Vietnam tourism village named among best in the world

Tan Hoa in the central province of Quang Binh, home to the world’s largest cave Son Doong, has been named among the Best Tourism Villages 2023 by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

It was the only Vietnamese representative to be chosen among the 260 applicants from 60 countries seeking the title, the UNWTO announced at a meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on October 19.

Tan Hoa was recognized for its diverse and outstanding cultural and natural resources, as well as its commitments and actions to comply with sustainable tourism principles.

Tan Hoa is about 120 kilometers from Dong Hoi city, the capital of Quang Binh province. It is also about 70 kilometers from Phong Nha Town, which is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

From Dong Hoi, you can get to Tan Hoa by car, taxi or bus.

Tan Hoa also offers numerous caves to explore, such as the Tu Lan Cave System, with Hang Tien Cave being the largest.

The commune used to be among the most vulnerable in the country, but people flood-prone areas have been building floating houses to survive the rainy season.

Tours offer visitors the chance to stay in floating houses and see how local residents deal with the annual rains. They can go kayaking and fishing in flooded areas, and cross streams to enter deep caves.

Thanks to the development of eco-tourism activities, Tan Hoa has become a weather-adaptive tourism village with many unique products.

Launched in 2021, the Best Tourism Villages is part of the UNWTO's Tourism for Rural Development Program.

The program aims to foster development and inclusion in rural areas, combat depopulation, advance innovation and value chain integration through tourism, and encourage sustainable practices.

The villages are evaluated under nine key areas, namely cultural and natural resources; promotion and conservation of cultural resources; economic sustainability; social sustainability; environmental sustainability; tourism development and value chain integration; governance and prioritization of tourism; infrastructure and connectivity; and health, safety, and security.

Quang Binh has been dubbed the kingdom of caves and is home to Son Doong, the world’s largest cave.

Son Doong has catapulted to global fame since it opened to tourists in 2013.

Provincial authorities only allow tours to the cave between January and August, with the cave closed during the other months to allow its ecosystem to recover. The number of visitors is also limited to 1,000 per year.