Bahnar community tourism: [1] Genuine hospitality

Every gong sound is a tourism product

According to Dang Bao Toan, Standing Vice Chairman of the Binh Phu Commune People's Committee (Gia Lai province), Binh Phu commune was formed by merging three former communes, Tay Phu, Vinh An, and Binh Tuong, as part of the administrative restructuring policy. This merger has given the locality an opportunity to build a sustainable tourism development strategy that links heritage preservation with economic development.

"Binh Phu is a land where many historical and cultural values converge. The area is home to numerous destinations that draw large numbers of visitors, including Kinh Thien Observation Tower, the temple honoring Grand Chancellor Vo Van Dung, the tomb of Mai Xuan Thuong, and the Ham Ho tourist site - all of which have long been attractive destinations in the region thanks to their scenic mountain-and-river landscapes," Dang Bao Toan said.

According to Toan, these historical, cultural, and natural values have shaped Binh Phu's distinct identity and helped give rise to heritage, cultural, ecotourism, and experiential tourism products that meet the increasingly diverse demands of visitors.

Beyond its natural advantages, Binh Phu commune is also home to a wealth of traditional cultural values of the Bahnar people, including gong culture, brocade weaving, folk arts, traditional cuisine, indigenous knowledge, and distinctive communal customs. These form a valuable cultural resource base for the locality to continue developing distinctive, deeply rooted, and sustainable tourism products.

"Binh Phu commune covers a natural area of more than 200 square kilometers, nearly 80 percent of which is forested land. The commune has 6,448 households with more than 23,000 residents, of whom 6.84 percent are Bahnar. Before the merger, Binh Phu comprised five Bahnar villages - Kon Mon, Kon Giot 1, Kon Giot 2, Xa Tang, and Kon Giang, which have now been consolidated into Vinh An village, with a population of more than 2,000. The locality is currently developing Vinh An into a community tourism village with its own distinctive approach," Toan said.

Toan added that Binh Phu commune has determined that developing community tourism does not mean building large-scale infrastructure, but rather preserving intact the inherent values of the countryside and of Bahnar culture, so that every house, every stream, every stretch of forest, and every sound of the gong can become a compelling story for visitors.

"To develop community tourism, alongside natural landscapes and cultural and historical relics, we are also tapping into the cultural potential of our ethnic minority communities, with the goal of creating sustainable livelihoods for them. The culture of the Bahnar people in Vinh An is deeply tied to the forest, the mountains, the streams, and the rivers; it's very distinctive.

To preserve and enhance this distinctiveness, it must be nurtured and cultivated. First and foremost, we are stepping up communication efforts on forest protection. Only with forests can the rivers and streams have water. Only with forests can our people sustain their livelihoods through harvesting non-timber forest products. When visitors come, our people tell them stories about village life and daily routines, treating guests with genuine warmth as a tourism product in itself," Toan said.

Bahnar community embraces the effort

To implement the Vinh An community tourism model, Binh Phu commune has established a general coordinating team, followed by community service groups including a homestay group, a culinary group, a brocade-weaving group, a gong performance group, and an experience-guiding group. These groups have now been operating for four months, with the local community playing a central role in the development process. In the coming period, Vinh An commune will draw on lessons learned to establish the most suitable community management model, allowing residents to directly participate in managing, operating, and benefiting from tourism activities.

To raise awareness among the Bahnar community about community tourism, Binh Phu commune organized a study trip for residents to the highlands of Danang to learn about governance, marketing, homestay accommodation services, sustainable natural forest preservation, and indigenous cultural preservation practices from the Co Tu community in Hoa Bac (Danang).

In addition, the Gia Lai Provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations organized a training course on social-media tourism communication skills for the Bahnar community in Vinh An to support their community tourism efforts.

Dinh Ri (born 1993), from Kon Giot 2 village, is an active participant in the community tourism model in Binh Phu commune. A graduate of Hue University of Economics (majoring in finance and banking), Dinh Ri has been assigned to lead the group that guides visitors on tours.

To improve his skills, Dinh Ri has taken the initiative to study on his own and practice his English so he can introduce foreign visitors to local attractions, customs, traditions, and cultural identity. "I want to help bring the image of the Vinh An Bahnar village and culture closer to visitors. I hope that as tourism develops, it will help villagers earn additional income and build a more stable life," Dinh Ri said.

The family of Dinh Thi Nhe, in Kon Giot 1 village, has a 2,000-square-meter garden growing fruit trees combined with free-range chicken raising, and has created a green space to welcome visitors for experiential tourism. The family's traditional stilt house meets the requirements for guest accommodation, with a bathroom that meets standard requirements.

"Our family is very happy to take part in community tourism. If guests come to stay, we'll serve them food and host them according to traditional Bahnar customs - it gives us extra income while also letting us introduce our village's culture to visitors. It brings us a lot of joy," Nhe said.

"In the first six months of 2026, tourist sites in Binh Phu commune welcomed more than 39,000 visitor arrivals. Visitors to Vinh An can sample a range of distinctive dishes prepared in traditional Bahnar style; experience brocade weaving; take part in gong performances; explore nature; learn about indigenous knowledge; join in agricultural production activities and the daily life of local residents; tour fruit orchards; and learn about the development of sa nhan (amomum) medicinal herb growing areas beneath the forest canopy, linked to protecting forest ecosystems in adaptation to climate change," Dang Bao Toan said.