A Rainy Day Workshop Works in Phong Nha Ke Bang

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So we held our successful "Workshop: Community-Based Tourism Potential in the Phong Nha Ke Bang Buffer Zone" on the 7th with representatives from the three communes and local and regional authorities. Wow. I'm still kind of giddy a week later. I'm somehow light years ahead professionally of where I thought I would be one year ago right before I started this Master's program. I was waiting tables at the time. And I just planned and ran an all day workshop attended by important people and introducing a revolutionary idea, assisted of course by the capable workshop-running pros at Counterpart. However, I was the tourism "expert" and I designed and gave many of the presentations, and I planned out the workshop activities for the participants. And it worked!

The objective was to create a clear and unified understanding of the concept of CBT and how it could be developed in this area, and then let the participants come up with their own ideas for tourism offerings and then help them rate which ones had the most potential and were the most feasible. It couldn't have gone better despite being rained out of our first location (we walked in to see women in ponchos pushing the still rising water out of the room with mops). Everyone was pleased with the results, everyone seemed to understand the CBT concept, and everyone is now super excited to share the info and ideas with everyone else back in the villages and get this project off the ground.

The momentum and the support is great right now, just as I'm leaving. I just wrote a job description for my replacement. It's a little sad, but I am very proud of what I've accomplished here in two months with little initial experience. And I am leaving Counterpart with a lot of clear documentation that can serve as a road map for future CBT development. My boss Victor even asked that I not refer to myself as an intern, since I had a lot more responsibility and had accomplished more than a traditional intern. He saw the arrangement more as an equal exchange of knowledge and experience. So how come I'm being paid as as intern...?

One funny side note: In the meeting hall where we held the workshop hung two signs up at the very front. The first one said "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom!" The second one said "Long live the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam!" I liked the juxtaposition.

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Photos

Our First Venue Flooded
We eventually moved to a dryer, cozier meeting hall.

Greg and Evi
My favorite Australians and my caretakers in Dong Hoi. They passed my friendship test: They like the T.V. show "Arrested Development."

Me Giving a Presentation
Flapping my jaw like a pro.

Me Giving a Presentation
PowerPoint has made it's way to rural Vietnam.

Me Giving a Presentation
I'm very serious.

Lunch Break
Family style at the fanciest hotel in Phong Nha Ke Bang with the workshop participants. We spare no expense.

My Vietnam Mentors
Greg, Chi Sen, and Victor

Putting the Participants to Work
We had all of the workshop participants write down their ideas for tourism attractions in their villages. One idea per card.

Categorizing the Idea Cards
The cards were collected and categorized.

Greg and Evi's Ideas
Since they had to write their ideas in English, Greg decided to illustrate them.

Rating the Activities
The participants broke up into their three communes and rated the ideas for activities based on certain criteria. The idea was for them to decide which activities had the most potential.

Rating the Activities
The categories used for rating were “ease of development (cost, time, labor),” “market potential (unique, attractive, accessible),” “profitability,” “shared community benefit,” “environmental impact,” “existing assets, resources, and skills,” and “overall CBT potential.”

Presenting Results
Each commune presented their rating results and highlighted which attractions and activities they felt had the most potential.

Counterpart Staff Caught Snacking
We are a very serious organization. Never any goofing off. Ever.

Our Fearless Leader Victor
I promised I would post this on the internet. Maybe I should have waited until after he does my evaluation...

Comments

[jackie]

fabulous!
i'm really proud of you, Missy! it's so amazing that you led this workshop--it sounds like it was a real success! your enthusiasm really comes across. yay!

[Jason]

You look very professional
up there- congratulations! You have good reason to feel proud. How many people showed up? Looks like there was a good turnout... and do you think I'll ever get answers to any of the questions I've asked in the comments? ;) Thanks not only for sharing your photos and thoughts but also information on CBT (whew, look at me now with the lingo). I'd never heard of it before, but really like some of the principles involved...

[woods]

it's not unusual...
this is great. you're a real pro. but at the risk of spoiling the professional atmosphere, i have to say that all i could imagine when looking at some of these pictures was a karaoke jam.

[julia]

WooHoo!
YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY Missy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mom]

You're a natural
Wow, you look so good up there. I always knew you wanted to tell people what to do and give advice. You look so natural. Of course anything you are passionate about you put your whole self into it and it shows. Congrats to my honey bee!!

[Cel]

WOOHOO!!
Go Missy! This is so awesome! Way to "sell" your dream! One question, though,....who is this Jason person???? (hehehe!)

[Charlotte]

Congrats
Congratulations, Missy!