The craft of "carrying clouds and wind" in Mu Cang Chai

Mu Cang Chai commune is famous for its stunning mountain ranges and fresh air, always attracting adventure travelers. However, safety is always a concern for tourists. Therefore, local guides are indispensable members of the group on mountain climbing trips, known as "porters".

In recent years, trekking has become a popular travel trend for many people seeking to challenge their limits, conquer mountain peaks, and improve their health. Where there's demand, there's supply; the increasing number of trekkers requires guides, leading to a corresponding increase in the number of porters. In Mu Cang Chai, guiding and carrying luggage for tourists has emerged as a profession, utilizing the workforce's physical strength and familiarity with the mountainous terrain while providing a significant source of income for local residents.

Each day leading mountain climbing tours, porters must wake up early, prepare and arrange all the necessary equipment, food, sleeping bags, tents, etc., to support the tourists' journey. Porters must be experienced mountain climbers who know the routes and have a good understanding of the mountain and surrounding landscape to answer tourists ' questions.

"When doing this job, I am aware of my responsibilities. I often work with other porters to divide tasks appropriately and always accompany the guests. If members of the group separate due to physical limitations, we maintain distance between groups to prevent them from getting lost, ensuring the safety and well-being of each person," shared Mr. Ho Nha from Mu Cang Chai commune, an experienced porter.

During the mountain climbing trip, upon arriving at the rest stop, the porters will arrive first to clean up, boil water, prepare dinner, and get food and supplies ready for the next day. Reviewing mountain climbing trips is very important in promoting tourism and attracting visitors. Therefore, the porters in Mu Cang Chai commune know how to build their "brand" and promote this area.

Porters often build personal pages on social media platforms like Zalo, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc., to promote local tourism. In addition, through their mountain climbing tours, porters also become skilled photographers, capturing beautiful and unique shots; they are also adept at finding check-in spots that satisfy tourists.

The porters in Mu Cang Chai commune have two sources of customers: one is through travel companies, and the other is direct contact from customers. When a customer wants to participate in a mountain climbing trip, they request information about the climbing date, the number of people, and the necessary supplies. On average, there is one porter for every 2-3 customers.

Along the way, each porter carries about 20-30 kg of necessities and belongings for the tourists for the entire trip. At the mountain climbing routes, the local porters have set up wooden shelters and provided blankets and mattresses for tourists to sleep overnight. In addition to guiding, the porters also act as companions, introducing tourists to the plants, birds, and animals in the forest, as well as the customs and traditions of the local people.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh from Hanoi, who participated in climbing Lung Cung peak, shared: "While climbing the mountain, I got to hear birds singing, admire flowers blooming, immerse myself in nature, and appreciate the beauty of the land and sky."

I also got to hear stories about local life and culture shared by the guide. Through that, I learned many new things about customs and traditions, and I grew to love the honesty, simplicity, and kindness of the people here even more," Ms. Thanh shared.

Besides guiding people through the forest and carrying supplies, many porters in Mu Cang Chai commune have also kept up with trends and actively changed their mindset to build many attractive tourism service models such as establishing tourism service cooperatives, homestays, etc.

Porter Lu A Cu from Mu Cang Chai commune shared: “I have a small homestay with 6 rooms for guests to rent. Leading mountain climbing tours, I make new friends and bring more guests to my family's homestay. Thanks to that, my family has more work and income.”

In Mu Cang Chai commune alone, there are currently more than 20 porters working regularly. Each porter earns an average of 400,000 VND per day for guiding a group; each mountain climbing trip takes about two days, so the porter earns 800,000 VND per trip.

The job of guiding tourists is not only an opportunity for porters in Mu Cang Chai to develop economically , but through each journey, they also contribute to preserving the ethnic cultural identity and promoting local tourism to domestic and international visitors.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nghe-gui-may-cong-gio-o-mu-cang-chai-post650049.html