The village in Ia Ly commune welcomes more than 1,500 visitors a year, about 30% of them international tourists.
With 10 households directly involved in its core tourism activities, additional income averages about VND3 million ($116) per person a month.
Organised nationwide by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the competition assesses destinations on criteria including cultural identity, community livelihoods, visitor experience and sustainability.
Winners will be selected through a jury assessment of submitted applications and community voting. The awards are expected to be announced and presented at the end of December 2026.
Gia Lai selected Kép after reviewing several local tourism models. The long-established Jrai village retains traditional architecture, cultural practices and crafts that now form the basis of its visitor experiences.
Its community tourism initiative began in 2020 with a group of 15 artisans specialising in brocade weaving and bamboo crafts.
It has since expanded to involve more than 100 local ethnic minority artisans, working alongside village elders, community representatives, local authorities, organisations and residents.
Visitors can explore traditional stilt houses, communal Rong houses, waterside gathering places and grave houses, watch gong performances and xoang dances, and learn about wood carving and weaving.
Residents welcome guests, perform music and introduce them to everyday village life. Local meals feature ingredients such as wild vegetables, cassava leaves and locally gathered eggplants.
Kép has partnered with travel agencies to welcome international tourists, research groups and students.
Its tours include visits to the Rong house, weaving sessions in residents’ homes or the exhibition house, local meals, and cycling trips to Princess Waterfall and Ia Mơ Nông Lake.
The village also features on wider itineraries linking the Ia Ly Hydropower Plant, a centuries-old pine forest, Buu Minh Pagoda and Chư Đang Ya Volcano.
Revenue from gong performances, food, souvenirs and homestays is increasing, while demand from visitors is helping revive traditional skills.
H’Uyên Niê, deputy head of the Kép Village Community Tourism Management Board, said tourism had brought renewed activity to Jrai crafts.
Artisans have also recreated traditional coffee-making practices. They roast coffee over a wood fire, grind or pound it by hand using wooden mortars, and brew it through brocade filters.
The process gives residents an opportunity to share stories about Jrai culture, local agricultural products and daily life. Ten households have registered to supply coffee for visitors to drink or buy as gifts.
Artisan Rơ Châm Crế has resumed growing cotton to make hand-spun yarn after years of weaving with industrial thread. Visitors can now follow the process from cotton cultivation and spinning to weaving.
She said incorporating these stages into tourism experiences had encouraged her to continue practising the craft.
The village’s “Jrai ơi” brocade product received a three-star OCOP rating in November 2024.
Artisans have expanded their range to include wallets, coffee-scented sachets, clothing and dresses, creating more products for visitors and additional outlets for their work.
H’Uyên Niê said entering the national competition would allow Kép to exchange ideas with other communities and learn from tourism models rooted in local culture, helping the village improve its own visitor experiences.