The purpose of this paper is to review the barriers to sustainable tourism development faced by rural and developing regions and to explore the notion of tourism and its potential contribution to community well-being, with a focus on Flora’s community capitals framework. A description is provided of a case study focusing on the development of agri-tourism in the Can Tho region of the Mekong Delta. The results of the initial stages of a mixed method approach to the application of a community well- being framework to tourism development are presented. It will conclude by identifying the challenges of applying models of tourism conceptualised in developed western economies in a developing economy with a socialist republic political regime. In particular, implications for tourism development policy, planning and education to support more sustainable approaches in tourism governance and development are highlighted.