From a bottle, a vegetable bed to the best villages in the world
The industries were once very popular and common, present in almost any rural area of Vietnam, but in Hoi An, they have become their own tourism brands, with international stature.
The story of a basket boat in the Bay Mau coconut forest (Cam Thanh) in Hoi An Dong ward, Da Nang is a typical example. Originally just a primitive fishing vehicle, the bottle basket has now become an un missed experience. Tripadvisor, the world's most prestigious travel platform, has ranked the basket travel experience here 19th in the top 25 most attractive cruise activities globally in 2024.
This is a recognition for a unique eco-tourism product, where visitors can enjoy a light slide on the river, squeeze through the lush green coconut grass and burst into laughter with "basket shaking", folk melodies, folk songs and even impromptu karaoke singing by local people.
Development is not spontaneous. Each year, Cam Thanh welcomes nearly 1 million visitors. To manage nearly 1,400 baskets and ensure service quality, Cam Thanh Coconut Forest Bottle Service Cooperative was established with 460 members.
Mr. Le At, a member of the commune, excitedly shared: "Bottles used to be used for fishing and taking visitors to the river for only a few tens of thousands of VND/day. Now each customer can spend up to 300,000 for 1 basket boat experience.
Now with cooperatives, people participate in tourism development, rise up and have a better life". Local government helps people professionalize services, increase income and build a brand through the cooperative model.
Similarly, Tra Que vegetable village, from a traditional agricultural village, has become the "Best Tourist Village in the World in 2024" honored by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism). This success comes not only from the good beds of organic vegetables grown using traditional methods, but also from turning farm work into an attractive travel experience.
The program "A day as a farmer in Tra Que" allows visitors to dig soil and grow vegetables by hand, and then enjoy their own fruits through rustic dishes.
With more than 200 participating households on an area of 18 hectares, Tra Que not only sells vegetables but also sells a cultural story. The vegetable growing profession is recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Cau Bong Festival is preserved, all of which have created a destination that meets the criteria for sustainable development of the United Nations. Each year's revenue of approximately 1 billion VND from ticket sales is a clear demonstration of the economic efficiency of this model.
Craft villages such as Kim Bong carpentry are over 500 years old, under the guidance of artisans such as Mr. Huynh Suong, and have cleverly combined traditional sculpture techniques with the needs of the tourism market. From a craft village that is only heard in... stories, the government has supported rice for a few dozen young people to learn a trade and restore. Up to now, Kim Bong Moc village has vividly existed, contributing a lot to the development of the homeland.
Thanh Ha pottery village is also a story of miraculous revival. There was a time when facing the risk of future danger when industrial products overwhelmed the pottery village, and the village found a way to live thanks to tourism. Instead of just producing household appliances, artisans have switched to making handicraft ceramics and opening the workshop for visitors to experience making ceramics and molds tofu.
From the difficult situation, nearly 100 workers at 32 facilities now have a stable income of 6-7 million VND/month. Local authorities also accompany with specific support policies, helping people feel secure in maintaining the passion for the profession.
Keeping land, keeping a job, helping people get rich
The above achievements are not random, but the result of a very specific development strategy, bearing the mark of a "creating government". Hoi An's core philosophy is that development must originate from cultural inner strength, taking people as the center and the ultimate goal is to improve their lives.
That is the courage to keep land and keep the profession for the people. Instead of planning luxurious tourist areas and pushing people out of their living space, Hoi An has done the opposite. They turn their own houses, gardens, and craft workshops into tourist destinations. Tra Que farmers do not lose their fields, Kim Bong carpenters do not lose their workshops, Cam Thanh boat rowers do not lose their rivers. They are given the right to master, trained in skills to become "tourism ambassadors", confidently telling the story of their homeland and directly benefiting from it. This is a humane way of doing things, solving the problem of conflict between conservation and development, between urbanization and people's livelihoods.
Hoi An's model is the convincing answer to the command " shift from administrative thinking to creation". Creating is not something superficial, but it is the recognition of potential in the simplest things, the building of an ecosystem where economic values and cultural values develop together, enriching the whole community.
Hoi An has proven that when heritage is put into the hands of the people, with the orientation and support of a truly "for the people" government, it will become an endless resource to create a sustainable and prosperous future.
