The path I choose

The author and members of the field trip team to the tourist area.

We had just stopped in front of the spacious courtyard of the central stilt house that served as the reception area for guests at a newly opened tourist resort when it started to rain. A sudden summer downpour came, the sky was overcast, and the rain poured down. While waiting for our tour, sitting leisurely and watching the late afternoon forest rain, I suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

The pattering rain on the roof at the hour when people return home and birds return to their nests after a day's work stirs up a certain mix of wistful, restless, and melancholic feelings. I know that business trips mean being away from home, away from family dinners, but my heart still aches and feels restless. It's become a habit, so the longing just lingers and stirs up.

Yet, the owner of this eco-tourism resort is the one who abandoned the glittering lights of the city at dusk to return to the remote, impoverished forest region of Thuong Xuan district in western Thanh Hoa province to develop tourism, almost starting from scratch. His and his colleagues' approach is also unconventional. They focus on preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Black Thai ethnic group in the area. They actively encouraged and persuaded the local people to join them in tourism development, and this has largely been met with agreement. They also utilize the relatively original stilt houses, renovating them to create homestays for tourists who want to learn about and experience the life, culture, and cuisine of the local Black Thai people.

And of course, those who don't have stilt houses to use as homestays will grow vegetables and raise chickens, ducks, and pigs to provide food for tourists. This creates a closed loop process, providing jobs for the locals while ensuring traceability and reassurance for tourists, alleviating concerns about food safety and hygiene.

The sudden afternoon rain quickly subsided, soothing the stifling heat of the summer in western Thanh Hoa province. We leisurely strolled around the tourist area, which was not yet officially open and still had some unfinished constructions.

Along the newly paved concrete road, surrounded by mountains, forests, villages, and rice paddies, travelers spontaneously offered some small suggestions. For example, they suggested planting more flowers along the way to make the scenery more pleasant, so that tourists would enjoy taking more beautiful photos; or creating new, unique and impressive destinations for tourists to take souvenir photos. For instance, they suggested renovating the stream running around the villages and homestays, extending deep into the forest, and building small huts by the stream to create romantic and unique places for enjoying coffee, having parties, and immersing themselves in the fresh, clean nature, the gentle sound of the babbling stream, and the rustling of the wind.

The investor just asked that question, but in reality, they had already prepared everything. They are experienced professionals who are willing to learn from others' experiences, carefully selecting and refining their own unique approach. Of course, this kind of conversation, this mutual respect, creates a more intimate and friendly atmosphere...

During a pungent feast of rice wine infused with wild banana seeds, the taste lingering on my lips amidst the vast mountains and the mystical darkness of the night, I suddenly recalled a poem by the American poet Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963) – a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner in 1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943 – titled "The Road Not Taken" in Vietnamese. The poem's concluding stanza carries a powerful message: "I will tell this story in a choked voice / That somewhere many years ago / Two paths diverged in the woods / I chose the path with fewer footsteps / And that made all the difference."

Ultimately, in life and work, everyone has their own goals and chosen path. Success or failure is sometimes just a matter of perspective, a difference that only those involved can truly understand. With ecotourism, preserving the culture of the Black Thai people, and improving their lives through tourism, might already be considered a success for the investor. Or, more simply, the investor might feel peaceful, comfortable, and happy within the ecotourism model they've painstakingly built, in the trust, harmony, and enthusiasm of the local people towards tourists and towards themselves. Perhaps that's also a unique way of thinking, doing, and making deliberate choices for each individual...

Nguyen Tri Thuc

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/loi-rieng-minh-chon-251214.htm