Tan Hoa: A weather-adaptive tourism village

Understanding the weather-adaptive tourism model

For Minh Hóa district in Quảng Bình province, from September to November every year, it is the time inflicted by natural disasters, particularly flooding. Tân Hoá commune, a part of Minh Hóa district, is a mountainous commune surrounded by limestone ranges and situated in the lowlands upstream of the Rào Nan River.

When floodwaters come from the upstream areas, they flow towards Tân Hoá and drain through the underground river system of the Rào Nan River. Due to the slow drainage system, this area experiences severe flooding, making Tân Hoá known as the “flood basin” of the northwestern region of Quảng Bình province.

In the past, the lives of the people of Tân Hóa were extremely difficult and lacked resources. Whenever a natural disaster occurred, they had to rely on support and donations from benefactors and various organizations across the country.

Following Decision 1388/QĐ-UBND dated June 2, 2014, issued by the Provincial People’s Committee to approve and recognize the tourism route exploring the Tú Làn cave system in Tân Hoá commune, the Oxalis Co., Ltd was assigned as the operator.

Before 2011, the Tú Làn cave system was an unknown location with no tourism activities, and the local people faced many hardships, especially since Tân Hoá had been labeled as Quảng Bình’s “flood basin” for many years.

Tourism has transformed Tan Hoa village, creating new opportunities and changing the lives of its residents. Since Oxalis began operating tourism in the Tú Làn cave system, over 100 regular jobs have been created for local residents, with a monthly income of over 6 million VND. The company has also supported local residents in participating in tourism activities, such as offering dining services and other community-based tourism services.

After more than 10 years of tourism development in Tân Hoá, Oxalis has put Tú Làn on the global tourism map, attracting over 10,000 domestic and international tourists to Tân Hoá each year.

In the past year, Oxalis has invested in and launched Tú Làn Lodge, further creating more job opportunities. Additionally, the company continues to promote community-based tourism by offering dining experiences at local homes and actively training residents to engage in tourism. Oxalis has successfully collaborated with the local population in tourism development, gradually reaching a level where community-based tourism can be invested and further developed.

The goal is to make Tân Hoá appear on more people’s radar, complementing Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, and using it as a driving force for developing tourism products in the Minh Hóa and Tuyên Hóa areas.

In 2023, Oxalis will collaborate with local residents of Tân Hoá and fully sponsor the construction of 10 “weather-adaptive” homestays. These accommodations, designed based on the floating flood-resistant houses used by the locals, will meet tourist standards, with a total investment value of over 1.5 billion VND.

Visitors staying in these homestays can experience local life while maintaining privacy and adhering to tourism accommodation standards. Oxalis will assist in finding and providing a steady flow of tourists to ensure the homestays operate efficiently. These homestays are available year-round, even during the flood season, helping overcome the intermittency of tourism activities caused by weather conditions.

By 2025, the goal is for Tân Hoá to become a unique weather-adaptive tourism village, both in Vietnam and globally. Key tourism products will include the exploration of the Tú Làn cave system, dining experiences at local homes, weather-adaptive homestays, and various other tourism services in Tân Hoá.

Weather-adaptive tourism can be conducted year-round, unaffected by the flood season. By 2023, Tân Hoá is expected to welcome 15,000 tourists, 20,000 in 2024, and 25,000 in 2025, both domestic and international visitors.

Step by step, Tân Hoá will be transformed into a key tourist destination for Minh Hóa, becoming the tourism center of the northwestern Quảng Bình region and laying the foundation for future tourism development in Minh Hóa and Tuyên Hóa.