Revitalising Indigenous Cultural Heritage and Homestay Income Through Community Development in Ethnic Minority Villages in Vietnam

Background: Thai ethnic minority villages on the Moc Chau plateau in Son La province, Vietnam, hold rich cultural heritage, yet households earned little from visitors. Homestays were uncoordinated and most tour income stayed with outside operators. Objective: This programme aimed to raise homestay income and to strengthen the everyday practice of cultural heritage in two Thai villages through a participatory community development approach. Methods: The programme ran from March to September 2025 in Ban Ang and Ban Vat with 38 participating households. Activities followed five stages, namely a participatory heritage inventory, homestay service standard training, skills training in weaving, cuisine, and performance, a community tourism fund with a shared booking roster, and trial hosting with joint evaluation. Data came from questionnaires, a service checklist, guest records, fund accounts, focus groups, and interviews. Results: The mean service knowledge score rose from 43.8 to 78.9. Households receiving paying guests rose from 17 to 34, monthly guest nights rose from 88 to 261, and average monthly tourism income per household rose from VND 1.12 million to VND 2.74 million. The community fund accumulated VND 46.2 million. Conclusion and Implications: Heritage treated as a working asset, rather than decoration for visitors, gave households income and a reason to teach their own traditions. The model can be replicated in other ethnic minority villages where a tourism group already exists.