Towards an Integrated Community-Based Tourism Model: Evidence From Hội An, Vietnam, and Implications for Sustainable Rural Development

Community-based tourism (CBT) is a key strategy for sustainable rural development in Vietnam, yet its implementation remains fragmented due to loose stakeholder linkages and weak institutional coordination. Grounded in stakeholder and systems thinking theories, this qualitative study investigates these challenges in four CBT sites in Hội An through field observations and 25 semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal four critical bottlenecks: (1) inadequate resource assessment causing product duplication, (2) weak multi-stakeholder coordination, (3) dispersed community management capacity, and (4) the lack of an overarching strategy. To address these issues, an integrated CBT model based on value-chain logic is proposed, comprising local resources, stakeholder linkages, capacity building, market development, and institutional support. This model serves as both an operational framework and a policy tool to leverage CBT as a driver for sustainable rural transformation.