ĐẮK LẮK — Đắk Lắk Province is promoting fishing village culture in an effort to boost the province’s tourism and lure tourists.

After the merger with Phú Yên, the province has a coastline of 189 kilometres with beautiful beaches, untouched scenery and lagoons.

The province’s eastern area is home to several fishing villages that are still preserving coastal life and culture. The villages engage in fishing, aquaculture and making dried fish, creating a peaceful atmosphere and unique products of the central coast.

Among them, the Lò Village in Hòa Hiệp Ward has emerged as a favourite tourist destination for visitors to experience and immerse themselves in nature.

Văn Tấn Thanh Tùng, chairman of the Lò Village Community-based Tourism Cooperative, shared that the cooperative encouraged residents to join in building the village’s signature tourism products and develop OCOP (one commune, one product) items to promote its services to tourists.

Local people in recent years have turned their homes into lovely homestays and eateries. They have also offered unique experiences such as fishing, weaving fishing nets, enjoying fresh seafood and traditional cakes, and listening to and learning about bài chòi, a unique form of folk art and folk game that showcases the traditional culture of the central coastal region.

Bài chòi, which literally means a deck of cards (bài) and bamboo huts (chòi), is half game and half theatre performance. It was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2017.

Tùng said residents’ sincere service and storytelling skills are key to fully harnessing local tourism potential.

He added that telling unique stories about their lives and culture is a way to preserve the fishing village's cultural values and create distinctive tourism products, thereby improving livelihoods and passing precious values on to future generations.

Meanwhile, local authorities have also given favourite destinations new looks to lure more visitors.

Nguyễn Xuân Cảnh, chairman of the People’s Committee of Phú Yên Ward, said the ward decided to decorate wave-dissipating concrete blocks at the Xóm Rớ embankment. The decoration was completed in June with the aim of developing community-based tourism in the ward.

The Xóm Rớ embankment is a favourite destination for visitors due to its stunning sunrise and sunset views, rocky banks covered with green moss, and colourful fishing boats by the shore. It has now become more famous with concrete blocks painted in blue, red, yellow, purple, pink, and orange, creating a vibrant picture on the beach.

Lê Minh Tuấn of Phú Yên Ward said the embankment has attracted more young people to visit and take check-in photos in the coastal area at beautiful sunsets.

Although the province has potential for developing community-based tourism associated with coastal culture, it still lacks unique tourism products that create distinctive experiences for tourists.

To attract tourists during the summer, the Đắc Lắk Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched many cultural, artistic, and sports events in the coastal area, such as the Cầu Ngư (Whale Worship) Festival at Lò Village and marathon races to popular destinations to create unique tourism products and leave a strong impression on visitors. — VNS