“House of Joy”

Turning the corner to tourism

The day Thiet returned to the lowlands to study medicine, many villagers came to congratulate her. Everyone advised her to take this opportunity to change her life. Therefore, when they saw Thiet return to the village to live, everyone felt sorry for her. They did not know that Thiet's return to her homeland stemmed from a choice. Seeing that her family and hometown had the opportunity to change through community tourism, she changed direction.

Thiet exudes a special charisma. That inner strength is crystallized from the hardships she has experienced. Thiet’s parents both depend on farming. Although they work hard, they still struggle to take care of their 5 children. Thiet’s childhood was spent eating only wild vegetables, stream fish, salt and chili… Although she often went to school hungry, she was still remarkably persistent. Thiet knew that letters were the way to open up her life.

Find interesting places to experience and introduce to guests when they come to your hometown - Photo: QH

During her school years, Thiet experienced many “struggles” both in adversity and in her mind. She rarely knew the joy of summer vacation because she was busy with her livelihood. Thiet put aside her hesitation when wearing worn-out clothes. When she became a new student at Hue Medical College, she still could not be happy because she knew that dropping out of school could come at any time.

Talking about the past, Thiet said that before returning to her hometown to work in tourism, she had thought a lot. After 3 years of studying in the city, Thiet had no difficulty finding a suitable job. However, if she chose that path, she would only be living for herself. “The opportunity to work in community tourism has come but my parents have not yet boldly joined in. I want to return and create a push,” Thiet explained.

Turn your house into a homestay

Although Chênh Vênh village has a charming feng shui, tourism development here is only at the potential level. Local leaders have repeatedly encouraged people to develop community tourism, and project staff have also stepped in to support. However, villagers are still not bold enough to do tourism. They think it is difficult for them to get used to any other job besides farming.

As a former student, Thiet understood that it would be difficult to work in tourism without studying. Therefore, she encouraged everyone to participate in training courses opened by organizations and projects. Thiet herself was always an active member. The more she studied, the more she realized the "gaps" in the thinking of people working in tourism. Therefore, Thiet diligently studied, accumulating each experience and skill.

Introducing traditional dishes of the Van Kieu people to tourists - Photo: NVCC

With a good foundation, Thiet is more confident when encouraging his family to use his own house as a homestay. This seemingly easy task is actually difficult. For a long time, the Van Kieu people have believed that a house is not only a place to shelter from the rain and sun, but also has spiritual significance, uniting the family and community. In particular, the middle room of the house is a place not everyone can enter. Therefore, Thiet must persevere to help his parents understand that everyone who comes to them is a special guest, bringing joy. Gradually, Thiet's parents agreed, and together with her, they renovated the house, built a restroom, made miniature landscapes, etc. Currently, Thiet's family's three large stilt houses are always open to welcome guests with a capacity of 40-50 people.

To serve tourists, Thiet clearly assigns responsibilities to each family member. She schedules tours, is willing to be a tour guide, and creates new experiences for guests. Thiet and her mother cook traditional dishes to serve guests at the homestay. Not only that, she enthusiastically connects and helps guests buy products from the village and surrounding areas.

Mr. Ho Van La Hai, Head of Chenh Venh Village, said: “Chenh Venh Village has 138 households with nearly 500 people, of which 5 households are pioneers in community tourism. We are very happy to see that the households, especially Thiet’s family, are doing tourism very well. With his dynamism, talent, and willingness to learn, Thiet is an example for everyone to learn from.”

No "live for the moment"

Thiet said that most people who love to travel have often been to many places and used luxury services. In her circumstances, her family finds it difficult to meet such high demands. Therefore, Thiet brings new and interesting experiences to customers. She also focuses on helping them understand more about the beauty of the Van Kieu people. That approach helps Thiet reach a separate and stable customer base.

On Valentine's Day, February 14th last year, Doong Bui homestay started operating. At first, Thiet was worried that there would be few guests. So, when she welcomed the first group of 6 students from Hue City, she was very happy. That night, they lit a campfire, enjoyed delicious food and sang songs to each other. After returning, the group of friends gave Thiet beautiful photos and a long, very interesting article on social networks.

At work, sometimes Thiet is stuck or fumbling. At such times, the staff of the Biodiversity Conservation Project (VFBC) funded by USAID are present and provide timely support. Thanks to that, Thiet is more confident in his work. No matter how difficult it is, Thiet's family does not allow themselves to do tourism in a "live for the moment" manner. Appreciated for that, over the past year, a number of groups of guests have returned to Thiet's family many times.

Since working in tourism, Thiet has experienced many emotions. There were times when she felt uncertain and planned to return to work in the field she had studied in the university. However, that moment passed quickly. Because Thiet understood the meaning of the work she was doing. Moreover, she wanted to multiply her big dream, helping the Truong Son mountain range have more "houses of joy".

Quang Hiep

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/du-lich/202510/ngoi-nha-niem-vui-01a2888/