During the 2026 New Year holiday, we returned to the hometown market of Cham Da Phuoc Village (Ha Bao 2 hamlet, Vinh Hau commune, An Giang province), a relatively new destination on the border community tourism map.
In the peaceful space of the riverside village, where the stilt houses of the Cham people appear simple and rustic, we met Mr. Abdul Alim, Director of An Giang Cham Village Trading and Tourism Co., Ltd., one of the pioneers who initiated and built the Cham village market tourism model in Da Phuoc.
Sharing about the tourism journey of local people, Mr. Abdul Alim said that in the past, the lives of people in the village mainly relied on small-scale trading, fishing, and precarious income.
In the past three years, when many groups of foreign tourists, especially tourists from Middle Eastern countries, came to experience rural life and Cham culture, we realized that what is familiar every day can become a tourism product," Mr. Alim said.
According to Mr. Alim, welcoming tourists not only brings additional income to the people but also helps the Cham community in Da Phuoc have the opportunity to introduce, preserve and spread traditional cultural identity. From rustic dishes, traditional cakes, brocade weaving to customs and living habits, people actively incorporate them into experiential activities to serve tourists.
Visiting Da Phuoc Cham Village's rural market in the evening, we encountered a bustling but no-noise atmosphere. Small stalls selling traditional cakes, typical Cham dishes, handicraft brocade products... attracted quite a lot of tourists. Among them, Ms. Dong Anh Thu, a tourist from Khanh Hoa province, is leisurely strolling around the market, chatting with local people.
This is the first time I have come to the border area of An Giang. What impressed me most was not the beautiful scenery or the magnificent services, but the sincerity in the way people welcome tourists," Ms. Thu shared.
According to Ms. Thu, from the way people introduce each type of cake, invite each dish to try, to telling stories about the customs and habits of the Cham people, everything is very close, rustic but very attractive.
Comparing with many other destinations, Ms. Dong Anh Thu said that community tourism at Da Phuoc Cham Village rural market has a very unique color. “No noise, no constraints, everything happens very naturally. Visitors can both enjoy cuisine, buy brocade, try traditional Cham costumes, rowing boats,... These experiences really impressed me and made me feel relaxed,” Ms. Thu said.
Mr. Du So - Secretary of the Party Cell of Ha Bao 2 hamlet (Vinh Hau commune, An Giang province), said that Da Phuoc Cham Village currently has more than 2,500 people, mainly Cham people who have lived for a long time. In order to create sustainable livelihoods for people, the locality has coordinated with individuals and businesses to build a community tourism model, in which the rural market of Da Phuoc Cham Village is considered the core.
According to Mr. Du So, the development of community tourism not only contributes to increasing income for people but also creates conditions to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the Cham people. Many households participate in selling goods, providing services, and performing traditional crafts, thereby having more stable income.
When asked about the biggest challenge in the process of community tourism development, Mr. Du So frankly acknowledged: "The most important thing is still maintaining service quality associated with preserving cultural identity. Many places chase after profits, distorting the image of community tourism. Here, we always remind people to preserve traditions, behave civilizedly, and respect tourists. Only then can trust be built and tourists return.
