Developing community-based tourism based on cultural resources in ethnic minority areas of Hanoi city

1. Introduction

In the context the shift towards green, sustainable and community-centered tourism development, community-based tourism rooted in cultural resources is regarded as an effective model; it generates livelihoods for local residents while simultaneously preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage. In addition to its renowned urban cultural heritage, Hanoi is home to ethnic minority communities in communes such as My Duc, Yen Xuan, Suoi Hai, Ba Vi and Yen Bai. These areas preserve the distinctive cultural values ​​of the Muong and Dao peoples, including traditional housing architecture, festivals, local knowledge, handicrafts, cuisine and folk arts. These are valuable cultural resources for developing distinctive and highly competitive community-based tourism products.

The implementation of Phase I (2021-2025) of the National Target Program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period of 2021-2030 has established a crucial foundation for leveraging cultural resources to foster livelihood development, achieve sustainable poverty reduction, and improve the living standards of ethnic minority communities. However, in reality, the exploitation of cultural resources for community-based tourism in Hanoi's ethnic minority areas remains fragmented; tourism products lack distinctive appeal, value chain linkages are limited, and the central role and agency of the community have not been fully realized.

Based on this context, the author focuses on researching and assessing the current situation, and proposing solutions for the sustainable development of community-based tourism, leveraging cultural resources in ethnic minority areas of Hanoi city. The research aims to strike a balance between preserving cultural identity and fostering local economic development, enhancing community participation, and effectively contributing to the realization of development goals for ethnic minority areas in Hanoi city during the new phase.

2. Research results

2.1. The potential and role of cultural resources in community-based tourism development in ethnic minority areas of Hanoi city

The ethnic minority areas of Hanoi city concentrated primarily in communes such as My Duc, Yen Xuan, Suoi Hai, Ba Vi and Yen Bai possess a rich and diverse array of cultural resources belonging to the Muong and Dao communities. These constitute a vital endogenous resource for the sustainable development of community-based tourism, aligning with the Hanoi capital’s strategic direction for cultural tourism, green tourism and the creative economy.

The region’s cultural resources encompass not only tangible elements such as traditional stilt houses, tools, handicrafts and ethnic costumes but also a body of intangible cultural heritage, including festivals, languages, folk songs and dances, local knowledge, culinary arts and community customs. These values ​​shape the unique identity of each ethnic group and contribute to the creation of distinctive experiential tourism products, catering to the growing trend of cultural exploration and immersion in local life.

In practice, many localities have begun to effectively leverage their cultural resources to develop community-based tourism. In Ba Vi Commune, the Dao and Muong communities have combined the use of natural landscapes with traditional culture offering experiences such as traditional herbal medicine practices, ethnic cuisine, cultural performances, stilt-house homestays and visits to traditional villages to create unique tourism products linked to the region’s ecosystem.

Furthermore, the community-based tourism model in Muong Coc (My Duc commune) demonstrates that leveraging Muong cultural values combined with agricultural landscapes and a homestay network has helped create jobs, boost incomes, and raise local awareness regarding cultural heritage preservation. Direct community involvement in providing accommodation, guiding experiences and showcasing local cuisine and handicrafts has enhanced the value of the tourism product chain while ensuring that economic benefits are distributed within the community itself.

From the perspective of sustainable development science, cultural resources are not merely factors that enhance a destination’s appeal; they also serve as a foundation for reinforcing community identity, strengthening social cohesion and driving livelihood development. When leveraged through a conservation-oriented approach that involves local communities and integrates digital transformation, cultural resources will become a competitive advantage for community-based tourism in Hanoi’s ethnic minority areas. This will contribute to diversifying the capital's tourism offerings, improving local livelihoods and effectively achieving the goal of economic development linked to cultural heritage preservation in the new era.

2.2. The current state of community-based tourism development based on cultural resources

In recent years, the development of community-based tourism leveraging cultural resources in ethnic minority areas of Hanoi has seen positive changes, driven by the attention of both central and municipal authorities through the implementation of sustainable tourism development initiatives, the “New Rural Area” program and the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions. Leveraging the traditional cultural values ​​of the Muong and Dao communities has gradually led to the creation of distinctive tourism products, contributing to job creation, increased incomes and the preservation of traditional cultural identity.

Ba Vi has emerged as a prominent area for community-based tourism linked to the cultures of the Dao and Muong ethnic groups. Many households have invested in homestays, herbal bath services, traditional cuisine, folk art performances and experiences involving traditional herbal medicine, creating a product chain that integrates ecological landscapes with indigenous cultural values. These activities not only cater to the experiential needs of tourists but also contribute to reviving traditional crafts and local knowledge that are at risk of fading away.

Of particular note is Muong Coc (My Duc Commune), which Hanoi is developing into a community-based tourism destination rooted in Muong cultural identity. The area now features six core villages dedicated to community-based tourism, with 26 out of 45 households providing services. Offerings include seven homestays, four farmstays, eight cycling routes, two trekking trails, and eight experiential programs, alongside nearly 60 digitized tourism resources and experience points. Furthermore, “Refill Station” models and “5-No” criteria have been implemented in alignment with green tourism and emission-reduction goals. This serves as a testament to a community-led approach that integrates cultural preservation with digital transformation and local economic development.

Despite positive results, the development of community-based tourism in ethnic minority areas of Hanoi still reveals significant limitations. Tourism sites remain small in scale and experiential products lack true diversity; furthermore, linkages between these destinations, travel agencies and the capital’s tourism hubs remain weak. The tourism workforce faces limitations regarding foreign language proficiency, destination management, digital marketing, and e-commerce. Certain traditional cultural values ​​have yet to be researched, documented, and developed into high-value-added tourism products.

Furthermore, transport infrastructure, accommodation facilities, signage, information centers, and support services in certain areas do not yet meet the requirements of high-end tourists. In some areas, cultural heritage conservation linked to tourism development remains spontaneous and lacks long-term planning; there is a persistent risk of the commercialization of festivals, traditional crafts and cultural practices if exploitation is left unchecked.

It can be said that the ethnic minority areas of Hanoi possess significant potential for developing community-based tourism rooted in cultural assets. However, transforming this potential into a sustainable competitive advantage requires further refining destination management mechanisms, enhancing community capacity, accelerating digital transformation, building a strong brand and strengthening regional linkages. These are the decisive conditions for cultural resources to truly become a driving force for economic development, the preservation of national identity, and the improvement of local communities’ livelihoods in the new era.

2.3. Solutions

In order to sustainably develop community-based tourism leveraging cultural resources in the ethnic minority areas of Hanoi city, it is essential to implement a comprehensive set of solutions covering institutional frameworks, planning, heritage preservation, human resource development and digital transformation.

Firstly, it is necessary to refine the mechanisms and policies for community-based tourism development by effectively integrating them with the National Target Programs on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction and Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the period of 2021-2030; simultaneously, the cultural resources of the Muong and Dao communities must be positioned as central assets within Hanoi city’s tourism development planning.

Secondly, it is essential to intensify efforts to preserve and promote the value of cultural heritage through surveying, inventorying, digitizing, and establishing databases on festivals, local knowledge, traditional crafts, folk arts, cuisine and traditional architecture. Promoting these values ​​requires ensuring authenticity, avoiding excessive commercialization and fostering active community participation, in line with UNESCO recommendations on sustainable tourism development based on cultural heritage.

Thirdly, it is necessary to build community capacity through training in destination management, homestay operations, tour guiding, foreign languages, digital marketing, and e-commerce. The establishment of cooperatives, cooperative groups and community-based enterprises should be encouraged to strengthen production linkages, enhance service quality and expand the tourism value chain.

Fourthly, digital transformation in destination management and promotion should be fostered through the creation of digital maps of cultural assets, the use of QR codes, the implementation of online booking platforms, and digital media outreach. Insights from the Muong Coc model (My Duc Commune) which involved digitizing sites of interest, developing visitor experience routes and adopting a green tourism approach demonstrate that digital transformation can enhance market accessibility and enrich the visitor experience.

3. Discussion

Research findings indicate that developing community-based tourism rooted in cultural resources within ethnic minority areas of Hanoi city aligns with current trends in sustainable tourism and the creative economy. This aligns with the views of UNESCO and UN Tourism, which emphasize that local communities must play a central role in heritage conservation while directly benefiting from tourism activities. Cultural assets truly become drivers of development only when managed in a way that preserves authenticity, leveraging local knowledge and ensures active community participation.

Practical experience in Ba Vi Commune and particularly the Muong Coc community-based tourism model in My Duc Commune, Hanoi city demonstrates that combining the preservation of Muong culture with the development of homestays, agricultural experiences, traditional cuisine, digital transformation and green tourism has generated positive economic, social and cultural value. However, compared to successful models such as Sa Pa and Mu Cang Chai (Lao Cai Province), Mai Chau (Phu Tho Province) and Moc Chau (Son La Province), community-based tourism sites in Hanoi’s ethnic minority areas still face limitations regarding product scale, management capacity, value chain integration and market access.

From a scientific perspective, the author argues that the competitive advantage of ethnic minority areas in Hanoi city lies not only in their cultural resources but also in their geographical proximity to the capital’s center and their ability to connect with cultural, ecological and heritage tourism networks. Therefore, the development orientation for the coming period must shift from a mindset of resource exploitation to one of cultural resource management; it must center on the community, be grounded in cultural identity and utilize digital transformation as a tool to enhance the value of the destination. This is a crucial prerequisite for establishing a distinctive, competitive and sustainable community-based tourism model that actively contributes to the socio-economic development of ethnic minority areas in Hanoi amidst international integration.

4. Conclusion

Developing community-based tourism rooted in cultural resources is a suitable approach to effectively leveraging the cultural assets of ethnic minority areas in Hanoi, while ensuring a balance between economic development, heritage preservation and the enhancement of community living standards. The cultural resources of the Muong and Dao ethnic groups in communes such as My Duc, Yen Xuan, Suoi Hai, Ba Vi, and Yen Bai serve as a vital foundation for developing distinctive tourism products and enhancing the destination's appeal and competitiveness. However, achieving sustainable development requires further refining mechanisms and policies, strengthening community management capacity, accelerating the digitization of cultural resources and fostering stronger collaboration among local authorities, businesses, research institutions and the community. The synchronous implementation of these solutions will contribute to the effective execution of the National Target Programs on New Rural Development, Sustainable Poverty Reduction, and Socio-economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas (covering the periods of 2021-2025 and 2026-2030), while simultaneously establishing a distinctive community-based tourism model for the Capital that is sustainable, inclusive and rich in cultural identity.

* Journal of Ethnic and Religious Research

References

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