When ethnic minorities develop tourism

​Visitors coming to the ethnic minority areas can experience typical cultural features of the people here such as brocade weaving, knitting, exploring local jungle skills and enjoying rustic dishes of mountains and forests, and so on, which all create interesting adventures.

Ka Tuyen in Ta Lai Commune, Tan Phu District is going on a tour, introducing the Ma culture to foreign visitors

Passionate to be a tour guide

February is the festive season and the peak tourist season in Dong Nai. Although the sightseeing and experiencing activities are no longer bustling because of Covid-19, there are still a few groups of visitors who like to explore and look for forest eco-tourism in Dong Nai. "If it were not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, this season, tourists to Cat Tien National Park would be very crowded", said Ka Tuyen, an "amateur" guide of the Ma people (Ta Lai Commune, Tan Phu District). However, Ka Tuyen always has a schedule to welcome visitors to Ta Lai on the weekends, not very crowded, though.

 With a dream of developing tourism in her hometown, Ka Tuyen (born 1993), started her work as an odd-job staff for Nam Cat Tien Tourist Joint Stock Company. She has two bloodlines of Ma and Sieng, married early but later accepted to be a single mother. Without any knowledge and experience in tourism, Ka Tuyen has been tinkering online and actively learning English to communicate with visitors in her free time. With her small amount of earnings, she was able to raise her children and partly reserve some money so that she and her daughter could sometimes go to tourist resorts in the North, Central Highlands and the West, for both experiencing and learning.

Because of her improvement in communication and flexibility in work, only a year later, she was transferred to the receptionist position. From this position, she communicated more with visitors, especially in the peak days or during free time, as tourists required for an indigenous person to lead the group, she directly acted as a guide. Ka Tuyen shared, the fate that makes her associated with a job related to tourism is also very natural.

“At first, I was shy when I met the visitors, and didn't dare to talk. But then I saw that the people had many questions about this land, I became bolder and bolder, and no longer afraid or shy. I often go on tours on weekends, or holidays, working little but learning and attaining countless interesting things," shared Ka Tuyen.

Like Ka Tuyen, Ka Ngoc Huong - a Ma girl from Ta Lai Commune, Tan Phu District, has also embraced a passion for tourism since childhood. Over 10 years working as an "amateur" tour guide and a dance group leader of nearly 30 members who are all Ma people in Ta Lai Commune, Ngoc Huong's dance group regularly performs in traditional festivals and entertainment programs of the commune, district and province to serve tourists at Cat Tien National Park for tourists at Cat Tien National Park.

With her foreign language proficiency, Ka Ngoc Huong communicates well with foreigners. She is accepted to work at the Ta Lai Long House; and occasionally goes on tours and guides visitors to experience the forest, with a dance group performing arts at request or invitation of visitors. “Remembering the first time I accepted the invitation to perform, my dance group was clumsy, afraid the guests would not be satisfied. But on the contrary, we were very greatly appreciated. Over the past 10 years, we have maintained this activity, creating a highlight, and attracting more visitors”, said Ngoc Huong.

According to Ka Ngoc Huong, most tourists coming to Ta Lai are very interested in learning about traditional culture such as visiting stilt houses and learning about brocade weaving; living with ethnic minorities and eating traditional dishes such as bamboo-tube rice, grilled chicken, stem liquor, etc. Particularly, they really like to dance, sing, perform gongs and set out campfires. It is this unique cultural feature that has added a strong attraction to the land of Tan Phu rich in tourism potential.​

Ngoc Huong's dance group is performing with gongs for tourists in Ta Lai, Tan Phu District

Connecting and spreading the image of the homeland

Not only in Tan Phu district but also in districts such as Xuan Loc, Vinh Cuu, Long Khanh City, etc., the ethnic minorities in the region have also established dance groups and gong teams specializing in performing to serve tourists. The highlight is the Cho ro ethnic group of gongs (Binh Hoa Hamlet, Xuan Phu Commune, Xuan Loc District), led by the village patriarch Hung Van Xung. The team has also engaged 12 young students, from the ages of 10 to 15, who are descendants of the team members participating in the auxiliary dance every time they go on stage.

The village patriarch Hung Van Xung said: "I am happy to see that the gongs of our ethnic minorities are concerned by the authorities. Every week on Saturday and Sunday nights, the people gather together at the hamlet culture house to practice. Young people are participating more and more. Occasionally, when groups of tourists come here, we, people participate in performances; we answer any questioned raised by the tourists. That really is an opportunity for people to introduce their own characteristics of life, customs and habits, thus contributing to promoting the image of the homeland.

Thomas, a tourist from Germany expresses his feeling: “The cultures of the ethnic groups in Vietnam are very unique. In our country, the music as well as the instruments takes a long time to absorb. The skills of the old people to play gongs, the dancing skills of the young people are very unique and original. In particular, I am really impressed with the hospitality of the local guides who has helped us understand a lot about Vietnamese culture, etc.”​

Thanh Thanh