The people of Viet Nam take pride in the natural and cultural heritage in this peaceful and beautiful country. Forty years after times of war, the region of Central Viet Nam, an area hardest hit by the impacts of war, has made substantial progress towards recovering from the critical damage from bombs and landmines and is taking steps on the path to sustainable development.

For the past five years, UNESCO has been supporting pro-poor tourism development through the establishment of cooperatives, organized by sub-groups to provide different services based on local demand and the capacities distributed among the local communities, in around Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary and the Hue Complex of Monuments.

Nguyen Thi Nam, a sedge mat weaving artisan who recently joined and became an active member of the Triem Tay Community Tourism Cooperative, stated that as a result of UNESCO support over the last year, there has been a radical change in her community, particularly in the ways people get together to discuss the actions to develop their own services.

Members of the communities, who are often unable to meet the high employment standards required by resorts and other tourism services, have been able to organize and to maximize their collective, community potential. Some take part in entertainment activities or provide interpretation services and private tour guiding, while others engage in transportation, using their motorbikes, for example. As a result, jobs are created and local livelihoods benefit from higher standards of living, driving sustainable economic development in the community and surrounding areas.

Nam shares that since taking part in the cooperative, she talks more to other members and thus knows more about her neighbours.

Following years of centralized planning, Viet Nam is shifting towards a new paradigm of tourism development with the support of UNESCO. From a focus on quantitative indicators (such as the number of visitors or number of resorts) towards quality based indicators (micro/medium size companies created with quality jobs), national authorities are now basing their actions more in job creation and enhancing opportunities to increase the standard of living, especially among vulnerable populations.

Speaking about her hope for the future, Nam shares enthusiastically, “My sister-in-law and I are so glad that we can continue doing this traditional work, earning additional income from providing these services to visitors. What is more important is that our children are proud of the family traditions and when they grew up, they can come back to live and work in our homeland and not necessarily migrate to the city looking for jobs”.

Within this framework, the authorities, communities and the private sector have also been trained to use participatory methodologies. Local authorities provide follow-up and support obtaining funds from the private sector, especially through conducting forums to give voice to investors. As a result of the authorities being part of the process, policy adjustments for more balanced, strategic policies have been advocated for and supported.