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Benefit from tourism
In mid-March 2013, a community-based tourism model, funded by the International Labour Organization (ILO), began to be implemented in My Son village (Duy Phu commune). My Son Sanctuary is one of the main Hindu temple centers in Southeast Asia and the only heritage site of this type in Vietnam. The development of community-based tourism in My Son marks the first time that local people have truly benefited from tourism development.
Foreign tourists visit My Son.
Along with the implementation of the model, the My Son homestay community tourism cooperative was established through a collaboration between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Quang Nam Cooperative Alliance. Accordingly, the cooperative will coordinate community tourism by dividing it into operational groups, each with a group leader, whose responsibilities include attracting tourists, negotiating with partners, etc. To date, many such groups have been formed: a cooking group, an accommodation group, a cycling group, a mountain climbing group, a boating group, a performing arts group, etc. Of these, the two most effective groups are cooking and accommodation.
Previously, the ILO conducted a survey and selected five households to implement the homestay tourism model. Since the beginning of this year, the ILO has also organized numerous workshops and training courses for the five selected households and for the leaders of Duy Phu commune on the homestay tourism model, covering topics such as tourism guidance, arranging accommodation for guests, and guiding tourists. Simultaneously, through Tra Kieu Tourism Joint Stock Company, the ILO provided each selected household with $3,000 USD. With this money, Tra Kieu Tourism Joint Stock Company invested in renovating the houses of the five households, building bedrooms that can accommodate four guests with air conditioning, and constructing toilets and bathrooms.
"My Son is more than just My Son."
The house of painter Nguyen Thuong Hy in My Son village, designed by the artist in the traditional thatched-roof, mud-wall style, nestled behind trees on the hillside, was chosen by the project as a community center. In front of the house, every few nights, at the request of guests, the cooperative organizes traditional folk games of Quang Nam, such as Bài Chòi singing and Sắc Bùa singing, for tourists to enjoy. Speaking of folk art activities in the community tourism village, one cannot fail to mention the Traditional Music Club of Mr. Pham Phu Cuong. Every Saturday and Sunday, lively folk melodies resound at his traditional house – the club's meeting place. A member here is Mr. Nguyen Ba Phuoc (93 years old, Group 8B, Trung Son village, Duy Phu commune), famous in My Son for playing almost all types of traditional musical instruments.
Foreign tourists learn to play the erhu (a two-stringed fiddle).
According to Mr. Tran Sau, head of My Son village, the village's People's Committee has also mobilized funds to build an entrance gate to the My Son homestay tourism village, and encouraged villagers to restore traditional living habits and traditional crafts such as rice pounding and stone carving. These activities, along with the restoration of traditional music, have created an interesting highlight for the tourism village, contributing to promoting the intangible cultural heritage of Quang Nam to international tourists.
Visiting My Son now, tourists don't just stop by once and leave; they can stay in local homes, participate in daily life, and experience traditional dishes like Quang noodles, banh xeo (Vietnamese savory pancake), and banh cuon (Vietnamese steamed rice rolls). Tourists can even try their hand at cooking these dishes. According to Mr. Vo Van Son, head of the My Son community tourism group, community tourism has been developing in My Son for a long time, not just recently. For decades, many Western tourists have stayed overnight in local homes. At the My Son dry fields (rain-fed fields, only used during the winter season), tourists have even joined the locals in planting rice, sowing beans, and plowing. The district has provided funding for land consolidation and reallocation, making these dry fields a place where tourists can experience the agricultural work of farmers.
My Son is not just My Son itself; it also boasts relics related to Cham culture, such as the Square Pond, where, according to legend, the Cham people dug earth to make bricks for building towers, hence the square pond. Additionally, there are the Four-Pillar Well, and the My Son stone quarrying facilities. Visitors can also explore other sites such as the Coc Dinh (an ancient Coc tree, next to the shrine of Lady Dinh); the Ong Lai Cave (Hoang Van Lai); discover the Fairy Well, a crystal-clear pool of water that never dries up, nestled amidst the rocky slopes, where locals gathering firewood often stop to drink; and visit the remnants of the My Son communal house – a temple that received a royal decree from the Nguyen dynasty. Visitors can also venture to the foot of the Temple Hill to discover a mysterious rock inscribed with three Chinese characters: "King Tran Thu," and, if they have the energy, climb to the top of the Temple Hill to watch the sunset over the ancient towers…
Clearly, the implementation of community-based tourism will truly benefit the people around the historical site, and especially contribute to promoting local culture. “We will utilize everything available locally to develop tourism, and I am confident we will succeed,” said Mr. Son. According to Mr. Tran Dinh Phuong, Head of Business Department at Tra Kieu Tourism Joint Stock Company, the unit responsible for building accommodations for households in the community tourism village and attracting visitors: currently, Tra Kieu Company is expanding its services to include short tours such as half-day trips around the village; kayaking and fishing on Thach Ban Lake. Further afield, visitors can cycle to visit the La Thap pottery village, Duy Chau rice paper making village, Thu Bon Mausoleum, Duc Duc historical site, etc.
