Jrai woman lights up community tourism from cultural identity

Tourists experience community tourism in Ia Lok village, La Ly commune.

Preserving cultural identity, inspiring sustainable development

As Vice President of the Women's Union of Ia Ly commune from 2017 to June 2025, Ms. H Uyen Nie is not only a dedicated cadre but also a "fire keeper" of traditional values in the Jrai community. Attached to Ia Lok village, Ia Ly commune, she deeply understands the difficulties and disadvantages of ethnic minority women. That is what motivated her to take action and find a sustainable direction for women and the village community.

From the implementation of the Government's Projects 938 and 939 on supporting women to participate in solving social issues and starting a business, Ms. H Uyen Nie proactively built the model "Kep 1 Village Community Tourism Linkage Group" - a creative initiative linking traditional cultural preservation with sustainable economic development.

Sharing with us, Ms. H Uyen Nie said: “Women here have skillful hands and traditional jobs. Just give them the opportunity and they will rise up and change their lives. I want to be a bridge for women to develop their economy while still preserving the cultural soul of their nation.”

Preserving traditional crafts to develop community tourism.

Initially, the association had only 15 members who were brocade weavers and wicker weavers. But thanks to the persistent efforts of Ms. H Uyen Nie, the association has now grown to more than 74 artisans, including 30 female members specializing in weaving, 7 wicker weavers and more than 35 male artists in the gong and statue carving team. In particular, the association also has 5 children participating as photo models, contributing to promoting traditional cultural products closer to tourists.

Not only stopping at preserving traditional crafts, the association also provides a variety of tourism services such as: experiencing brocade weaving, spinning, dyeing, carving statues, performing gongs, xoang dancing, enjoying special cuisine such as jar wine, bamboo rice, grilled chicken... At the same time, tourists can also visit famous places such as Cong Chua waterfall, Ia Mo Nong lake, Da Dia stream, Ia Ly hydropower plant.

Ms. H Uyen Nie's tireless efforts have brought about clear results. Each year, the association attracts more than 5,000 visitors, of which about 40% are international visitors. The average income from tourism activities reaches about 150 million VND/year, contributing to improving the lives of dozens of households in the village. The association's brocade product "Jrai oi" was also honored to receive a 3-star OCOP certification in November 2024 - a vivid proof of the effort to combine tradition and innovation.

Not only developing the economy, Ms. H Uyen Nie also pays special attention to the human factor. She encourages the young generation to learn traditional crafts, learn to play gongs, weave, and knit to inherit the heritage of their ancestors.

“Preserving the craft means preserving the village soul. We don’t want our culture to be just a memory, but to be alive in today’s life,” said Ms. H Uyen Nie.

The model needs to be replicated.

The community tourism model associated with cultural preservation, led by Ms. H Uyen Nie, has become a bright spot in the patriotic emulation movement for the period 2020-2025 in the locality. Not only does it help women escape poverty, the model also contributes to promoting the image of Gia Lai - Central Highlands to domestic and foreign friends.

The effectiveness of the model has also been recognized and strongly supported by authorities at all levels. The ADB project has invested more than 13 billion VND in 5 important items in Kep 1 village, including: the largest community house in 5 Central Highlands provinces, a tourist accommodation area with full facilities, a traditional water drop area, a tomb house statue garden and a concrete road of more than 4km leading to Cong Chua waterfall, a prominent landscape of La Ly commune.

In addition, Ms. H Uyen Nie also proactively connects with schools, organizes many training courses to improve capacity such as: community tourism training courses, start-up training, business start-up, economic development based on community resources... These classes not only inspire but also provide practical skills to help people improve their capacity to do sustainable tourism.

Foreign tourists experience Jrai community tourism.

Thanks to those outstanding contributions, Ms. H Uyen Nie has won many awards for her excellent startup ideas such as: First prize in the "Women's Startup" contest at the provincial level, special prize in the Central Highlands region, and national encouragement prize organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union.

In the context of the entire Party and people strongly implementing the patriotic emulation movement, studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style, examples like Ms. H Uyen Nie become even more valuable. She is a living proof of the image of ethnic minority women in the new era: confident, dynamic, creative and compassionate.

From a “barefoot” woman in the village, Ms. H Uyen Nie has become the one who ignited a humane and creative journey. That journey not only helps local people escape poverty, but also brings Jrai cultural identity to the world. With such great and lasting contributions, she deserves to be a typical example in the patriotic emulation movement for the period 2020-2025, a model for Vietnamese women in the new era.

SONG NGAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-jrai-thap-lua-du-lich-cong-dong-tu-ban-sac-van-hoa-post914739.html