Thai ethnic women learn how to develop community tourism.

(Baonghean.vn) - Women in many Thai villages in Con Cuong are being encouraged to preserve traditional crafts, learn cooking, and build self-governing models in their villages to develop tourism.

With the goal of developing Con Cuong into an eco-city by 2020, with tourism and trade considered a priority for development, the Women's Union of the district is guiding its members to participate in building community tourism and eco-tourism models.

The self-governing environmental protection group in Khe Ran village, Bong Khe commune, participates in environmental sanitation to keep the village clean and beautiful. Photo: Minh Hanh

Con Cuông currently has four villages selected for the development of community-based tourism models: Khe Rạn village in Bồng Khê commune, Nưa village in Yên Khê commune, Xiềng village, and Thái Hòa village in Môn Sơn commune.

These are four predominantly agricultural villages, with the majority of the population being ethnic Thai people, who are accustomed to traditional lifestyles such as toilets and livestock pens attached to or near their homes.

Since promoting community-based tourism, the villagers, led by women, have cleaned up their hamlets, ensuring a green, clean, and beautiful environment to impress tourists from near and far.

Encouraging women to preserve the traditional brocade weaving craft. Photo: Minh Hạnh

Besides ensuring environmental hygiene, the Women's Union of Con Cuong district also utilizes all resources to support women in maintaining and developing traditional crafts serving tourism such as brocade weaving, rattan and bamboo weaving, and brewing rice wine and herbal wine.

The district of Con Cuong is focusing on brewing rice wine using traditional leaf yeast to develop a traditional craft village. Photo: Minh Hanh

In addition, the district regularly organizes vocational training classes in cooking. Students are taught and guided in cooking traditional Thai dishes such as sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes, grilled chicken, banana flower salad, meatballs, and various types of cakes. They are also instructed in making modern dishes such as grilled ribs, grilled meat, canned meat, steamed fish, braised fish, sour beef salad, braised beef, stir-fried beef, beef in wine sauce, grilled frog, stir-fried frog with tomatoes, fried frog in butter, mixed salad, and other salads.

The dishes served to tourists by the local ethnic minority are prepared by the skillful hands of the Thai women. Photo: Minh Hanh

The women were also organized to visit and learn about tourism in Mai Chau, Hoa Binh province. Through the development of cooperative models, traditional craft villages, and catering service complexes, they have contributed to serving community tourism, attracting visitors to Khe Kem Waterfall, Ta Bo Waterfall, Pha Lai Dam - Giang River, Pu Mat primeval forest, and local festivals.

This will attract more tourists to visit and relax in the area, increasing income for the local people.

Minh Hanh - Thu Trang