The women's empowerment-sustainable tourism nexus in rural Vietnam

The overall goal of this project is to support women living in the rural communities of the Vietnamese province Hoa Binh, who are active or interested in tourism, to get away from an enduring situation of vulnerability and inequality and become empowered social innovators in sustainable tourism. To achieve this goal, academic partners and stakeholders from the public, private and civil society sectors will work together in the co-production of new knowledge in a Participatory Action Research, comprising mapping exercises and multi-actor workshops in the Da Bac district and Mai Chau Valley. Main outcomes of the project include: (i)Enhanced knowledge on how to better synergise women’s empowerment and sustainable tourism development in two study areas; (ii) The co-creation of a sustainable tourism platform, connecting local actors and universities; (iii) Improved VNU’s capacities in terms of inter-/transdisciplinary research, including specific skills and knowledge on feminist political ecology, sustainable tourism and participatory action research for sustainable socio-ecological development. (iv) Dissemination of research results through publications and advancement of context-sensitive policy recommendations. As a result, this project will support Vietnam’s commitment to the Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, notably achieving SDG 5 positioning gender equality as a fundamental human right and pillar for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.