JACQUET, MARIE (2025) The Rise of Tourism How the Ha Giang Loop is Reshaping Local Life. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Sustainable Tourism and Society (STS).
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Abstract
This thesis explores how local communities perceive and experience the impacts of tourism along the Ha Giang Loop, a scenic motorbike route in northern Vietnam known for its dramatic landscapes and cultural diversity. As tourism grows rapidly in the region, it is reshaping daily life, local economies, and identities in both empowering and challenging ways. Grounded in postcolonial theory and Foucault’s (1980) concept of power and knowledge, this qualitative study investigates how local voices — incorporating those from ethnic minorities — are included, omitted, and represented throughout tourism progression. In collaboration with 10 participants, I conducted semi-structured interviews and field observations to examine tourism’s effects on livelihoods, infrastructure development, cultural practices, access to opportunity while also highlighting new challenges related to inequality, education, sustainability, and cultural preservation. While tourism has improved the lives of many who hope to see it continue growing, others voiced concerns about exploitation, children’s future, unequal power relations, and a lack of training. The thesis argues that tourism in Ha Giang is still in transition. Although it holds significant promise, without inclusive planning, local leadership, and adequate infrastructure, it risks replicating unsustainable tourism dynamics seen in similar destinations. This research contributes to broader discussions on sustainable tourism and locally involved tourism by centering local perspectives and advocating for models that promote local agency, better education and social equity. Given limited research on the Ha Giang Loop, future studies should assess long-term impacts, gender dynamics and amplify voices of women from ethnic minorities and communities not yet integrated into tourism, such as farmers.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Muldoon, M.L. |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Aug 2025 13:14 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Aug 2025 13:14 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/753 |
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