People who yearn for change in Phinh Ho

Sung A Tua is considered the "leader" in developing tourism and promoting the brand of Phinh Ho Shan Tuyet tea.

Tủa develops tourism.

As the eldest of three brothers, Sung A Tua showed a strong will to succeed from a young age. Despite walking for hours, enduring the freezing cold, and going hungry, Tua always made an effort to attend school.

Having graduated from Law University and faced many career opportunities, Tua decided to work in Phinh Ho because he deeply understood the hardships of the Mong ethnic people in this mountainous region, which is covered in mist year-round. As a young man with formal education, after only a short time working, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Phinh Ho commune.

“During my work, I traveled to many places and saw that the people in Suoi Giang and Ta Xua were quite prosperous. Upon inquiry, I learned that they knew how to promote the value of tea cultivation, how to develop tourism, and how to preserve their cultural identity. I also noticed that Phinh Ho has a similar climate, beautiful scenery, and large areas of ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees. The people are hardworking, but for years they have been plagued by poverty. Therefore, I decided I had to do something to change my homeland,” shared Sung A Tua.

According to Sung A Tua, after a period of searching for partners and exploring ways to develop the local economy, his ideas began to be put into practice. Back then, the locals couldn't understand why he and his partners were calling on relatives and hiring people to build a road to the top of Trong Giong mountain. It's worth noting that Trong Giong means fertile land in the local dialect, but in reality, the area was barren, rocky, and covered in vast expanses of reeds; no one could grow anything there. Only when water was brought in, electricity was installed, tents were set up, and a sign reading "Reed Camping" was hung did people realize that "Tua was involved in tourism."

It wasn't just Sùng A Tủa who was unusual when he opened the road to Trống Giông; back then, people also saw Tủa constantly holding his phone, running around Phình Hồ to film and take pictures. “Without formal training, I taught myself how to film and edit, then uploaded the videos online. At first, only a few people watched, but gradually, my videos attracted more and more viewers. Especially, making videos gave me the opportunity to connect with many popular TikTokers and YouTubers, who came to review them. Thanks to that, Phình Hồ became more well-known and attracted more visitors. Currently, Phình Hồ is a favorite cloud-watching spot for many people. Tourists come here and take home beautiful photos, while the locals sell their local products, have more jobs, and their income increases. From that, the people have more confidence in preserving their culture, protecting the forest, and protecting the land…” – Sùng A Tủa happily said.

During the video production process, the elders told us about the origins of the Hmong people in Phinh Ho, and about the ancient Shan Tuyet tea forest and its renowned quality from the early 20th century. Then, by chance, Tua met a friend from the Van Chan tea region who came to visit. Sharing the same passion, the two quickly planned and the Phinh Ho Shan Tuyet Tea Cooperative was officially established.

Whatever animals or plants the locals raise or grow, Tủa will sell them all.

To get the cooperative up and running, Tua and his colleagues worked day and night in the villages of Chi Lu, Phinh Ho, Ta Chu, Suoi Xuan, etc., persuading households with ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees to join. “Initially, we faced many difficulties and obstacles because the people were not yet familiar with the new methods. However, thanks to persistent efforts and the realization of the benefits of joining the cooperative, from the initial 10 households, more than 50 households have now joined the supply chain,” Tua said.

With three main types of tea: green tea, black tea, and white tea, the products of the Phinh Ho Shan Tuyet Tea Cooperative are now 3-star OCOP products that have quickly conquered both domestic and international markets. All the tea produced sells out at high prices, and many families in Phinh Ho have become well-off thanks to tea.

Not stopping there, Tủa also harbors the ambition to build a tea culture space combined with experiential tourism and promote the cultural identity of the Hmong people in Phình Hồ. The biggest goal is to ensure that the people living in these high mountains can enjoy a prosperous and happy life.

So, every day, Tủa persistently encouraged the people to preserve the traditional houses made of Pơ Mu wood, revive the linen weaving craft, the beeswax painting craft, and the tea processing craft. He also passed on the local products such as black chickens, native pigs, taro, and chili bamboo shoots… Or he went from house to house, guiding people on how to use smartphones to take photos, record videos, post and sell products, connect with orders, and awaken the natural beauty of the area.

Inspired by Tủa's success, many young people in Phình Hồ have overcome their shyness, readily appearing on camera, filming videos, and becoming popular TikTokers and YouTubers like "Mẩy Linh Yên Bái," "Giàng Thị Xá - Life in the Northwest Highlands," etc.

In particular, in Phinh Ho, besides Lau Camping, there is now May Village Phinh Ho that welcomes tourists for accommodation and cloud watching, contributing to job creation and improving the lives of the local people.

Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Phinh Ho commune, Ho A Vu, said that Sung A Tua is a dynamic young man who is at the forefront of "awakening" the potential of the area. Tua's efforts are contributing to building the Phinh Ho brand, expanding the market for tourism and agricultural products, directly increasing income and bringing a prosperous life to the people here.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/nguoi-khat-khao-thay-doi-phinh-ho.html