When Mong people do tourism

Revival after plum blossom seasons

Muong Long is a commune located deep in the mountains of Ky Son district, with an altitude of nearly 1,500m above sea level, covered in fog almost all year round. To be able to move from the center of Ky Son district to Muong Long, you have to overcome more than 50km of steep, winding mountain passes, with sharp hairpin turns that seem to go straight up to the sky. Many people have joked: "To go to Muong Long, you need to have enough courage, enough vehicle, and... health".

Muong Long is located deep in the jungle, with an altitude of nearly 1,500m above sea level, covered in fog almost all year round. Photo: Thien Y

In the 90s of the last century, few people set foot here except local officials, teachers in the highlands or border guards. Because of this difficult terrain, for a long time, Muong Long became a "hiding place" for opium poppies. At its peak, the whole commune had more than 500 hectares of this deadly plant. Poverty, hunger, and even sin seemed to weigh heavily on the dilapidated wooden houses.

It was not until 1997, thanks to the State’s drastic policy and the intervention of the government, that Muong Long officially abolished opium poppies. Instead, people switched to growing trees such as peach and plum. After only a few years, the whole valley was brilliant every spring, with plum blossoms covering the hills in white, peach blossoms blooming pink in the warm sunshine, this beauty began to attract the first camera lenses of tourists from the lowlands.

Mr. Va Cha Xa - Chairman of Muong Long Commune People's Committee said that the commune has about one thousand households and more than five thousand people, with 100% being Mong ethnic people.

“Due to the special natural conditions, people have long relied on farming, with few cows or chickens. Difficulties have piled up, but now thanks to the Party and State's attention and support for infrastructure investment and opening roads to the village, people have more conditions to develop,” Mr. Va Cha Xa shared.

According to the Chairman of Muong Long Commune, since the road to the village was built, tourists from the lowlands have started to come more. In 2023-2024 alone, Muong Long welcomed about 2-3 thousand visitors, especially in spring, when plum blossoms bloom white all over the area, as well as the plum picking festival is held.

Muong Long revived. Photo: Thien Y

Ms. Le Thi Van, an official of Muong Long commune, said that realizing that this place has great potential for tourism development, in 2022, the locality proactively established the Muong Long Agricultural and Tourism Cooperative.

With 67 members, including 10 members of the homestay group, the cooperative initially helps people get acquainted with tourism service skills, learn how to preserve cultural identity while still generating income.

“People now not only know how to go to the fields, but also learn how to welcome guests, cook, keep their houses clean, and introduce ethnic culture. Doing tourism helps the Mong people become more confident, less dependent on the fields, and also have more motivation to preserve their identity,” said Ms. Van.

When the Mong people open their doors to welcome the "dawn"

In Muong Long 1 village, there is a Mong person who is considered the "pioneer" of the local homestay model, he is Vu Tong Po (55 years old).

Before, Mr. Po only knew how to grow corn and herd cows. Then one day, a few visitors from the lowlands came up and asked: “Is there a place to stay here?” That question gave him an unprecedented thought: “Why not let them stay, eat with me, and listen to me tell stories about the village?”

From that simple idea, in 2021, Mr. Vu Tong Po decided to renovate and build a new traditional wooden house of the Mong people to welcome guests. At the same time, participating in training courses of local authorities and learning more online, he began his journey of learning tourism from greetings, handshakes, to cleaning and arranging rooms.

His homestay currently has 3 rooms with a capacity of about 20 people. During peak season, the place welcomes 120-150 guests each month, a number he never thought of in the past.

To develop community tourism, many Mong people have borrowed money to build accommodation. Photo: Thien Y

Mr. Po's example quickly spread to everyone, and many other households in the village began to follow suit. Ms. Lau Y Denh, one of the people who boldly borrowed money to renovate her house for tourism.

“Before, no one believed that tourism could make a living. But Mr. Po said something that made me think forever: I live in my own house, but now I have someone living with me and I get paid,” Ms. Denh said with a laugh.

According to Ms. Denh, due to lack of experience, she initially encountered many difficulties in tourism. However, the local government created conditions for her to visit models in other provinces, learn how to do it, and then gradually apply it when she returned.

Currently, Ms. Denh's homestay can accommodate 40-50 guests. After deducting all expenses, her family's average monthly income is about 5-7 million VND. Not only providing food and accommodation, Ms. Denh also guides tourists through experiences: embroidering and weaving brocade patterns, playing Mong games, enjoying typical local dishes, etc.

Similarly, Ly Y Senh's family also switched to investing in community tourism after seeing more and more tourists coming to Muong Long.

“My husband and I invested nearly 300 million VND to complete 3 rooms with a capacity of about 12-13 people, serving both food and accommodation. We split the work, one cooks, the other entertains guests, and each month we earn about 4-5 million VND,” Ms. Senh shared.

Ly Y Senh's family spent nearly 300 million VND to invest in community tourism. Photo: Thien Y

Join hands to "awaken" the "sleeping" villages

Despite initial success, community tourism in Muong Long is still very young.

Mr. Xa Van Luong - Vice Chairman of Ky Son District People's Committee acknowledged: "Due to limited thinking of the people, the number of households doing tourism is not much at present. The district is supporting the construction of a tourism development model, organizing for people to study experiences in other localities. At the same time, proposing Nghe An province to recognize Muong Long as a tourist destination to receive more systematic support".

According to Ms. Le Thi Van, an official of Muong Long commune, the biggest difficulty is that Muong Long does not have a system of accompanying services: no parking lot, no shuttle bus between tourist spots and no regional connectivity.

"How to make customers want to come back, even refer friends, that is the long-term problem," Ms. Van pondered.

However, the precious thing is that in each wooden house, each Mong person here is quietly learning and changing little by little. No longer simply "farming and raising cows", people now know how to promote, preserve their living space, and tell stories in their own language.

Many Mong people are rewriting their own stories through their words, their houses, their food, and their proud eyes. Photo: Thien Y

Muong Long today is not only the "heavenly gate" of Tay Nghe, but also the place where Mong people are rewriting their own stories through their stories, their houses, their food and their proud eyes.

From the first slow steps, they are turning the “village” into a “destination”, turning the “stayers” into “guides”. In the journey to preserve identity in the mountains and forests, tourism is not only a way out of poverty, but also a way for the people to stand up on their own with their inner strength and love for the land that raised them.

God's Will

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/khi-nguoi-mong-lam-du-lich-post545714.html