Welcome the Green Season with Community-Based Tourism in the Mekong Region

As dry weather turns green season around the Greater Mekong Sub-Region, it’s a good time to turn our attention to rural and ethnic communities off the beaten path. Here, community-based tourism (CBT) gives visitors a rare look at authentic lifestyles grounded in ancient traditions.

In Myanmar, a rise in tourist numbers is anticipated this year, driven by CBT in the Bagan Ancient Cultural Zone. Bagan remains one of Myanmar’s top tourist destinations, drawing visitors from Thailand, China, Russia, and the United States in 2024.

Several other villages near Bagan are also becoming popular CBT destinations.

Set-Set-Yo Village in Nyaung-U Township is known for preserving traditional Myanmar hairstyles, while Thepyintaw Village is a center for traditional crafts like weaving, toddy plant climbing, and traditional edible oil production.

In Viet Nam's Hậu Giang province, CBT is essential to its tourism strategy, centered around the area’s vast rice fields, craft villages, fruit orchards and tourism areas such as the 100-year-old Phụng Hiệp Floating Market in Ngã Bảy City, the Phú Hữu Tourism Area in Châu Thành District, and the Long Trị Tangerine Village in Long Mỹ District.

By leveraging their unique cultural and natural assets, Bagan and Hậu Giang are becoming premier examples of successful community-based tourism in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Read our newsletter, and find out about other ongoing tourism developments around the Mekong!