"Tourism ambassador" in the village in the clouds

A Tua, I am really curious to know that you graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economic Law, then returned to your hometown to work as Deputy Chief of Commune Police, and are currently Vice Chairman of the Commune Fatherland Front. What chance brought you to become a "Tourism Ambassador" of the village?

- In 2017, after graduating from the Faculty of Economic Law of Hanoi Law University, I also worked in the Capital with a relatively good salary. But at the call of my family, I decided to return to Phinh Ho.

In the highlands, having a university degree is a great honor. With the attention and support of the authorities at all levels, I was trusted to become the Deputy Chief of the Commune Police, and now the Vice Chairman of the Commune Fatherland Front. During this time, I was fortunate to travel to many places such as Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, and saw that the local people were very successful in doing experiential tourism and community tourism. Looking at Suoi Giang, Van Chan district, right next to Phinh Ho, they have also done tourism very well. I asked myself, why can't Phinh Ho, my hometown, which has potential and advantages, especially the treasure of 200 hectares of ancient Shan Tuyet tea, do tourism? Is this the reason why poverty has haunted the people of my village from generation to generation?

From those concerns, I advised the commune leaders and myself to think of many ways to develop tourism in my hometown. However, because I am a mountain ethnic group, it is difficult to access science and technology, so for two or three years I struggled to find ways to do experiential tourism but all failed.

Later, I started posting pictures of my hometown online to "guide" backpackers. Gradually, I learned how to make attractive short videos to post on social networks. I even decided to go to Hanoi to learn how to make TikTok.

In 2023, I introduced and connected with some friends in Yen Bai city to Phinh Ho to invest in tourism. With the consent of the authorities at all levels, after a period of construction, the cloud hunting spot "Laucamping" was born. This is considered a highlight every time tourists come to Phinh Ho.

From the initial videos posted on the TikTok channel "A Tua Phinh Ho", luckily it attracted many viewers and was warmly received by everyone.

Perhaps what attracts many viewers and visitors to Phinh Ho in general and Tram Tau district in particular is the authenticity, simplicity, and rusticity in the way the videos are presented, as well as the unique culture and natural scenery that nature has bestowed on Phinh Ho, which has attracted so many views.

Indeed, if I didn't know about the TikTok channel "A Tua Phinh Ho", I wouldn't have known that Yen Bai has such a beautiful tourist destination. Going back in time to 1 year ago, would A Tua have thought that Phinh Ho would be widely known throughout the country and welcome thousands of tourists?

- It is true that I and the people in Phinh Ho could not have imagined in our dreams the strong influence of the videos I posted. In the past, Phinh Ho was literally "sinking" in poverty and backwardness. But now, when many people know about it, Phinh Ho has welcomed many foreign visitors and visitors from other regions to visit, travel, experience and relax.

As you know, Phinh Ho is located at an altitude of 900 - 1,500m above sea level, covered in clouds all year round, 90% of the population is mainly Mong people so the climate is cool all year round, standing at the cloud hunting spot you can see the entire Muong Lo field (Nghia Lo town)... it has a lot of potential but in the past people did not know how to promote it.

A friend of mine in Tram Tau said that a few decades ago, Phinh Ho was a land of almost complete isolation from the outside world, poor, backward and immersed in opium smoke. Currently, the poverty rate is up to 80%, many backward customs still exist. To convince people to switch to tourism, surely A Tua encountered many difficulties?

- It's not easy! As you know, the advantages and potential are like that, but the awareness of the people is still very backward. In Phinh Ho, no one has ever stood up to do tourism. At that time, I called on everyone to participate, but no one believed that I could do it, so they didn't support me. Many people were jealous and avoided me when I came to campaign. But the people of the highlands are like that, they are very honest, but if I succeed, they will see and change their awareness very quickly, but if I fail, I will be considered a liar, deceiving the village.

In addition to those who disagreed, I still received support from some people, including the Party Secretary of the commune and especially my family, wife and children who always believed in me. With efforts and hard work, from a place with "4 no's", "Laucamping" now has roads, electricity, water and internet, becoming one of the most attractive cloud hunting spots in the North.

Since the cloud hunting spot "Laucamping" came into operation on April 30 last year, Phinh Ho has become more widely known. Most importantly, tourists come here not only to hunt clouds, but also to experience the life of the Mong people, explore culture, cuisine... thereby creating a sustainable livelihood for the people. This is the greatest joy that I have been able to bring to my people so far.

Realizing that tourism is effective, many households have registered to cooperate in tourism. Currently, there are about 400 households participating. They grow vegetables, raise pigs, black chickens, process Shan Tuyet tea... to serve tourists when they come to Phinh Ho.

Being both a "Commune Officer" and taking on the role of "Tourism Ambassador", how does A Tua balance his time to do these two jobs well?

- In addition to the mandatory time at the headquarters on Mondays and Thursdays, I spend the rest of my time wandering around the villages, learning and talking with the people, understanding their thoughts and aspirations, and then advising my superiors.

In addition, my friends and I at "Laucamping" also spend time promoting Shan Tuyet tea specialties, looking for more markets, and finding stable outlets for tea growers and agricultural products for the people.

Most of the comments on A Tua's TikTok channel are compliments about Phinh Ho, the locals and you, but I also see many people saying: "Always boasting about being a commune official", or "borrowing the image of 103-year-old Sung Sau Cua to promote themselves". What does A Tua say about these comments?

- I think, once a picture is posted on social media, there will be people who will praise it, but it is also difficult to avoid frank comments or criticism. However, as a highland commune official, I only want to use my reputation to affirm that the pictures of my hometown are all authentic and fully depict the potential that Phinh Ho has to everyone.

And people think that I "borrowed the image of Mr. Sung Sau Cua, 103 years old, to promote myself", that is completely wrong. In Phinh Ho, everyone from adults to children knows that he is the oldest person attached to the Shan Tuyet tea tree, he understands the value and the ups and downs that the tea tree has gone through. Therefore, people in Phinh Ho always consider him a century-old witness to preserve the soul of Shan Tuyet tea. In particular, his way of roasting tea by hand on a still-hot pan produces excellent tea, so to spread the image of ancient tea trees and the way of processing hundreds of years old Shan Tuyet tea to everyone, no one else is Mr. Sung Sau Cua. If this spreads more widely and is accepted by everyone, the beneficiaries are the tea-growing households.

Speaking of Mr. Sung Sau Cua and the hundreds of years old Shan Tuyet tea "old men", the tea tree must have been attached like "flesh and blood" to the people of Phinh Ho?

- Shan Tuyet tea trees are located in high mountains, with clouds and mist all year round, and a temperate climate, so they grow completely naturally, absorbing the best of heaven and earth, so they have a very unique flavor that cannot be found anywhere else. And Mr. Sung Sau Cua is a symbol of the longevity of tea trees in Phinh Ho.

Mr. Cua told me that since he knew how to use a whip to chase buffaloes to graze, he saw Shan Tuyet tea trees growing green all over the hillsides. Realizing that this type of tree has a large trunk, a bark like white mold, is tens of meters high, and has a wide canopy, people kept it to prevent soil erosion. The tea leaves are cool when brewed into water, so households told each other to collect them for daily use, but no one knew its true value.

When the French occupied Yen Bai, realizing that the seemingly wild tea trees were actually a wonderful drink given by heaven and earth, the French officials directed their secretaries (Vietnamese interpreters) to go into each village to purchase all the dried tea from the people at a price of 1 cent/kg or in exchange for rice and salt.

Peace was restored, but hunger and poverty still surrounded Phinh Ho. The Shan Tuyet tea trees witnessed everything, opened their arms wide, and created a solid support for the people of Phinh Ho to cling to and carry each other through each period of hardship.

At that time, Mr. Cua and the young men in the village went up the mountain every day from early morning, holding torches and carrying backpacks, picking tea, each competing to carry large bundles of firewood to use as fuel to roast the tea. When they had finished products, they quickly packed up and crossed the mountains and forests to bring them to Nghia Lo town to sell to the Thai people or exchange them for rice, salt, etc. to bring back. At that time, there were no scales, so the tea was packed into small bags according to estimates, and the buyer based on that paid the equivalent amount of rice and salt. Later, it was converted to 5 hao/kg (dry tea).

Having been attached to the ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees for generations, most people in Phinh Ho have planted, cared for and protected them as an important family asset. Small households have a few trees, large households have dozens of trees, and some even have hundreds of trees. Generation after generation, the ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees have become a sustainable source of livelihood for the people.

The whole commune currently has 200 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea, with 300,000 trees hundreds of years old, concentrated in the villages of Ta Chu, Phinh Ho, and Chi Lu. The tea here is clean and safe because the people do not use chemical fertilizers or spray pesticides. Thanks to the special natural conditions, Shan Tuyet tea with the Phinh Ho geographical indication has its own unique characteristics, namely, green tea leaves with large, even, tightly curled petals, revealing snow, and a strong, characteristic aroma.

Currently, in Phinh Ho, a cooperative has been established to produce Shan Tuyet tea with 11 households, setting out a strict production process, and has been supplying products to local tourists. With the current selling price of fresh tea buds at 25,000 VND/kg, Shan Tuyet tea is the main source of income, creating jobs and income for nearly 200 households in the commune.

So what about the method of roasting Shan Tuyet tea by hand on a hot pan of Mr. Sun Sau Cua? Just hearing it makes you feel like it's an interesting story, right A Tua?

- Yes, that's right. He still shares with the younger generation in Phinh Ho that, to have quality Shan Tuyet tea buds, one must climb to the top of the towering tree, meticulously selecting each bud to pick. Fresh tea brought back, whether much or little, must be roasted immediately because if left for too long, it will wilt and become sour. The process of roasting tea must be extremely calm, ensuring enough time and almost absolute precision. Firewood for roasting tea must be solid wood, do not use po mu wood because the smell of the wood will ruin the flavor of the tea. In addition, avoid letting plastic wrap, packaging... fall into the stove and create a burnt smell during the roasting process.

Each type of finished tea has a different roasting method. When black tea is brought home, the fresh leaves must be wilted before being crumpled, left to ferment overnight, and then roasted. White tea only uses young buds covered with white hairs. The processing is slow and uncrushed, because if the tea is wilted or dried in conditions that are too hot, it will turn red, and if it is too cold, it will turn black...

Each person has their own secret recipe, but Cua's method is very special, usually a batch must be roasted for 3 to 4 hours. Initially, the fire is high, when the cast iron pan is hot, only the heat from the coal is used. An experience that he still passes on to his children is that when the temperature of the cast iron pan cannot be estimated, it is based on the burning level of the firewood. That is, the firewood is cut into equal sizes, the first time the firewood burns to the point where the tea is added and stirred, the next time it is done the same way.

Standing at "Laucamping" - the highest peak of Phinh Ho, what impressed me was not the Muong Lo fields or the scenery of clouds and sky, but instead the attraction of the "Market in the clouds" and the daisy garden. Where did A Tua get this idea from?

- In the early days of "Laucamping" in operation, welcoming the first groups of tourists, they came here with the sole desire of hunting clouds. But clouds are not always there, it also depends on the weather. Therefore, to attract tourists to stay longer, to understand more deeply the culture of the highland people, we decided to hold a market on the two weekends. There are special dishes and agricultural products of the highlands. Indeed, after the "market in the clouds" was opened, tourists came to Phinh Ho more and longer. As for the daisy garden, this is the effort of many people in the village. After 2 months since planting, the daisy garden has bloomed, creating a very beautiful and poetic scene right next to the sea of floating clouds, creating an extremely ideal check-in location.

With the values that tourism brings to the people of Phinh Ho, looking back on the journey, what do you think about A Tua?

- This achievement is the contribution of all the people in Phinh Ho, not one person has more or one person has less. Each person has a little bit, a little effort to achieve today's success.

Over the past year, Phinh Ho has become known to many people domestically and internationally. Looking back on the past, I feel that I still have to try and try even harder. Without the locals, "Laucamping" would hardly exist. Therefore, connecting with the locals to do tourism plays an extremely important role, a vital factor. And I am still very impressed with the saying of billionaire Warren Buffett "if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together". This is like a motivation for me and the locals to strive even harder in the coming time.

I know that in many places in the Northwest, many young people are also doing tourism. To choose a non-overlapping path, what have A Tua and the people in Phinh Ho prepared for the coming days?

- My people and I have also thought about this. Not everyone who does tourism is successful and part of the failure is due to the similar way of doing things, few highlights, tourists can come once but will never come back. You know, Tram Tau not only has Phinh Ho but also many other tourist attractions such as: Cu Vai, Ta Chi Nhu (Xa Ho commune), Ta Xua (Ban Cong commune), hot mineral spring (Hat Luu), Hang De Cho waterfall (Lang Nhi commune)... That is why, in the near future we will organize a connection with those tourist attractions, creating a tour and Phinh Ho is one of the tourist attractions when coming to Tram Tau.

At the same time, we will also continue to promote the cultural identity of our people as well as the Phinh Ho Shan Tuyet tea brand to a large number of tourists and people across the country, thereby creating sustainable livelihoods. In addition, we will also cooperate with event organizers, connect with singers and celebrities to organize music nights right at "Laucamping".

A Tua is now a famous person on TikTok with the channel "A Tua Phinh Ho" reaching more than 200,000 followers. What will you do to spread the healthy way of doing TikTok, conveying good stories and beautiful images to more people?

- Along with popular social networks such as Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, TikTok has become a potential place for young people to exploit, promote, and introduce the beauty of ethnic and regional cultures. However, to become "Tiktokers" who spread good values, creative products on the TikTok channel must be truly rich and unique. To promote the image of the homeland, as well as the culture and cuisine of the highlands, if it were just me, it would be very small. Therefore, in the past time, I have guided many young people in Tram Tau to set up TikTok channels as well as some other social networking platforms.

I think that the culture of ethnic minorities always contains good values. If not promoted, those values will lack influence and gradually fade away. Not everyone has the conditions to go to remote areas to learn about their culture. Therefore, making promotional videos like this will help people, even if they just surf the phone, to understand a little about the culture and life in the highlands, creating connections between ethnic communities. Further, it is to bring the culture of Vietnamese ethnic minorities to international friends.

Recently, I have had the honor to participate in many programs promoting tourism on digital platforms. Here, I have met many famous TikTokers nationwide and learned a lot from them. Recently, I was also invited to participate in the Youth Voice - Action Forum of the Union organized by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to share about how to make TikTok and introduce and promote tourism as well as Yen Bai's specialty Shan Tuyet tea to youth union members nationwide. I hope that my small actions will spread to many young people, transmitting positive energy through social platforms.

Thanks for sharing A Tua!

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