge in song and dance. To the rhythm of gongs and drums, with footsteps in harmony on the Guol’s courtyard and the vibrant hues of traditional brocade swirling, visitors feel as though they have stepped into a magical world, alive with the breath of the mountains.
Ms. Ho Thi Non, Head of the village’s cultural performance team, shared that every week, the women set aside their farming work to meet and rehearse dances and songs. These performances for guests are also an occasion to preserve the Co Tu cultural beauty.
Today, the Ka Zan Waterfall Community Tourism Cooperative has 24 members. The village has nine homestays, five of which are operating steadily. Visitors come to Doi from spring to summer. Even during the rainy season, when no guests arrive, villagers keep the spirit alive by cleaning, tending gardens, and improving paths to prepare for the next season. “The village must always be clean and beautiful so visitors will be happy. If they love the village, they will tell others to come”, one Doi resident said warmly.
According to Ms. A Lang Thi Be, since 2023, the cooperative has entered a strong growth phase, welcoming about 30-35 tour groups each year. This success is due to local government support and the assistance of NGOs like Helvetas through their community tourism development program in Doi Village for 2022-2025.
Through training courses and study trips to other community tourism models in provinces like Quang Nam and Ha Giang (former names), the villagers have gained new perspectives and a deeper understanding of sustainable tourism tied to their local culture. “I always remember the three key lessons from those trips: keep the environment clean, be hospitable to guests, and build solidarity so we can develop tourism together,” Ms.Be shared sincerely.
As we left the village, the Director of the Ka Zan Waterfall Community Tourism Cooperative sent with us the heartfelt wish of the Doi villagers: The wish for their village to always echo with the footsteps and laughter of visitors, so that life here will continue to flourish, and the sounds of gongs and drums in the Guol courtyard will resound far and wide.