Awakening the Dao ethnic group at the foot of Yen Tu

In the middle of the peaceful mountains and rivers below Yen Tu mountain, the Dao Thanh Y village is gradually forming a community tourism model with a strong cultural identity, attracting many visitors. Behind this idea is Ms. Truong Thi Thanh Huong, a Dao woman full of determination and burning love for traditional cultural values.

From a survey trip

We met Ms. Huong on a day in mid-March, when she was busy guiding tourists around the cultural space of about 300 square meters in Khe Su 2 village (Thuong Yen Cong commune, Uong Bi city). She is small but agile, lively, her eyes shining with pride when introducing the community tourism model that she has worked hard to build. She is younger than her 42 years old, exuding youthful energy, full of enthusiasm and determination to turn her village into a unique cultural tourism destination.

faf — Ms. Truong Thi Thanh Huong welcomes and introduces tourists to Dao culture at her tourism model.

While introducing the exquisite hand-embroidered costumes of the Thanh Y Dao people, Ms. Huong smiled brightly, her eyes shining with pride. This woman has a strong source of energy, perseverance and a rare spirit of daring to think and dare to do.

While showing us around, Ms. Huong talked about her dream of doing tourism based on her ethnic cultural identity. She said that since childhood, she has been attached to the traditional rituals of the Dao people, imbued with the cultural identity of her homeland. "I am a native here, well educated. One day I will do tourism to introduce the culture of my ethnic group, to enrich my homeland" - Ms. Huong said to herself.

One of the occasions that changed and promoted her determination was the trip organized by the commune for her and her group to visit and survey the Department of Tourism (now the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 2023. She was able to go to remote areas and witness firsthand the strong development of community tourism in Moc Chau, Dien Bien , Lai Chau...

That trip opened up many ideas for her, especially when she witnessed the success of community tourism villages in Moc Chau, Dien Bien, and Lai Chau . She visited Nguyen Thuy village of the Mong people in Moc Chau, Na Su village of the Thai people in Dien Bien, and Sin Suoi Ho village of the Mong people in Lai Chau... They live in remote areas, high mountain peaks, and are still doing very well, attracting a large number of tourists.

Tourist groups have gradually learned about and come to visit and explore Ms. Huong's Dao Thanh Y cultural space.

Ms. Huong said, “Ethnic people in remote villages, who travel all day to get there, can still do tourism, and are very crowded. Why can we, who live right at the foot of Yen Tu mountain, where tens of thousands of tourists visit every year, still preserve our unique cultural features, maintain festivals and community customs, but have not yet developed tourism?” That thought became the driving force that urged Ms. Huong to realize her dream. After that trip, thinking is doing, she decided to invest in the first Dao Thanh Y cultural community tourism model in Khe Su 2 village.

Start-up with loan capital

In August 2023, with nearly 1 billion VND from a bank loan and a small portion of her savings, Ms. Huong boldly invested in the Thanh Y Yen Tu Dao Ethnic Restaurant - the first brick for the community tourism model.

“That was a risk! But if I hadn’t done that, how could I have achieved what I have today?” - Ms. Huong smiled as she recalled. “Sometimes when I think back, I feel like I was really... reckless. That capital could have been recovered quickly if I had invested in other products. However, I think investing in tourism will take longer but is more sustainable. Maybe in the first years there won’t be an immediate source of income, but after that it will be sustainable and forever.”

faf — Ms. Huong personally prepares special dishes of the Thanh Y Dao people to serve tourists.

At first, Ms. Huong not only faced the problem of capital but also had to convince the villagers to join. The biggest obstacle was the skepticism of the villagers. People were not aware of the need to promote economic value and develop community tourism to improve their lives.

In particular, creating a space to display the culture of the Dao Thanh Y people, building an experience area for brocade embroidery, foot baths, and herbal baths - the factors that make the model attractive - is not simple. These services not only require knowledge, skills, and experience, but also require the participation of the community, something that Ms. Huong had to persistently convince each household for many months.

Despite the difficulties, Ms. Huong still persevered in going from house to house to campaign, coordinating with the government to renovate infrastructure, open roads, clean the environment, gather art troupes... She personally searched for typical products, researched Dao ethnic specialties to serve tourists. At the same time, she also learned more about models in Bac Kan, Sa Pa, Tien Yen, Ba Che... to choose the appropriate method.

faa — Tourists enjoy the experience of embroidering the typical brocade squares of the Dao Thanh Y people.

Ms. Huong recalls: "I decided to act decisively and be the pioneer so that others can follow. When I see the economic benefits, others will follow."

Aspiration to build a unique community tourism village

Ms. Huong's community tourism model is not simply a place to eat and rest, but also a cultural destination with unique experiences. Visitors can enjoy traditional dishes such as chicken soup with wine, hump cake, five-color sticky rice, wild bamboo shoots... with the bold flavor of Dao Thanh Y.

Coming here, visitors can also witness the exquisite embroidery art of Dao women, discover how to make colorful traditional costumes. Not only that, health care methods using Dao leaf baths and herbal foot baths also bring a relaxing and healing experience. In addition, typical rituals such as cap sac, duets, traditional dances... help visitors understand more deeply about Dao Thanh Y culture.

faf — Ms. Huong shared ideas and persuaded people to participate in the model to increase the attractiveness of community tourism in the Dao Thanh Y village.

In the first year, the model attracted about 100 visitors/week to experience, bringing in an income of 5-6 million VND for many local people. Although the number is not large, this is a positive sign, showing the right direction. Mr. Pham Xuan Thanh, Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Uong Bi City, commented: As a child of the village, Ms. Huong has nurtured the idea since she was a member of the commune's Youth Union, then built this model herself. She not only creates attractive tourism products for the locality, but also contributes to preserving the identity of Dao Thanh Y, bringing economic benefits and livelihoods to the people.

Witnessing the initial success, many households boldly invested in following. Many households saw her work and joined in building typical Dao houses, developing homestays, and restoring indigenous cultural values. Typical examples are the families of Mr. Trieu Van Dien and Truong Van Duc... He shared: I have land funds and really want to cooperate to expand this model, together develop community tourism, bringing economic benefits to the people.

Not stopping there, Ms. Huong is planning to expand the experience route, connecting with tourist attractions in Uong Bi City to attract more visitors. She shared that, to increase the attractiveness, she wants to build a systematic community tourism chain, making the most of the local potential.

Accordingly, she plans to develop the Dao Thanh Y cultural village space, which not only preserves but also promotes unique cultural values. Conservation activities associated with tourism will be implemented such as recreating the coming-of-age ceremony, reenacting the traditional wedding ceremony, and organizing the New Year festival on the 9th day of the first lunar month every year in conjunction with the Yen Tu Festival Opening Ceremony, creating a highlight to attract tourists from near and far.

Ms. Huong hopes to have more community tourism models to form community tourism villages, attracting more tourists.

The community tourism model is increasingly developing with many attractive activities such as homestay accommodation, experiencing village life through growing vegetables, planting rice, harvesting agricultural products and processing traditional dishes. Tourists can not only enjoy the unique flavors of Dao Thanh Y cuisine but also participate in educational excursions at Yen Tu National Forest. In particular, the locality is cooperating with Yen Tu plum wine production facility to organize wine cellar tours, bringing an interesting experience connecting culture and local cuisine.

From a small but determined woman, Ms. Huong has paved the way for community tourism in Thuong Yen Cong, turning traditional cultural values into valuable assets, contributing to the preservation of national identity and sustainable economic development. Her story not only inspires the local people but also demonstrates the spirit of daring to think and dare to do to rise up from her own homeland.

Ha Phong

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