Vietnam boasts one among best tourism villages

Thai Hai Village in the northern province of Thai Nguyen has been named among the 32 ‘Best Tourism Villages’ by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Thai Hai house-on-stilts village covers about 25 hectares, surrounded by immense mountains and forests.

The original purpose of the establishment of Thai Hai Village was not to exploit tourism but to preserve the Tay ethnic group's culture and traditions.

The village currently has 30 houses on stilts that were bought from the Dinh Hoa area in Thai Nguyen province, transported and restored to become the home of 30 families over four generations.

These families have together preserved traditional cultural features like language, customs, rituals, and costumes.

Tourists visiting Thai Hai Village will stay in local stilt houses to learn about Tay cuisine, culture or agricultural, livestock and handicraft activities, according to the village website.

"A total of 136 villages were put forward for consideration by 57 UNWTO member states (each member state could nominate a maximum of three villages) for the 2022 edition. From these, 32 were recognized as Best Tourism Villages," the UNWTO said.

The Best Tourism Villages initiative is the flagship project of the UNWTO Tourism for Rural Development Programme. The program promotes multi-level governance and partnerships and the active involvement and empowerment of communities.

UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili said: "For rural communities everywhere, tourism can be a true gamechanger in providing jobs, supporting local businesses and keeping traditions alive. The Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO showcase the power of the sector to drive economic diversification and create opportunities for all outside of big cities."

The award ceremony will take place in AlUla, Saudi Arabia on February 27-28, 2023 back-to-back with the first presential meeting of the UNWTO Network of Best Tourism Villages.

The other village in the list are: Zell am See (Austria), Wagrain (Austria), Puqueldón (Chile), Dazhai (China), Jingzhu (China), Choachí (Colombia), Aguarico (Ecuador), Angochagua (Ecuador), Choke Mountains Ecovillage (Ethiopia), Mestia (Georgia), Kfar Kama (Israel), Sauris-Zahre (Italy), Isola del Giglio (Italy), Umm Qais (Jordan), Creel (Mexico), El Fuerte (Mexico), Ksar Elkhorbat (Morocco), Moulay Bouzerktoune (Morocco), Lamas (Peru), Raqchi (Peru), Castelo Novo (Portugal), Pyeongsa-ri (Republic of Korea), Rasinari (Romania), AlUla Old Town (Saudi Arabia), Bohinj (Slovenia), Rupit (Spain), Alquézar (Spain), Guadalupe (Spain), Murten (Switzerland), Andermatt (Switzerland) and Birgi (Türkiye).