Da Nang ‘awakens’ highland products through community-based tourism

Improving livelihoods through community-based tourism

By participating in the Phu Mua community-based tourism model in Ra Lang Village, Song Kon Commune, Mrs. A Lang Thi Tuan, a member of the Co Tu ethnic group, has gained additional income from everyday activities such as cooking, preparing local specialties and selling agricultural products to visitors.

According to Mrs. A Lang Thi Tuan, local residents still spend their days cultivating rice, beans and corn, while collecting forest products as they have done for generations. Whenever tour groups book visits in advance, however, the village becomes livelier with meals rich in mountain flavors, colorful brocade textiles and the sound of gongs accompanying the traditional tung tung da da dance inside the Guol communal house.

Not only in Ra Lang, but community-based tourism is also creating new livelihood opportunities for local residents at the Co Tu Community-Based Tourism Cooperative - Nam Giang in A Lieng Village, Ben Giang Commune.

In 2025, the Co Tu Community-Based Tourism Cooperative - Nam Giang received the 2025 ASEAN Tourism Award in the community tourism category at the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2025 held in Johor, Malaysia. The award is considered important recognition of the locality’s efforts to develop tourism while preserving cultural heritage.

Mr. Briu Thuong, Director of the Co Tu Community-Based Tourism Cooperative - Nam Giang, said local residents received support from project officials to identify the potential for community-based tourism development, design experiential tours, promote destinations, and develop handicraft products. Hands once accustomed to traditional weaving and handicrafts are now creating products that not only serve daily life but also serve as cultural souvenirs sought after by tourists. This approach both creates livelihoods and helps preserve the green forests and traditional cultural values passed down through generations.

A notable feature of the community tourism model is its fair benefit-sharing mechanism among all seven participating villages. The cooperative serves as the central coordinator for visitor reception and for rotating tour schedules among villages, ensuring that development opportunities are distributed more evenly.

A sustainable livelihood pathway for highland communities

These are two of the 10 community-based tourism destinations under the EMMi Project, officially titled “Establishing a Sustainable Development Mechanism for Rural Handicrafts in the Mountainous Areas of Da Nang.” The project has been funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through the Foundation for International Development/Relief (FIDR) and was approved for implementation by the former Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee in 2021.

The project aims to create sustainable livelihoods in mountainous areas by developing local products, handicrafts, and community-based tourism, while also preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of ethnic minority communities.

According to the Da Nang Department of Agriculture and Environment, the project has been implemented across 35 mountainous communes in former Quang Nam during the 2021-2026 period, with a total budget of USD 900,000. After nearly five years, the project has achieved significant results, particularly in local product development through the “Treasure Hunt” initiative conducted across nine mountainous districts, helping communities better use existing local resources.

To date, around 750 local products have been identified across categories, including weaving, beadwork, basketry, agricultural products, and processed foods. Using local materials such as brocade textiles, bamboo and agricultural produce, residents have created a wide range of products including bags, scarves, wallets and jewelry, while also developing processed goods made from ginger, grains, peanut oil, sesame and black pepper. These products have increasingly been improved to better suit the tourism market and modern consumer demand.

The products are now distributed through tourism tours, hotels, resorts, souvenir shops, clean food stores and festivals. Many products developed under the project are also sold at international airports in Japan, including Narita and Kansai, as well as at organic food stores in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. In 2025 alone, revenue from local products was estimated at around VND 1.5 billion, highlighting the project’s effectiveness in linking production with markets.

At the same time, promotional activities such as the “Co Tu and Ca Dong Culinary Night” and highland agricultural markets have become effective channels for introducing local products to tourists while creating additional livelihoods for local residents.

The project has also focused on strengthening community capacity through the establishment of 89 business initiative groups and the training of 68 local tour guides. On that foundation, 10 community-based tourism destinations have been developed and put into operation. The number of tours increased from eight serving around 40 visitors in 2022 to more than 600 in 2025, with projections reaching 800 by 2026.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ut, after nearly five years of implementation, the project has helped improve the quality of many highland products, build local brands, and expand markets. Community-based tourism models have also proven effective in creating jobs, increasing incomes, and gradually shifting local production mindsets toward a more proactive, sustainable approach.

$1 = VND 26,393 (Source: Vietcombank).