HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Vietnamese tourism hasbeen thriving in rural areas, and efforts are being madeto encourage this industry to grow sustainably. 

This emerging form of tourism has helped localities exploittheir existing resources, create jobs, improve incomes for rural people, andprotect their ecological landscape. 

Rural tourism has also contributed to conserving and promotingregional and ethnic cultures, which attractsinvestment and improves local economies.

To meet the country's full tourism potential, diverse and specialtourist destinations and tourism products have been introduced, with over 400tourist spots providing agro-tourism, rural tourism,and community-based tourism, said the Vietnam National Authority ofTourism.

Along with programmes like building new-style rural areas and OCOP(One Commune One Product), Lao Cai, Son La, Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue, TienGiang, Ben Tre, and other provinces have become rural tourism hotspots.

For example, since being named a national intangible culturalheritage last year, Tra Que Vegetable Village of Cam Ha commune in Hoi An cityof Quang Nam province has been a must-visit destination for touristsas they can engage in traditional agricultural activities and enjoy dishesmade from locally-grown ingredients.

Aiming to improve social awareness of the importance of developingrural tourism in a sustainable direction, the Vietnam National Authorityof Tourism has recently established a webpage(//nongthon.vietnamtourism.gov.vn) as part of the national programme ofdeveloping rural tourism in the 2021-2025 period.

The site helps rural areas capitalise on their strengths inagriculture, culture, ecology, and craft villages, as well as enhanceagriculture quality, improve local livelihoods, and bolster overall rural andagricultural tourism.

It also provides information about travel tours, rural tourismproducts, OCOP, and regional specialties to draw more visitors, thus yieldinghigh economic value for rural tourism.

Visitors to the page can also learn about national andglobal tourism models, as well as shared experiences on enhancing ruraltourism, green tourism, community-based tourism, ecotourism, and applying digitaltransformation to the field./.