Meet the Ta-oi’s of A Hua
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Located 60 kilometres southwest of Hue, Vietnam, A Luoi is a mountainous district sandwiched between the A Shau Valley and the border with Salavan and Sekong provinces, Laos (https://goo.gl/maps/txQtPGjWUxy). To some, this name may recall some heart-wrenching memories from the Resistance War against the United States (Vietnam War as you may know it), as it was the location of several US military bases that saw fierce battles, including Asho Airport and Hamburger Hill. However, don’t let those unpleasant memories hold you back from seeing the beauty of A Hua! Forty years of Vietnam unification has soothed the war wounds and this has restored the marvelous sense of nature, space and wonder of A Luoi.
For many years, this off-the-beaten track destination has been renowned for its cultural richness comprised of different hill tribe minorities, lush mountain ranges, rice fields and overall breathtaking view. Nestled upon the hills 7 kilometers away from the main town, Vel (village) A Hua is home to 270 Ta-oi people - a Mon-Khmer language ethnic group residing mainly in mountainous areas of the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Tri with a total population of nearly 45,000 (Vietnam's 2009 Population Census).
In the past, Ta-oi people lived mainly on rotational crop farming, using rudimentary tools and thus are largely dependent on natural conditions and weather. Hunting and forest gathering were also important sources of food supply. The group lived on a self-sufficient economy and rarely traded its products.
Besides recent efforts of the government to improve livelihoods and infrastructure of remote areas in Vietnam, many challenges remain. Economic development bears the risk of fading Ta-oi’s culture and tradition. Exposure to modern society could exert a reverse influence on indigenous customs and cultures. Many ethnic groups are being assimilated into Vietnamese Kinh society, including Ta-oi’s. Although the local government is trying to conserve these traditional customs through cultural & linguistic trainings and cultural preservation programs; due to daily financial concerns this threat is overlooked by the majority of younger Ta-oi’s.
What is Community-based Tourism?
Fortunately, there are current social trends that provide a different future for ethnic minority communities which is focused on cultural preservation and livelihood improvement. An increasing number of people are becoming aware of the importance of natural resources conservation and environment & culture protection. Responsible tourism offers unique experiences to tourists while ensuring low adverse impacts on the community or environment. People from different backgrounds, countries and cultures are able to share first-hand experiences together and to develop a distinctive perspective of the world while contributing towards the sustainable development of communities.
Community-Based Tourism provides visitors with an experience of local life and takes responsibility for protecting the natural resources, environment and local culture. Local communities are directly involved in all activities and benefit from the socio-economic impact from tourism activities. Community members benefit through direct payments for products and services, while a portion of the overall revenue will be paid into a community fund to finance infrastructure, education and health project to benefit everyone.
Who are we?
Evergreen Labs is a Vietnam-based company focused on developing sustainable social and environmental projects into sustainable businesses with long lasting positive impact. We have a wide range of projects from food security and education to waste management and eco-tourism. In community-based tourism, we are the founder of the Vietnam Community-based tourism support network together with the International Labour Organization from the United Nations (implemented in 2017). Additionally, we are working in partnership with Thai-based Local Alike to give more market access to community-based tourism projects and ensure they run sustainability.
Local Alike is a social enterprise whose mission is to develop and promote community-based tourism in Thailand and thereby contribute to the preservation of local culture of native people while providing economic opportunities that improve livelihoods. To date, Local Alike has engaged with over 50 communities in Thailand and created an online CBT booking platform which offers access to a wide, international market.
Together, Local Alike and Evergreen Labs will bring Vietnam communities to the international market and aims to bring positive impact, further support and develop communities in Vietnam. Specifically, this project aims to support Vel A Hua through providing additional revenue streams, market access and supporting sustainable tourism.
Why do we need your help?
During our initial visit to A Hua, we observed a strong community with great potential to further develop sustainable tourism. The village has stunning scenery and offers a feeling of tranquility and unique opportunity to experience authentic ethnic peoples’ life. In addition to its beautiful landscape, attributable to strong and passionate leadership, A Hua is able to maintain its cleanliness with an effective waste management system. The bamboo gates, observed at every entrance to all homes within A Hua, also brings a feeling of rural mountainous area yet adds a unique style to the village.
Besides natural gifts and a strong bond among members of the community, the community is lacking two main aspects required to draw in more visitors: lodging facilities and leisure activities. The number of existing activities is limited and it does not help deliver the village’s story to visitors properly and Vel A Hua is missing a suitable accommodation option. At Vel A Hua, previous efforts to develop community tourism put the foundations in place but did not provide a project framework for the community to sustainably generate income.
After identifying these two development points within A Hua, Evergreen Labs team defined a plan for developing tourism within the community, in which the first step will include supporting the village in a simple lodging facilities (phase 1) and the second would be helping the village create and design interesting activities for tourists (phase 2) to enrich visitors’ experience during their stay in A Hua. In our second visit in May, Evergreen Labs team proposed this project to Vel A Hua and received high consensus on the plan to implement phase 1 from the village as well as the local government.
The lodging facilities will consist of simple tent platforms as an extended alternative for lodging. Local Alike has successfully implemented a similar project in a Thai-community (images for reference). These platforms are easy to build and maintain, with low upfront construction costs. Tents are mobile which allows adjustments for bigger group of guests. Moreover, a stay in a unique lodging facility immersed in the natural scenery combined with local culture will be a highlighted experience for tourists. As described above, this model works very effectively in Thai-based communities and we believe that A Hua has the natural resources and management skills to utilize such platforms.
A Hua villagers are completely empowered to speak their mind and have their say in the whole process. Together, Evergreen Labs and Vel A Hua will discuss and agree on the design of the platform in the consideration of A Hua's conditions such as weather, location, view, etc. Evergreen Labs is responsible for the project plan, raising funds and managing platforms initially. A Hua villagers will commit labor force to build the platforms under the support and quality control of Evergreen Labs. When finished, platforms will be completely handed over for A Hua community’s management after provided capacity building trainings and initial support.
Goals
- Phase 1: To provide A Hua with 03 tent platforms (2 medium sized platforms and 01 group sized platform), 04 two-person / double tents and 01 group tent (total capacity: 9).
- Phase 2: To establish comprehensive standard operation procedures for easy and handy management of platform and train community members in maintaining platforms and tents.
- Phase 3: To come up with an effective marketing campaign to ensure beneficial occupancy of platforms and initial assessment & development of leisure activities for visitors
This campaign aims to raise the needed fund for our first goal (phase 1), which will help Vel A Hua build up lodging facilities and be ready to offer its visitors authentic experiences. Our stretch goal would allow us to complete both the second and third goals (phase 2&3).
Specifications
Recommended materials: steel and local materials such as bamboo, rattan, straw, palm leaves.
Duration of construction (expected): 4 weeks from July 10 - August 6.
Rewards
Every dollar counts! We thank you for your support in anyway you can. In order to express our gratitude, we would offer you various rewards in return of your generosity.
Zeng table runner
Arang
Adieng
Kruh
Gui's
Zeng brocade
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