Tay Giang District is considered a new tourist destination in Vietnam. But it's different from other spots in that it's not exploited by tourism itself.

Tay Giang District is situated in the western part of the Truong Son Range, in the central province of Quang Nam. It is in the border of Sekong Province of Laos and Thua Thien-Hue Provine of Vietnam. It is nestled on 1,300 meters above the ground with a spectacular view of terrace fields and mountains cradled by the silhouette of a fog.

Tay Giang used to be a poverty-stricken area. But today, big and clean houses occupy the district. In fact, the place is even dubbed as “Singapore Villages” in comparison to Aur Village in Ch'om Commune in the same district. Tourists visiting Tay Giang are asked and reminded to keep the surroundings clean.

Tay Giang has managed to preserve itself from “commercial proliferation.” Despite the modern changes and plans by the local authority to promote community-based tourism, Tay Giang has insisted on and maintained one important requirement: the least intervention on the lives of its ethnic minority residents. This is for the purpose of not only maintaining the physical cleanliness of the district but perhaps more importantly, the preservation of environmental and cultural authenticity.

The Co Tu people in Aur Village live in traditional long-thatched houses specifically designed for big families. The number of rooms depend on the number of the member of the family. Thus, some houses reaching up to several dozen meters long.

There are two main festivals celebrated in Co Tu. Dam Trau or Buffalo Sacrifice is a celebration of thanksgiving to the gods for giving the people a good year. It is held between December and March on the lunar calendar. The other festival is a prayer for a good rice crop.

New tourism trend at Tay Giang District includes tourists having the option to observe the traditional events as outsiders or experience first hand living the traditional way by choosing to stay with the Co Tu people for several days and be treated with the local delicacies such as com lam (bamboo-cooked rice), thit lam (bamboo-cooked meat), and san lam (bamboo-cooked cassava). Ta Vac is a popular local beverage fermented from the extract of the native fruit of the same name. It resembles the taste of Western wine and is said to enhance the health.

Zo Ruot Village is another village in Tay Giang District. It is near Aur Village and is known for its Ngoc Linh ginseng (Panax vietnamensis) roots, believed to have life-saving properties. Zo Ruot has a garden with 5,000 specimen of the said plant which were transplanted from Nam Tra My District. It was founded in 2004 and estimated to be worth tens of billions dong (hundreds of thousands dollars).

It's fair to say that Tay Giang District is a good example of a true tourist spot, fresh enough to keep up with the modern times, but stable and grand in its ability to preserve its traditions.