From the dream of returning to the village...
Having studied at the Northwest College of Arts, Giàng A La returned to his village and tried his hand at the Hang Kia tourism- agricultural service cooperative model. However, after a period of operation, the cooperative dissolved due to numerous obstacles. “The members didn't really understand each other, the villagers weren't familiar with legal regulations, taxes, and policies, making it difficult to develop together in the long term. Therefore, I want to rebuild the model on a household business scale in an effective way, so that later I can gain more experience to help and support the villagers to develop together,” Giàng A La shared.
Foreign tourists enjoy participating in experiential tours with Giàng A La (far right).
Tourists come to A La Homestay for an experiential travel.
Choosing a household business model to continue his journey towards sustainable tourism, he focused on developing a community-based tourism product called A La Homestay. With all-inclusive tours, visitors to the homestay can experience the culture, from exploring nature and enjoying local cuisine to relaxing... at locations in Hang Kia - Pà Cò and also Moc Chau and Van Ho (Son La). In addition, A La Homestay also offers handcrafted brocade products and clean agricultural products produced by local people, such as plums, tomatoes, free-range chicken, and various vegetables.
Spreading cultural values through community tourism.
A La Homestay is an attractive destination for many domestic and international tourists visiting the Hang Kia - Pà Cò area. All-inclusive tours ranging from 1 to 4 days include transportation, accommodation, meals, and experiences of local culture such as beeswax painting, rice cake making, indigo dyeing, cooking, plum and peach picking, cloud hunting, mountain climbing, camping, visiting waterfalls, bathing in hot springs, cultural exchange, and charity activities. Costs range from 1 to 3 million VND per person, depending on the tour.
Giàng A La prepares traditional ethnic dishes for tourists visiting and experiencing the Homestay.
Each month, A La welcomes around 20-30 visitors, bringing in revenue of approximately 30-40 million VND. However, tourism activities are still seasonal and not yet stable. A La currently has to hire seasonal staff, including 3 people, with a support of about 250,000 VND/day, equivalent to 2 million VND/person/month. In addition, there are costs for the performing arts group, motorbike taxis, and tour guides from the village, who are mobilized for each tour. He said: "Even though the number of visitors is not consistent, I still try to maintain the payments so that there are people to work with and preserve the craft. I can't develop community tourism alone. I have to bring benefits to the villagers so that they are willing to work with me."
As a former active youth union official, A La regularly organized charitable programs, reforestation activities, and community initiatives linked to tourism. Through these efforts, he gained the support and cooperation of the local people and authorities. This spirit of "not working alone" became the foundation for him to gradually build a sustainable tourism model, integrated with local livelihoods and culture.
Tourists check in at the cloud-watching spot during A La Homestay's experience tour.
Comrade Tran Van Truyen - Chairman of the People's Committee of Pa Co commune, Phu Tho province (newly established) said: “Giang A La is a typical young man with innovative thinking and a willingness to take risks. Despite facing many difficulties when starting his business in the locality, he persevered in finding his own path and constantly connected with the community. What is admirable is that A La does not pursue tourism solely for personal gain, but always strives to create livelihoods, spread culture, and preserve ethnic identity. The locality highly appreciates A La's model and will continue to accompany and support him to the best of its ability so that community tourism can develop sustainably.”
Starting from nothing, Giàng A La transformed a corner of the mountain forest into a welcoming place for visitors. From a small dream, he sowed the seeds of a future for the H'Mông community in Pà Cò. And from that valley of clouds, a new generation is gradually awakening, daring to dream, daring to act, and daring to stay – starting businesses in their homeland.
Hang Nguyen
Source: https://baophutho.vn/chang-trai-h-mong-xay-giac-mo-du-lich-o-thung-lung-may-235490.htm
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