The traditional fish sauce-making craft in Cua Khe Fishing Village, Thang Binh District, is one of the highlights in drawing tourists. (Photo: Kim Lien)

Over the past three years, Cua Khe Fishing Village (Binh Duong Commune, Thang Binh District) has become a popular destination for tourists who love community-based tourism and wish to experience the vibrant yet simple life of coastal fishermen. Cua Khe Village is located just a 20-minute drive from Hoi An Ancient Town and features a pristine beach with fine white sand and natural casuarina trees, largely untouched by urbanisation. The village preserves unique cultural features of coastal fishing communities, such as basket boat rowing, net fishing, setting traps, hauling nets, and performing traditional "ba trao" singing.

Cua Khe is also known for its long-standing traditional fish sauce production, which has been recognised as one of Quang Nam Province's 67 cultural tourism resources. The village is famous for the folk saying: "First is Cua Khe fish sauce, second is Long Phu tea." Each year, in the second lunar month, the residents of Cua Khe hold a grand and distinctive ceremony to honour the ancestors of the fish sauce craft, a tradition that few other villages still maintain. Taking advantage of this cultural heritage, several local fishing families have boldly invested in opening homestays to welcome visitors, organising tourism programmes centred around local cuisine, such as tours of fish sauce workshops, fish sauce-making classes, visiting the fish market at dawn, and fresh seafood tastings.

Another standout on Quang Nam's tourism map is Tan Thanh Fishing Village (Cam An Ward, Hoi An City), which is known for its four-star OCOP-certified community-based tourism services, the first in the province and among the few nationwide. At the end of 2021, the Tan Thanh Fishing Village Tourism Cooperative was established, offering key services such as lodging, resort stays, culinary experiences, fishing village experiences, weekend fishing village markets, and various art clubs, with the highlight being the Tan Thanh Fishing Village Market at weekend.

According to Le Quoc Viet, Deputy Head of the Tan Thanh Fishing Village Tourism Cooperative, the development of tourism products in the village focuses on the local community and residents, rooted in the fishing industry and cultural identity of the fishing village. There is no gap between locals, newcomers, and foreign tourists. This inclusive approach has allowed the community and tourism services to remain connected and grow, even during the two challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Many ideas for tourism development based on fishing activities have been supported and effectively implemented by the villagers, including net fishing tours, squid fishing tours, net weaving, basket boat rides, beach bonfires, and cultural activities such as learning to sing "bai choi" (a popular folklore style of singing in the central and south-central regions of Vietnam) participating in "ho khoan" songs, dancing, painting, and making recycled crafts.

During the 2023 ASEAN Tourism Forum, the Tan Thanh Fishing Village community was honoured with the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Award. A visit to this coastal village offers more than just scenic and culinary experiences, it also provides an opportunity to embrace the unique values of the coastal lifestyle. Dr. Pham Quoc Quan, a member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, emphasised that the intangible cultural heritage in Vietnam's coastal and island cultural treasures is incredibly rich and serves as a foundation for sustainable tourism development, helping to improve livelihoods for the local residents.

“This heritage includes the accumulated and passed-down knowledge and practices of coastal communities over generations, as well as beliefs, folk songs, legends, and myths created and integrated from various cultures and civilisations over time, due to the advantageous coastal and island location", Dr. Pham Quoc Quan noted.

One of the pioneering fishing villages in Quang Nam to quickly gain fame is the Tam Thanh Mural Village (Tam Ky City). In 2016, the Republic of Korea (RoK)-Vietnam Community Art Exchange Project transformed this simple fishing village into Vietnam's first mural village with more than 100 paintings on local houses and public spaces. Over time, some murals have faded, but each year, the local community has collaborated with social organisations and artists to organise painting events to continue making the village more beautiful.

Most recently, in late May 2024, nearly 20 new murals were created by 120 artists from various provinces and cities on the walls of houses in Tam Thanh Commune. In addition to the murals, over 33 artworks on basket boats, 50 oars, and numerous sculptures were completed and displayed. The paintings depict the marine world, fishermen's activities, and the seascape at various times of the day. These works not only attract tourists but also inspire pride and environmental awareness among the village's residents.

Fishing villages are considered the keepers of the fishermen community's identity. Exploiting the cultural values of fishing villages as a tourism product is also a way to nurture and preserve local culture. Although some models have been effective, fishing village tourism in Quang Nam still has many aspects that have not been fully utilised, such as coastal festivals and sea-related beliefs.

The rapid pace of urbanisation, which has reduced the space for coastal villages and fishing activities, is a concern for cultural and tourism experts. According to Ton That Huong, a cultural research expert and former head of the Cultural Management at the Quang Nam Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the distinctive architectural features of coastal village temples require restoration and preservation. Events such as the Whale Worshipping Ceremony, Long Chu Festival, and Boat Racing Festival should be studied, preserved, and revived if necessary to create an identity that attracts tourists seeking cultural experiences. Along with infrastructure investment, it is essential to encourage the community to maintain a clean, green, and beautiful ecological environment while promoting traditional crafts to support community-based tourism.

My Hanh - Translated by NDO