Aspiration for community tourism in Canh Tien village

From small classes to big dreams

These days, in Canh Tien village, the learning atmosphere is much more exciting. People are excited to participate in training classes on community tourism skills, from tour guides, food preparation to farming. For the people, these are not just vocational training sessions, but also the beginning of a journey to awaken tourism potential and preserve the cultural beauty of their homeland.

According to Mai Thanh Vien, a student of the beginner tour guide class, Canh Tien has many beautiful landscapes and unique cultures worth introducing to tourists. For example, Tre stream - where there is a green bamboo forest and blooming flowers every season, the scenery is as beautiful as Ta Ma stream. Under the stream is Voi abyss, associated with a touching story about the maternal love between a mother elephant and her baby elephant.

In the past, people used this stream for daily activities, and used bamboo to build houses and make utensils. It can be said that Tre stream was once a source of life, a familiar part of the memories of Canh Tien people.

Canh Tien villagers participate in a tour guide introductory class. **Photo: Thao Khuy**

"Those memories can now become valuable materials for tourism. If restored and retold with stories of the simple life of the Canh Tien people - from the way of fetching water, building houses, weaving to legends associated with forests and streams - this place will certainly be an interesting stop for tourists" - Mr. Vien shared.

By participating in the beginner tour guide course organized by Quy Nhon College of Technology and Canh Vinh Commune People's Committee, Mr. Vien has more confidence in the potential of his hometown. Mr. Vien added: "I learned a lot of basic knowledge and skills, especially the awareness of protecting resources and the environment to create a good impression on tourists. If tourism development is paid attention to, the people here will certainly be very happy."

The gong and xoang dance team of Canh Tien village performed in a local cultural program. **Photo: Thao Khuy**

According to Ms. Le Huynh Ha Nguyen - lecturer of the Faculty of Tourism (Quy Nhon College of Technology), the class is designed lively, students can practice explaining, practice communication skills and handle situations with guests. What is special is that Canh Tien people are very friendly and confident in communication.

“In Canh Tien, there are many sightseeing and experience spots located close to each other. During the day, you can organize tours to explore the lake, waterfall, flower stream, and myrtle field; if properly arranged, you can combine many ecological and cultural activities in just one day. In the evening, the village has a gong team and campfire to serve tourists,” Ms. Nguyen shared.

From small classes in the cultural house, the aspiration to develop tourism of Canh Tien people gradually took shape, opening a new direction for this land with many difficulties. Village chief Dinh Van Tao said that the village currently has 35 students attending the tour guide class. In addition, people also participate in classes on animal husbandry and food processing, creating a foundation for developing community tourism.

A peaceful corner of Canh Tien village. **Photo: Dung Nhan**

“People are very excited because this is directly related to economic life. We both study and work, developing models such as raising free-range chickens, black pigs, growing typical vegetables and fruits, making wine... to serve tourists. In the village, there are also artisans weaving brocade, weaving, a gong team of 15-20 people, a xoang dance team... all ready when the community tourism project is officially implemented" - Mr. Tao said.

Artisan Dinh Van Tat, a member of the Canh Tien village gong team, enthusiastically shared: “For decades, I have always wished that my village would have a gong team like those in the Central Highlands. Now that the village has started tourism, we have more motivation to gather and practice more regularly. The artisans also make drums themselves to perform with the gongs. In the future, we will learn more to make the performance more attractive, including a performance of the Cham H'roi drum.”

Awakening the potential of eco-cultural tourism

Canh Tien village is surrounded by Nui Mot lake and upstream protection forest, possessing diverse natural landscapes with many beautiful streams such as Dak Cram, Cay Tram, Ba Cay, Do waterfall, Trai Chanh area... Clear streams, high waterfalls and rich vegetation are great advantages for developing eco-tourism, picnics and trekking.

Nui Mot Lake is peaceful and green. **Photo: Dung Nhan**

In particular, Cay Tram stream used to be a revolutionary base during the resistance war. If surveyed and restored, this place could become a unique “return to the source” destination of Gia Lai province.

Not only nature, Canh Tien also preserves unique cultural values such as stilt houses, communal houses, brocade weaving, gong festivals and matriarchal culture. Local cuisine with bamboo rice, local pork, rice wine, wild vegetables... if organized properly, keeping the traditional flavor, promises to become a unique tourism product, attracting visitors.

According to Canh Vinh Commune Party Secretary Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Canh Tien village has 176 households with 585 people, mainly Bahnar and Cham people. Although life is still difficult, the people are united, hospitable and always preserve traditional cultural identity.

“The locality is gradually investing in infrastructure such as electricity and roads to the village. Building a project to develop community tourism in Canh Tien is very necessary, both to help promote the local image and to create a sustainable way to escape poverty for the people,” Ms. Thuy emphasized.

Canh Vinh has rich vegetation, which is a great advantage for developing eco-tourism and picnics. **Photo: Dung Nhan**

With the common aspiration of the government and the people, Canh Tien is gradually awakening the potential of community tourism. Each artisan and each person will be a “tour guide”, telling the story with pride and love for the homeland.

“Developing community tourism not only opens a way out of poverty but is also a way to preserve national cultural identity in the midst of modern life,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/khat-vong-du-lich-cong-dong-o-lang-canh-tien-post569214.html