Located right next to National Highway 6, with the Sapp stream flowing through it, Kha village has a total natural area of over 400 hectares, with nearly 100 households and 425 inhabitants, 99% of whom are ethnic Thai people. With its flat terrain, many ancient mango and tamarind trees, traditional stilt houses, and many unique cultural features of the Thai ethnic people, such as the Dong Sua Festival, ancient Thai Xoe dances, folk songs, and traditional musical instrument performances; and traditional crafts like weaving, embroidery of Pieu scarves, and basket weaving… these are the potential advantages for the village to develop community tourism.
Mr. Me Van Chien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Sapp Vat Commune, Yen Chau District, Son La Province:We have directed and guided the village management board to coordinate and organize activities such as the annual Mango Festival and Dong Sua Festival. To preserve and maintain the ethnic cultural identity, we have also established a women's club for embroidering and weaving Piêu scarves to ensure a welcoming environment for visitors in the future. Monthly and quarterly, we mobilize the commune's trade union, commune officials, and the village to organize cleaning and environmental sanitation in the village to maintain a green, clean, and beautiful environment.
Bản Khá identified that building community-based tourism villages linked to ethnic cultural values and leveraging local advantages to create unique and attractive tourism products is a breakthrough step, not only bringing economic benefits but also preserving and promoting the cultural values and identity of the ethnic group; restoring the traditional beauty of the Thái people in this area.
Mr. Hoang Van Kho, Party Branch Secretary and Head of Kha Village, Sapp Vat Commune, Yen Chau District, Son La Province:To successfully develop rural tourism, the Party Committee and the village management board have issued a policy and direction that, after establishing the tourism cooperative, they will form groups for weaving brocade and basketry to create products for tourists, in order to revive traditional ethnic crafts and educate future generations.
Ms. Vi Thi Thiem, Kha village, Sapp Vat commune, Yen Chau district, Son La province:To support community tourism development, the village has established two performing arts groups: one for the elderly and one for young people. Each group consists of 25 members who regularly practice, participate in competitions, and organize activities within the village.
The project to develop a community-based tourism model in Kha village, Sapp Vat commune, is being implemented with a focus on educating the people to preserve traditional stilt house architecture and ancient mango trees; regularly cleaning houses and village roads; and planting flowers along the roads to ensure a green, clean, and beautiful environment. Yen Chau district has also allocated over 13 billion VND and is calling for additional support from within and outside the district to build the community-based tourism village; and to promote and develop tourism in Kha village.
Mr. Pham Duc Long, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Chau District, Son La Province:To do Regarding the project to develop a community tourism village in Kha village, the district has directed the Department of Culture and Information and the District Communication and Culture Center to actively advise the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Provincial Tourism Development Center, as well as Anh Son Group Joint Stock Company and other consulting units to implement the project according to the set roadmap and plan.
With its advantages in natural landscapes, distinctive cultural identity, and the support of various levels of government and sectors, along with the unity and solidarity of the households, Kha village has successfully built a community tourism model, contributing to the preservation of local culture, increasing income for households, and promoting the socio-economic development of the locality.
Reported by: Hoang Duong (Yen Chau District Information and Culture Center)