Brandon Chew - Scots College

ABSTRACT
This investigation focuses on international tourism and the ethnic minorities in Sapa
Valley, Vietnam. The research question of "What is the impact of International
Tourism on the Ethnic Minorities in Sapa Valley, Vietnam" looks at the economic,
environmental and socio-cultural impacts of international tourism on the lives of the
main ethnic minorities in Sapa Valley.
Structured face to face interviews were conducted with 20 people from the 4 main
ethnic minority groups in Sapa over a two week period. Interviewees were asked a
range of questions on their views about international tourism, the impact on their
lives and their overall perception of the benefits of tourism. Direct observations were
also made of the lifestyles of the people and visits made to 10 homes to observe
their living standards.
The primary data obtained from the Vietnamese showed that the ethnic minorities
perceived there was an overall positive economic and socio-cultural impact of
tourism on their lives. This can be explained by the Social Exchange Theory.
However, the secondary data, validated by the home visits, confirmed that the
overall positive impact of tourism on the ethnic minorities was limited. Most still lived
in poverty and had poor standards of living without basic access to clean water,
electricity and sanitation.
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The issue of the economic stagnation of the ethnic minorities despite the growth of
tourism is complex and goes beyond the limited scope of this study. In Sapa Valley,
the "beneficiaries" of tourism seem to be the elite, wealthy and powerful
entrepreneurs. The ethnic minorities are left to wait for the beneficial effects to trickle
down due to their limited economic capital, cultural isolation, lack of education and
political status. More needs to be done to consult them in the development of
targeted anti-poverty measures that meet their circumstances and special needs.
(300 words)
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