The 2023 Expanded Northwest Provinces Community Tourism Village Festival in Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province  organized from November 17-19, 2023 at Lac village community yard, Chieng Chau commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province.

Provincial leaders presented flowers to delegations attending the festival

The festival has the participation of more than 300 officials and artisans of 10 tourist villages of provinces and units including: Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Ninh Binh and the Corporation Vietnam Airlines with the active participation of 10 districts, city and Hoa Binh Province Tourism Association. The festival includes activities on booth display competitions to introduce cultural - tourism products, souvenirs, and OCOP products; Community tourism culinary competition; Cultural performance program and National costume Show; Tourist guide contest; Demonstration of some traditional crafts, folk games and a beautiful photo exhibition of the expanded  Northwest provinces.

For the competition, booth display introduces cultural - tourism products, souvenirs, and typical OCOP products of typical community tourism villages of the provinces in the cooperative group of opened Northwest provinces. This is a contest with the participation of 10 booths from 10 community tourism villages of the provinces; In which Hoa Binh province had five participating villages. The village booths introduce images, models, and artifacts of cultural spaces, festivals, and traditional costumes of ethnic groups like a vivid picture, clearly reflecting the characteristics of daily life and culture, cultural identities of ethnic minorities in the Northwest provinces. The highest award with three first prizes belonged to Chien hamlet community tourism site, Van Son commune, Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province; Nghia Do commune community tourism village, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province and Sin Suoi Ho community tourism village, Lai Chau province. 

The groups participated in the national costume performance

of Community Tourism Villages at the festival

For the competition booth display introduces cultural - tourism products, souvenirs, and typical OCOP products of districts and cities of Hoa Binh province. This contest had the participation of 10 booths from districts and Hoa Binh city, introducing rattan and bamboo handicrafts, brocade, and local OCOP products. The highest prizes include three first prizes belonging to Booths of districts Mai Chau, Cao Phong and Lac Son.

For the culinary competition of community tourism villages in the expanded Northwest provinces. This competition has the participation of nine teams from tourist villages with many dishes meticulously prepared from ingredients from the mountains and forests, beautifully decorated by artisans of community tourism villages, created very attractive food trays, showing the richness of Northwest cuisine. The highest award with three first prizes belongs to Community tourist destination in Chien hamlet, Van Son commune, Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province; Community tourist attraction in Sung hamlet, Da Bac district, Hoa Binh, and the Xuan Son tourist destination, Phu Tho province.

For the demonstration and introduction contest about Community Tourism Villages, there were 10 contestants from Community Tourism Villages. These were truly messengers of community tourism destinations. The tourist guides gave an impressive introduction to the beautiful natural landscape, traditional cultural values of the ethnic groups and the unique characteristics of the community tourism villages. Each contestant has a very unique way of expressing themselves to create an impression to promote tourism products in their local community. The highest award with three first prizes belonged to the Tourist guide of Nghia Do commune community tourism village, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai; The tourist guide of Sin Suoi Ho community tourism village, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau; anh the tourist guide of Ban Lac community tourist site, Chieng Chau commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh.

Leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Awarded  prizes to delegations attending the festival

The Cultural Performance Program and National Costume Show of the Community Tourism Villages were imbued with the cultural identities of ethnic groups expressed through songs, dances, melodies and sounds of flutes, drums and other musical instruments and typical folk songs of the provinces. Many works werre elaborately staged and imbued with national identity, especially costume performances, many units have illustrated with images and comments, highlighting the value of the nation's cultural identity has left a deep impression in the hearts of residents and tourists.

Demonstrations of some traditional crafts and popular folk games in ethnic communities were performed by villages at the festival site such as Do paper making, beeswax painting, pounding Day cake, brocade weaving and playing traditional games. Playing shuttlecock throwing, stilt walking, playing chess, badminton, etc. has brought a vivid and colorful picture of the ethnic groups in the Northwest region.

The content of the expanded exhibition of beautiful photos of the Northwest provinces with the participation of Ninh Binh province displayed beautiful images that introduced cultural identities, natural landscapes, attractive destinations and tourism products. The photo exhibition has brought tourists and people to know more about the beautiful places, attractive tourist areas and destinations of the provinces. In addition, there were 2 booths of Hoa Binh Province Tourism Association and Vietnam Airlines that contributed to introducing and promoting the images, programs, and tourism products of Hoa Binh province as well as Vietnamese airlines to tourists and local people attended the festival.

The expanded Northwest Provinces Community Tourism Village Festival in 2023 has brought together the cultural beauty of many ethnic groups in the Northwest; Connecting community tourism destinations in the provinces to form a community tourism program in the provinces to attract tourists, create jobs, and bring revenue to local people. The festival has profound cultural and political significance and honors community tourism villages, educates patriotic traditions, and consolidates and strengthens the great unity of nations. Through this Festival, it is also an opportunity for ethnic groups to expand cultural exchanges, exchange experiences, and improve professional skills in the field of community tourism activities. The festival was successful and left a good impression on the participating provinces and tourists.