Dao ethnic group pioneers in tourism development

Si Thau Chai Village (Ho Thau Commune, Tam Duong District) is located at an altitude of nearly 1,500m above sea level. With the advantage of beautiful natural landscapes, cool climate all year round and unique customs of the Dao ethnic group, the village focuses on developing community tourism . In 2024, Si Thau Chai community tourism will be recognized as a 3-star OCOP product of the province, becoming an ideal destination on Lai Chau's tourism map.

More than 8km from the commune center, Si Thau Chai village is home to more than 60 Dao ethnic households. Standing from the high point, visitors can look down to admire the whole view of Tam Duong town, the majestic beauty of the high mountains, the dreamy beauty of the terraced fields in the ripe rice season in the brilliant golden sunlight.
Si Thau Chai is beautiful and attractive to tourists in every season. Coming to Si Thau Chai in spring, tourists will be able to admire the pink of peach blossoms, the white of plum blossoms, and the yellow of orchid pots in full bloom.
Arriving at Si Thau Chai village, we were really impressed with the stone fences and the clean stone-paved road created by the hands of the villagers. Both sides of the road are decorated with ancient rose bushes, fragrant sim flowers... In particular, the gate of each household is carefully cared for by the owner, bringing its own unique color. For many years, Si Thau Chai has been an ideal paragliding destination for domestic and international pilots, so the number of tourists coming to the village to visit and experience is large. Attracting tourists not only by the majestic nature, but Si Thau Chai village also preserves many unique customs and cultures of the Dao ethnic group. Coming here, visitors will experience the Cap Sac Festival, Fire Dance Festival...

People of Si Thau Chai village (Ho Thau commune, Tam Duong district) clean the village roads to make them green, clean and beautiful to welcome tourists.

Comrade Ly A Gon - Secretary of the Party Cell of Si Thau Chai village said: The village started doing tourism in 2017. In the early days, the village held meetings and agreed that all households would join hands and build a community tourism village. People built barns to raise livestock far from their homes, were aware of maintaining public hygiene, and created a green, clean, and beautiful village landscape. At the same time, they built viewing huts, outdoor stone tables and chairs, and check-in points in common areas for people and tourists to rest and enjoy the scenery.
In recent years, Si Thau Chai village has developed homestays with two styles: wooden houses and rammed earth houses; homestays combine services such as: dining, herbal baths, porters... Along with that, the village maintains an art troupe that regularly practices and performs songs and dances imbued with the cultural identity of the Dao ethnic group. Not only that, when tourists come to the village, they can also experience daily life to learn about the unique cultural features of the Dao ethnic group here. Thanks to the innovation in tourism methods, the village annually welcomes an average of 7,000 - 9,000 visitors to visit and experience. Si Thau Chai is the Dao village that pioneers tourism development in Ho Thau commune, with an average income per capita of 45 million VND/person/year.
Comrade Chao A Lai - Secretary of the Party Committee of Ho Thau Commune said: Implementing Resolution 59/2001/NQ-HDND of the Provincial People's Council, 10 households of Si Thau Chai village were supported with 160 million VND/household to renovate and refurbish their homestays and 10 households were supported with 50 million VND/household to build toilets associated with homestay services. Thanks to that, the village now has 15 spacious and modern homestays, with a capacity of 500 guests. Many homestays operate effectively such as: A San, A Pao, A Gon, A Giang... with full services. Homestays in the village are mainly built in the style of wooden houses, rammed earth houses, fully equipped, with prices of 110,000 VND/person for communal bedrooms and from 250,000 - 400,000 VND/room for private rooms. Thanks to the development of homestay, since the beginning of the year, the village has welcomed over 5,000 visitors, contributing to generating income for the people, raising awareness of preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Dao ethnic group.
Realizing that many households have developed their economies thanks to homestay services, at the end of 2023, Mr. Lu A Giang in Si Thau Chai village started building a homestay. His family's homestay location is opposite the paragliding starting point, this is an ideal place to admire the paragliding parachutes flying in the sky when the Paragliding Competition takes place. Mr. Giang excitedly shared: My family's homestay is made of spacious wood, carved with sophisticated patterns, with 2 types of rooms: dormitory and private rooms, with a capacity of 30 guests. I regularly clean the premises and clean the rooms; decorate with flowers and ornamental plants to create beauty for the homestay. The service price is 110,000 VND/person for a dormitory room and 250,000 VND for a private room. In addition, my homestay also has food and drink services upon request of visitors. I work as a tour guide, taking tourists to visit the village, learn about the customs of the Dao ethnic group, experience Tac Tinh waterfall, climb Pu Ta Leng mountain, Do Quyen peak... Although it has just been put into operation, A Giang homestay has welcomed nearly 400 tourists, from tourism has brought my family over 100 million VND each year.
With its majestic and poetic natural beauty, friendly and hospitable people and many new and unique ways of doing tourism, Si Thau Chai community tourism village has been attracting tourists, becoming an ideal destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/v%C4%83n-h%C3%B3a/b%E1%BA%A3n-ng%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Di-dao-ti%C3%AAn-phong-ph%C3%A1t-tri%E1%BB%83n-du-l%E1%BB%8Bch