Go to the forest to see Mong people do tourism

Forest hero

In recent years, the story of the Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district (Hoa Binh) strengthening forest protection, associated with developing eco-tourism , has become a model in forest management work of localities.

Mai Chau District's website ( Hoa Binh Newspaper) has had many articles portraying the portrait of "forest hero" Kha A Lu - the person who has devoted himself to caring for and transforming a primeval forest of hundreds of hectares in the Hang Kia - Pa Co Nature Reserve into an attractive eco-tourism destination for visitors.

Living at the foot of Dragon Mountain (the road to Hang Kia), Mr. Kha A Lu shared that his family was the first household in Hang Kia commune to be assigned by the Management Board of the Nature Reserve to manage and protect hundreds of hectares of primeval forest right behind his house. Before that, although no one assigned the responsibility, A Lu thought the forest belonged to the State, so he protected it himself. Later, when he was officially assigned the responsibility of management, Kha A Lu proactively protected his "property" by going to each house, meeting each person to tell them that they must not cut down the forest. Not only propagating and mobilizing brothers and relatives in the neighborhood and village, Kha A Lu and his wife Vang Y Mai also took the trouble to go to the hamlets: Pa Co Con, Pa Hang Con, Pa Hang Lon... of Pa Co commune to propagate and mobilize people not to go to the forest to cut trees, collect wood, collect firewood...

According to Mr. Lu, the Mong people originally lived in the high mountains and depended on the forest for their livelihood. The forest provided trees for wood to build houses, make cabinets, and chairs. When winter came, if the stove had no charcoal or firewood, the elderly and children would have no firewood to warm themselves, so for generations, the Mong people had to depend on the forest for their livelihood. At first, when they saw the Lu couple coming, everyone hated and avoided them. Because, "the Lu family came to talk about things they did not like." At that time, only the Lu couple stood on one side with the view of living more responsibly towards the forest. On the opposite side was the whole... village community. Fortunately, the elderly and influential people in the Mong people in the two communes understood and agreed with the Lu couple's way of thinking.

From that sympathy, along with the suggestion of the Hang Kia - Pa Co Nature Reserve Management Board, the couple Kha A Lu decided to do tourism, turning the primeval forest with many precious trees and flowers such as orchids, ancient rhododendrons, Pa Co pines... into an eco-tourism destination, a trekking route. Only when people hear and see it, will they believe that the couple Lu is doing the right thing.

As a result, on average each month, the tourist destination of the Kha A Lu couple welcomes hundreds of domestic and foreign visitors to visit and experience. Among the visitors are local people. They come to see, hear, and experience the story of the A Lu couple keeping the forest green forever in their hometown.

"To preserve the pristine landscape, we have a rule for guests that littering is absolutely not allowed. Whatever you bring up the mountain, you must bring back. All trash will be collected at the foot of the mountain. We encourage everyone to be conscious of preserving the landscape and environment. Anyone who commits an act of encroachment, even if it is just taking a flower branch or an orchid from the mountain, will be strictly handled according to the regulations of the tourist area. We also only allow a certain number of guests up the mountain, and do not let tourism business affect the forest because of profit" - Kha A Lu shared.

From the model of forest protection for sustainable tourism of the Mong ethnic man - Kha A Lu, many authorities and people in other areas, not only in Hoa Binh but also in other highland provinces, have applied the formula to follow.

Traveling close to nature is increasingly becoming a popular trend among young people.

"Falling in love" with trekking tourism

The story of preserving forests for tourism is no longer just a theory because in reality, experiential tourism, connected with nature, and outdoor tourism (trekking) are increasingly becoming a new trend for travel enthusiasts.

On the Facebook page "Born to be wild", nearly 30,000 members every hour, every day "race" to share their destinations and experiences of trekking trips, with intense passion and excitement.

Continuously posting many pictures of mountain climbing, stream wading, and forest conquest from the Central Highlands to the Northwest highlands, LMH (30 years old) said that he has been passionate about "backpacking" for a long time but only recently found out about this group on Facebook to share his experiences and love for nature with everyone. According to H, it is not people who love nature who come to trekking, but thanks to trekking trips, they realize the beauty of nature, of mountains, forests, and love it and have been fascinated by it without knowing it.

"Living a life without much dust and noise of the city, I feel many things. Love for nature, people, society, customs... A lot. Many people ask why I don't go on vacation or go on a light tour but choose to go in a somewhat self-torturing way, I silently smile and answer: This is not self-torture. This is the way I can get close to nature and be as close as I can feel" - the 30-year-old man confided.

Having spent nearly half of his life in the tourism industry, Mr. Huynh Van Son, General Director of Saigon Sea Star Joint Stock Company, admitted that he is "crazy" about 5-star hotels, "crazy" about high-class services, "crazy" about enjoyable travel, but also "fell in love" with trekking after just one "try".

Becoming a partner with TropiAd - a company specializing in Trekking & Camping tours in 2 types of terrain, forest and sea, Mr. Son has witnessed a huge change in people's awareness and trends towards nature. Launched 3 years ago, TropiAd recorded a small number of customers because this type of tourism is quite new to Vietnamese people. The target audience is mainly niche markets, people with a passion for nature or foreign visitors who are used to experiential tourism. However, just one year later, the number of customers coming to TropiAd has doubled and is increasing, especially among young people. There are also children who respond enthusiastically.

In particular, with the motto of spreading the ideal of responsible tourism, each guest participating in this company's tour will plant a tree for themselves. This is a way to help people nurture their love for the forest, see their responsibility for nature, and join hands to contribute to the Government 's "One Billion Trees" program.

Develop sea tourism, don't forget forest tourism

According to Mr. Son, although the profit margin for businesses when exploiting this type of tourism is not high, for society, it brings great benefits. Not only does it contribute to spreading the love of nature, building these tourist routes is also a very good way to protect forests. Businesses and tourists will be the "eyes and ears" of the forest management authorities. Local people also directly participate in the process of forming tourism products. The local people will be tour guides, chefs, providing products such as regional spices... to help tourists learn more about the culture. They can also work as motorbike taxis, guides... Stable jobs and stable income will help local people love the forest more, be responsible, protect and preserve the forest.

"We say Vietnam has golden forests and silver seas, meaning that if managed, preserved and exploited well, natural resources will bring very high economic efficiency. For a long time, people have only focused on developing sea tourism and forgotten about forests. Part of the reason is that there is no complete legal corridor for forest exploitation and there is not enough capacity to manage forests. Along with the awareness of many people about the love of nature and responsibility for the surrounding living environment, there needs to be a methodical plan for effective conservation, exploitation and development of forests to preserve forests, plant forests and truly turn forests into gold" - this person proposed.

In fact, in recent times, in Dien Bien province, many garden tourism, landscape tourism, and ecological tourism associated with forests have been formed, such as: Pa Khoang Lake tourist area (Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien Phu city) with an area of over 600 hectares with old forests and prosperous villages; Dao Vien Son eco-tourism area (Bua 1 village, Ang To commune, Muong Ang district) with an area of about 7 hectares with natural grass hills, artificial waterfalls, especially more than 1,000 ancient peach trees like a unique spring forest; Pha Din peak with wind in Toa Tinh commune, Tuan Giao district and some other garden tourism spots in the communes: Thanh Luong, Thanh Hung, Thanh Nua (Dien Bien district)... Together with the historical relic complex of Dien Bien Phu battlefield, these tourist areas have created a new highlight, adding to the list of attractive destinations for tourists on their journey to Dien Bien.

Along with the protection, care and conservation of natural forests, up to now, the whole Dien Bien province has planted more than 5,000 hectares of forest, contributing to creating landscapes, ecological environment and developing green tourism.

The Prime Minister has approved the program "Planting one billion trees in the period of 2021 - 2025". Most recently, Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee is the first locality to respond to this program when launching a plan to plant 50 million trees in the province, in which Novaland accompanies through the program "Green Up Vietnam - Millions of trees for a bright life". The next "green living points" in Novaland's plan are Binh Thuan and Ba Ria-Vung Tau. During the companionship, in addition to cash sponsorship, Novaland also coordinates with departments and branches of the 3 provinces to organize the planting and care of forest trees, combine teambuilding, family festivals, and implement fundraising communication campaigns to raise awareness and spread green lifestyles to the whole society.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/len-rung-xem-nguoi-mong-lam-du-lich-1851079150.htm