Community tourism in Giao Thuy District, coastal province of Nam Dinh, is a fantastic experience.
Tourists will homestay in wood houses to experience life in rural areas. Biking around the village to enjoy the fresh air and bird songs will make your vacation unforgettable.
The dinner of Nguyen Van Van’s family was more fund because they have some guests. The local villagers grow vegetable, raise chicken, and go fishing to have fresh food.
Mr. Van said people in Giao Xuan Commune are trained on community tourism to serve tourists’ demand.
“We started community tourism in 2006. In recent years we have welcomed more tourists. We are trained on reception, room service, and cooking. Foreigners are quiet. They also have different appetite. They prefer lean meat and fried food while Vietnamese tourists like seafood.”
After dinner, the hosts and guests drink tea and have idle talks. The following day tourists ride bicycles around the village to enjoy ocean breezes or to the port to watch fishing boats returning to shore.
A fish market opens near the port when it’s still dark and closes at the break of dawn. The fish sauce factory of Trinh Van Phung in Giao Hai Commune is another interesting place to visit.
He said previously he made fish sauce to sell to neighboring villages. Community tourism has promoted his products to people near and far.
“Since we engaged in community tourism, we have sold more fish sauce. We have to ensure food quality and safety. My family’s fish sauce can be preserved in many years.”
Trinh Van Hau, manager of the community tourism development center, said people here produce many kinds of fishing sauces and pastes.
“Foreign tourists don’t buy fish sauce but they are curious about Vietnam’s traditional way to make fish sauce. Even Vietnamese tourists are interested in the production of fish sauce.”
People in Giao Thuy have earned a stable income from tourism. They also learn many things from tourism and foreigners.
Mr. Van said, “Tourists are very interesting. We learn a lot of things from them such as behaviors.”
Having a vacation in the countryside to experience the rural life will help us refresh ourselves after hard working days.