Use poverty to get rich

Simple thatched-roof stilt houses are becoming a tourism resource in Don village, Pu Luong commune.

Ban Don, Pu Luong commune, behind the early morning mist, is a poetic scene of majestic mountains and forests. The whole village has developed 21 community tourism establishments associated with accommodation, including 8 homestay establishments which are stilt houses operated by local Thai households. Pu Luong AROMA Homestay establishment of young man Ha Van Luyen is located on a small, steep road at the end of the village. The young owner, born in 1989, has his own direction when mainly targeting Western guests from European countries such as the Netherlands, England, France... Therefore, he does not need to advertise on Facebook, Zalo or through media agencies like other establishments, but only introduces himself on foreign community tourism sites so that guests can book and find him.

“The image of simple stilt houses, typical of the ethnic people, and the beautiful, close natural scenery are the main factors that I use to attract tourists. Understanding the psychology of liking quietness, exploring indigenous culture, and closeness, I invested in building small stilt houses for guests to stay. If they were modern, luxurious hotel-style apartments, they might not like it, but the factor that attracts foreign tourists is staying in the houses of the people, blending into the nature of the mountains and forests, experiencing the daily life of us Thai people,” said Mr. Ha Van Luyen.

At this reception facility, there is currently a large family stilt house that combines group reception and 5 small bungalow-style stilt houses on the poetic hillside to serve individual guests. From the beds, clothes hangers, to the doors and chairs, the owner has "designed" them very simply like the people in the difficult times, all originating from tree branches and logs in the home garden. Even the path in front of the stilt houses and inside the home garden is lined with natural stones by the owner, saying no to concrete or plastic carpets. Perhaps because of the right investment, the room occupancy rate here is always above 90%, more than 95% are European guests.

Having invested in developing community tourism for less than 2 years, the facility currently receives an average of 300 visitors from the West each month. Due to its family scale, the facility only serves food and accommodation for 10 to 12 guests per day. According to Mr. Luyen, the family says no to loudspeakers and karaoke that cause noise like many other places, but instead focuses on quietness and peace. Visitors are introduced to local culture, supported to visit villages, participate in cultural and artistic activities in the evening, and blend in with the local Thai people.

“Every month, my family has an average revenue of about 90 million VND, with a profit of about half. More importantly, the whole family has stable jobs, some specialize in growing vegetables, picking chayote, raising Co Lung ducks, developing chicken flocks, or cooking to serve tourists all year round. From borrowing to invest step by step, now the family has stabilized the economy , gradually accumulating and getting rich,” added Mr. Ha Van Luyen. Expanding to the whole Don village with 21 homestay establishments to develop community tourism, hundreds of workers have jobs thanks to related services. The old Ba Thuoc district also coordinates with relevant departments, branches and units to organize training courses on tourism, cooking, how to welcome guests... to support people to develop their livelihoods right in their hometown. Women and mothers who have long been stuck in the old forests and rice fields now have additional income from cleaning rooms. Farmers are more motivated when their homegrown vegetable beds and the tops of their chayote vines are purchased by accommodation establishments, so they have year-round income. Flocks of hill chickens and Co Lung ducks are also released into the stream without having to worry about output and unstable prices. Middle-aged workers also have extra work to do by taking tourists to visit the village and nearby attractions such as Hieu waterfall, Pho Don market, Kho Muong cave... by motorbike.

Having studied at a foreign language university and escaped, young Ha Thi Gam was determined to return to her hometown to do community tourism. According to her, the people of Don village can completely get rich with this type of close tourism. Her English skills have and will help the locals in approaching foreign visitors who are increasingly coming to the locality. “Not only developing the economy, our Don village tourism community also contributes to introducing local culture to the world. Many Western visitors after returning, also give feedback on our pages, they praise the friendly people here, praise the beautiful natural scenery, the interesting culture of the ethnic people... It is the feedback on the visitors' pages, then they spread the information after their visits to friends and relatives, so more and more people come from half way around the world to find us,” Ms. Gam shared.

Without any complicated colors, knowing how to develop community tourism with simplicity and rusticity, the available things are also a separate direction leading to success. Bundles of wild fern, bamboo shoots used to be the "hunger-fighting" food of the people, now become dishes that attract visitors at the community tourism spots of Ma village, Thuong Xuan commune. Stream fish, bamboo tubes of rice have become typical dishes of homestay establishments in the Cam Luong fish stream area, Cam Tu commune... In the past, in the coastal areas, no matter how poor the families were, they could lack everything but usually did not lack fish sauce jars, like proactively having food all year round. Now developing on a large scale, becoming a commodity product, Khuc Phu fish sauce village, Hoang Thanh commune has begun to welcome visitors thanks to its proximity to Hai Tien marine eco-tourism area. A typical example is Le Gia fish sauce facility in Hong Ky village, gradually replacing wooden barrels of fish sauce in the southern style, developing experiential sightseeing services.

Although the tour activity has only been developed for less than 2 years, each year there are about 20,000 visitors coming to visit and experience the traditional fish sauce making process of Khuc Phu. In the middle of the warehouses, Le Gia has built octagonal houses with thatched roofs, where visitors can sit on bamboo beds, drink guava juice, and eat rice cakes dipped in fish sauce. The image of the poor countryside in the past is also recreated through the decorative scenery, then experience eating star fruit, figs dipped in shrimp paste like the poor life in the old coastal area. Many visitors from the city expressed their interest when being told stories about the rustic fishing village, hearing about the fish sauce making process and life in the past... The "poverty" is being exposed and recalled, but not to talk about poverty and hardship, but to become tourism resources, to get rich.

Article and photos: Linh Truong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/dem-cai-ngheo-de-lam-giau-260743.htm