In order to attract about 3 million tourists by 2015, the city government implemented a community-based tourism in ${bigcity_Hue:"Hue"}. Selecting the traditional markets in Thuy Thanh Commune as the model for such program, specifically the tile-roofed bridges in Thanh Toan, and utilizing the support support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), tourists will now have the pioneering opportunity to experience and truly appreciate the “real” life of the historic city instead of the usual, rhythmic routine of simply viewing relics and landscapes. 

In retrospect, the Thanh Toan market was already developed during the Hue Festival. It earned the tourists’ appreciation. However, the project was limited in that visitors who availed of tours were the only ones who had the opportunity to see the site. Moreover, only a number of local households got involved in providing the service so the number of beneficiaries remained limited.

JICA will assist in establishing an office for the village tourism management. It will be responsible for monitoring the quality of local tourism and enlarging the service scale in order for more local residents to take part in the tourism of the place. At the same time, travel agencies and information providers are encouraged to “cooperate” in bringing in more visitors to the tourist site. In order to check the quality of tourism in the area, tours will be established.

The ancient village of Phuoc Tich in Phong Hoa Commune, Phong Dien District, has also been chosen to develop homestays. The village has 40 one hundred years old nha ruong, or houses built with many beams and pillars. Mizokami Yoshihiro, a Japanese ceramic expert, was sent by JICA to the area to help the village keep its traditional ceramics production by producing new products based on their traditional technique. Over 20 villagers who were mostly artisans themselves joined in the project.

Aside from JICA, another group participated in helping locals acquire jobs in the tourism sector. The Netherlands Development Organization SNV were able to get 70 locals residents in particular to land in jobs as tourism service providers and craft sellers for Huyen Tran Cultural Centre in An Tay Ward.

The community-based tourism project of Hue is a huge factor in that not only does it boost the tourism in the ancient city, but it also created jobs for the local people. Through community-based tourism, the cultural values of Hue are promoted, traditional crafts introduced, improving the income of local residents and bettering their quality of living as a whole.