Lo Lo Chai - Vietnamese version of 'going where there is wind' village

After nearly two years of planning, Lo Lo Chai village now has a new, unified image and still retains its traditional values.

Lo Lo Chai village (in Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district) is located near the northernmost point of Vietnam, about 1.5 km from Lung Cu flagpole. Lo Lo Chai is a place that still retains many traditional cultural features with rammed earth houses from many generations of Lo Lo people.

In early 2022, Lo Lo Chai was recognized as a Cultural Tourism Village. Over the past two years, the government and local people have worked together to make tourism more professional and systematic. The number of tourists coming to the village is increasing day by day.

Many tourists coming here compare Lo Lo Chai to the famous Van Mieu village (Yunnan province, China) in the movie "Going where the wind blows" with the participation of two main actors Liu Yifei and Li Xian. The movie is about the life of a rural area in China, where people live together, emotionally, build homestays, do tourism with many activities for visitors.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, Vice Chairman of Dong Van District People's Committee, the village currently has 119 households with 542 people, of which 42 households run homestays and 5 households run restaurants. The busiest day is up to 600 people, usually on weekends and holidays. On weekdays, there are an average of 100-200 guests staying.

In the village, the houses still retain the Lo Lo people's architecture, with earthen walls on three sides, gates and fences made of hand-laid stones. To make them suitable for tourism, the households have renovated and added private toilets, convenient for tourists to eat, stay and live, but without affecting the exterior and overall architecture.

According to Mr. Chinh, the most difficult thing to have Lo Lo Chai as it is today is to preserve the traditional architecture. There was a time when people did things their own way, renovating their houses according to their personal preferences. Through many conversations, even "threats of boycott", people gradually understood.

Just last year, many households were still engaged in agriculture and livestock raising, which affected the general environment. Now they have completely switched to tourism business. People are given detailed instructions on how to serve and the tourism service business model.

"They can now make a living from tourism. The average income per household ranges from 20 to 30 million VND per month," said Mr. Chinh.

The homestays are all arranged in a traditional style, with a system of tea tables and spacious common living spaces. Ancient artifacts of the Lo Lo people are also displayed in the rooms, creating a close and friendly atmosphere.

Peaceful little corners in Lo Lo Chai.

For convenience, visitors can book rooms and meals on Facebook and Zalo. Businesses update their temporary residence and absence declarations daily on their private groups.

Tuan Dao, a photographer in Hanoi, has been to Lo Lo Chai three times, the first time being 10 years ago. Returning in mid-October this year, he was "unbelievable".

"Lo Lo Chai has completely transformed. I can see the pride of the locals when they meet me and excitedly say: come visit the village. It's very different now," Tuan Dao said.

Homestay rental prices in Lo Lo Chai currently range from 150,000 VND to 800,000 VND per night, depending on whether you choose a shared room (dorm) or a private room. All rooms are clean.

The facilities for tourists are quite complete, arranged by the locals, with souvenir stalls and local products for sale.

"The villagers have just started doing tourism, sometimes not really professional and meticulous, hope tourists understand," said Mr. Chinh.

"What I like most about Lo Lo Chai today is staying in a true homestay. We live with the locals and observe their lives. A few years ago, I heard that this place was going to have a villa and swimming pool project. I'm really happy to see what Lo Lo Chai has today," Tuan Dao said.

(According to Vnexpress, October 27, 2023)

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