A wall built with volcanic rocks is seen in Gò Cỏ Village in the central Quảng Ngãi Province. The community-based tourism village has been selected as one of six villages in Việt Nam participating in the UN Tourism's 'Best Tourism Village' awards in 2025. VNS Photo Công Thành

QUẢNG NGÃI – Gò Cỏ village, or the Cỏ fishing village in the central province of Quảng Ngãi, has been selected as one of six community-based tourism villages nationwide to participate in the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism)’s ‘Best Tourism Village’ awards in 2025.

A representative of a Gò Cỏ community-based tourism cooperative said the dossier of the village was reviewed and selected by the Việt Nam National Tourism Administration under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

She said the village was officially nominated along with five others, including the Thiềng Liềng community-based village in HCM City, the Lô Lô Chải cultural tourism hamlet in Hà Giang Province, Quỳnh Sơn Village in Lạng Sơn Province, Sin Suối Hồ Village in Lai Châu Province, and Mỹ Khánh Village in Cần Thơ City.

The Việt Nam National Tourism Administration said the dossiers of the six villages will be reviewed for assessment by UN Tourism, and the final results will be announced in the fourth quarter of this year.

Gò Cỏ Village, just 2km away from National Highway No 1A in Phổ Thạnh Ward, Đức Phổ Town, is situated in a zone with remnants of the ancient Sa Huỳnh and Chăm cultures in the coastal Sa Huỳnh Beach area.

The historic village still preserves vestiges of Chăm, also known as Champa, culture, which were first excavated 100 years ago by French archaeologists and later by Vietnamese researchers in the late 1970s.

Grave jars from the Sa Huỳnh Culture (1000 BC - AD 200) and Chăm stelae were found in the area, while cliff rocks lining paths to the sea came from ancient dormant volcanoes.

The village is home to nearly 300 people, 80 per cent of whom are elderly.

Villagers still make their living primarily from farming and fishing, as their forefathers have for centuries.

The community-based tourism village cooperative has been promoting the cultural value of the area and improving the lives of local inhabitants through its tourism services.

Experts check an ancient well from the Champa Kingdom in Gò Cỏ Village, Quảng Ngãi Province. The village is located in a zone with remnants of Sa Huỳnh Culture that are believed to date from 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. Photo courtesy of Gò Cỏ Community-based Tourism Cooperative

The cooperative has launched a vocational rehabilitation programme for people with disabilities to work in tourism, offering traditional crafts, cuisine, and other opportunities.

Last year, the Trà Quế vegetable village in the ancient town of Hội An won an award as one of the ‘Best Tourism Villages’ 2024 in a UN Tourism vote in Colombia.

So far, UN Tourism has granted awards to 130 villages globally, including Trà Quế as well as two others from Việt Nam: Thái Hải Village in the northern province of Thái Nguyên in 2022, and Tân Hoa Village in the central province of Quảng Bình in 2023.

Gò Cỏ Village has worked with six other community-based sustainable tourism cooperatives in the central province, with the aim of promoting the value of rural tourism and traditional culture as well as improving livelihoods for residents of rural communities. — VNS