Authors: Myles Lynch (VinUni), Trần Hoài (VNU), Nhi Song Nguyen (VinUni), Nguyen Thu Hien (VNU)
“We started with nothing, just a thatched hut and two hopeful hearts!” A Hmong woman in her 60’s reflected about living in Su Pan, Sa Pa and her journey becoming an experienced trekking guide, breadwinner of her 11 member family, and managing a successful homestay. During an interview, her emotional voice, hand gestures, and body language highlighted how meaningful her transformation has been. As we walked around her home, that powerful, emotional expression helped us imagine not only her changing story but that of many other ethnic minority families in the uplands over the decades. This transformation was shaped by the winding mountain trails she, with her daughter-in-law, often guides their visitors, and by the growing number of domestic and international tourists, whose curiosity has brought new rhythms, responsibilities and aspirations to her life.
In Vietnam’s northern highlands, tourism is more than economic opportunity and has reshaped foundational components of employment, income, homes, relationships, and self-perception. This is especially true for the ethnic minority communities such as the Hmong, Giay, and Dao that our research project has been working closely with for over a year. This article explores how tourism is transforming the work, culture and daily lives of ethnic minority groups in the northern mountains of Vietnam. Our team has discovered that in the process, tourism is reshaping what it means to live and belong in places previously known only for their remoteness.
The Vietnam tourism industry is a significant contributor to economic development and has recently experienced massive growth due to numerous factors (Vietnam News, 2023). In fact, tourism accounts for about 6.6% (and rising) of the overall GDP and has created approximately 7 million jobs (Vietnam News, 2023; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, 2023). According to the Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism and the General Statistics Office, the number of international tourists has increased substantially from 3.5 million in 2005 to 10 million in 2016, and by the end of 2025 is expected to reach records of 22+ million visitors (Ministry of Information and Communications, 2023; 2024).
Both international and domestic visitors are drawn to the natural beauty and deep cultural heritage shaped by the 54 ethnic minority groups throughout Vietnam. The influx of new visitation combined with industrialization has contributed to shifts from Vietnam being largely an agrarian economy to an increased service-based economy (hotels, tours, restaurants, etc.) (Mạnh, 2014). The tourism industry has quickly been propelled as a vital component for Vietnam’s economic prosperity and, in turn, may influence culture, employment, society, and direction of policies (i.e., new construction, environmental protections, cultural preservation).
Caption: Ta Van Village, Sa Pa: A sign revealing the influence of tourism and activity demand
Funded by the British Academy in London, this 2.5 year research project, is led in Vietnam by Dr. Myles Lynch (Assistant Professor, VinUniversity) and Dr. Tran Hoài (Senior Lecturer, Vietnam National University) along with UK-based team Dr. Jamie McPhie, Dr. Dave Clarke, and Dr. Lisa Fenton (University of Cumbria), and student research assistants. The project focuses on three mountainous tourist locations of Sa Pa, Mù Cang Chải, and Hòa Bình, unpacking how outdoor tourism may disrupt, change, or modify the daily lives, beliefs, and worldviews of ethnic minority individuals, households, and communities within specific groups (Hmong, Giáy, Dao).
The research team is utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods by including locals as co-researchers who are encouraged to ask their own research questions and work collaboratively with the University professors. Initial focus group discussions point to the larger economic context of tourism (and related activities) and resulting visitation changing the ethnic minority community’s livelihoods, beliefs, and activities. For example, more locals are now building or adding on private bungalow-style accommodation as an addition to their traditional family homestay to cater to tourist demand.
In Sa Pa, a resort town in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai, tourism is booming and expected to attract between 3.2 – 3.5 million visitors in 2025. New visitors mean new employment opportunities. The outdoor tourism employment for ethnic minority people is often connected to daily life (tour guide commute to Sa Pa city center, hosting visitors), skill building (learning English, cooking western style food – burgers, pizza, pancakes), changing cultural narratives (performances and leading activities – rice planting, cloud “hunting”). In Sa Pa, the research team is working alongside Hmong and Giay trekking guides to understand their changing stories, activities, and thoughts connected to this ever-changing tourism industry. For instance, tourism development has altered the rhythm of daily life for many Sa Pa locals. As a 32-year-old Giay shop owner explained,
“Tourism has made daily life more fast-paced, and I sometimes even lose track of time while working. We used to walk everywhere, but now we often take motorbikes to accommodate guests.” Despite the rapid changes, she embraces and enjoys the vibrancy that tourism brings, noting that “…when there are no tourists, the village feels dull.”
Moreover, what was once a personal pastime of dancing with neighbors has gradually evolved into a tourism activity, where she is regularly invited to perform for visiting audiences during special events like festivals. “These experiences have changed me a lot. I used to be shy when interacting with foreigners, but now I feel confident sharing our culture with others.”
Caption: Research team in Sa Pa using photo voice methods to understand stories connected to tourism.
For another Giay homestay owner, who has been hosting guests since 2007, tourism has enabled her to sustain and share traditional practices, such as introducing visitors to rice planting, guiding treks through local jungle trails, and making bánh dày (sticky rice cakes) with guests. Some of these interactions have become deeply personal as well, where she once guided a group of foreign tourists to participate in “tảo mộ”, a traditional practice of visiting and cleaning her parents’ graves. However, the economic benefits of tourism are also accompanied by growing concerns over the pace and pattern of development. One participant, who has been working for 7 years as a former homestay manager in Sa Pa, reflected on these changes with mixed feelings:
“It is exciting to see so many visitors interested in our culture and landscapes. Tourism has brought more opportunities for families in the village, as nearly every household now operates a homestay or tourism-related services.” Yet, the rapid expansion has also altered the village’s character. “Sometimes, I look around and barely recognize the place. New buildings seem to appear every month, especially near the rice terraces where the bungalows are constructed. While the growth brings income, I do worry that we’re losing some of the natural beauty and the peaceful atmosphere that made this area special in the first place.”
In Hòa Bình, another popular tourist location, Community-Based Tourism (CBT) has emerged as a promising approach to promote communal development, creating opportunities to participate in activities that preserve and promote traditional culture (Su et al., 2023). Using focus group and photo voice methods, the researchers are exploring more stories of locals and how the influx of new jobs and skills may influence their worldviews and cultural beliefs in specific settings, communities, and individuals as they interact with international and domestic visitors. For example, the mass influx of tourism has shown to have implications for how ethnic minorities perceive themselves and results in changes of traditions or shifts of mindset between older and younger generations.
Caption: Participants in Hòa Bình during a focus group session using photovoice methods. Participants discussing their daily life and expectations of tourism in their community. Community-Based Tourism is a popular approach to tourism in Hòa Bình. Lò Thị Thuý, Lý Thị Nhất , Triệu Lan, Lý Thị Hằng
Our group had the opportunity to trek with a local Hmong guide who has worked with a women-led tourism initiative for over a decade. During the walk, she shared how tourism has been a powerful catalyst for both personal and social transformation. Once bound by traditional expectations and rigid gender roles, she is now the primary income earner in her family, working as a tour guide.
“A modern woman should be able to decide her life,” she said. Through guiding, she has gained financial independence and built a life with her husband, who now stays at home to care for their children. “We started with nothing, just a thatched hut and two hopeful hearts,” she recalled. “Back then, we lived in a house with a leaky roof and bamboo walls, but we worked hard to build something better so our children could go to school and have a future.”
Her story is not an isolated one. Across Sa Pa, many women from ethnic minority communities have experienced similar transforming narratives. As tourism has expanded, so too have the opportunities for women to step into new roles, becoming guides, entrepreneurs, performers, and craft sellers. In many cases, women were the first to adapt to the demands of international and domestic visitors, learning new skills such as English, developing communication confidence, and building financial independence. As another Hmong local guide explained,
“Before tourists came, I only worked in the rice field. But now I can guide treks and sell handmade souvenirs.” For her, tourism meant access to financial autonomy and a sense of pride in supporting her family.
Financial freedom from new tourism opportunities for ethnic minority women may challenge some traditional norms and family expectations connected to “authenticity” (Bott, 2018). For example, ethnic women now bring money into the household from tourism-related employment, which may impact conceptions of gender roles, societal norms, and expectations within minority households.
Caption: Hòa Bình: Focus group discussion using photovoice methods to discuss local stories
Trần Hoài (VNU), Đặng Xuân, Lâm Huy, Lý Thị Hằng
Ultimately, tourism stands as a thriving sector offering abundant job prospects for women, fostering their empowerment (World Tourism Organization – UNTWO, 2019), thus leading to substantial strides towards gender parity (Bui Thi Tam & Nguyen Hoang Thuy Vy, 2019). UN WTO data (2019) further reveals that, on average, women constitute 54% of the entire tourism workforce, with this figure soaring to 70% within community tourism services. The pivotal role of locals and women within the broader tourism industry, particularly in community-based tourism models, emerges as a significant concern in the realm of sustainable development, particularly within local tourist hubs. Their involvement is essential in decision-making to avoid top-down approaches and equitable contribution to execution, decision-making, and sharing of tourism benefits (Nguyen et al., 2020).
As the project progresses, the team has learned about organizations providing a resource for ethnic minority people to make and sell products (i.e., arts and crafts) and services (i.e., outdoor tourism and workshops) to local markets and tourists within Hanoi. For example, the Ná Nả project focuses its work alongside Hmong minorities to provide workshops, experiential education, and skills training with the aim of preserving local culture and heritage. Overall, the economic influx of new jobs and skills training for marginalized ethnic minority groups intersects with the demand from tourists seeking cultural experiences and eco/outdoor-based tourism products and services. The research team continues to build upon this project to understand ethnic minority people’s unique stories and their connection to the tourism industry within Vietnam.
While looking over a row of newly built wooden houses along the terraced fields a former Dao homestay owner reflected:“Sometimes I look around and almost don’t recognize this place anymore.” These villages were once defined by a peaceful, quiet, and slow pace of life and traditional habits. Now, the landscape is almost unrecognizable; transformed into a vibrant and bustling construction zone with new cafes, homestays, or places to admire the landscape. The sound space is now filled with the music from the shops, or the voices of many languages of tourists from all over the world.
However, behind each old wooden house and handicraft stall is a local story of change. Stories are not only about the emergence of tourism, but also about people adapting, experimenting, and sometimes, reclaiming space in their own way. In the cool air of the highlands, these stories of change are accompanied by pride, excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty. Tourism has brought income, dynamism, and new dreams to women, young people, and families. But at the same time, tourism also raises questions about belonging, identity, and what parts of tradition can, or should, be commercialized as tourism products. There are no simple answers. There are only telling voices, walking trails, changing experiences, and daily adaptations that shape the work, life, and culture of this uplands.
Vietnam Outdoor Tourism Research 
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