I visited Na Ten Keo - a culinary, sightseeing, and check-in business that is loved by young people in Muong Lat district as well as tourists. The business owners are two Thai ethnic men: Vi Van Nhien (born in 1994) and Vi Van Quang (born in 1996), both residing in Ten Tan neighborhood, Muong Lat town.
Na Ten Keo area - a tourist and check-in destination loved by young people in Muong Lat district.
These days, the restaurant is almost full of customers. Quang and Nhien are always busy with their work. From collecting food from the villages, to making orders and scheduling customers...
Looking at the young man in a neat white shirt, talkative and enthusiastic when talking to customers, few people would think Quang only finished secondary school. Before coming to the tourism service model, Quang was a motorbike repairman.
Talking about the opportunity that made Quang switch to tourism services, he smiled happily and pointed to the papaya garden.
Around the end of 2023, the male papaya flower garden model, nearly 1 hectare wide, of the women's association of Ten Tan neighborhood failed. The reason was said to be that the sisters imported male papaya varieties, but the trees bore fruit. Not wanting to waste cutting them down, taking advantage of the location near the border gate, the lush green of the papaya garden, and the beautiful mountain scenery, Quang came up with the idea of making a food service business, combining organizing events and welcoming visitors. After asking permission from the authorities and discussing with the women's association of the neighborhood, Quang and Nhien took over the garden.
To make their location known to many people, Quang and Nhien go on Facebook, Zalo, and TikTok every day to promote it. They even set up a fanpage to introduce typical dishes, or pin the address on Google Maps to make it easier for visitors from the lowlands to find them. Thanks to that, the number of visitors to the garden increases every day. Currently, Quang and Nhien's model is creating regular jobs for 3 main workers and many seasonal workers. The upcoming plan of these two young men is to expand many new services such as taking visitors to famous landscapes and landscapes in the area; historical sites; border villages...
Also passionate about tourism, Thai ethnic man Hoang Van Nhiem in Lat village, Tam Chung commune, after graduating from university, returned to his hometown and joined the activities of the local youth union. In addition to holding the position of Secretary of the Tam Chung commune Youth Union, Nhiem is also the owner of a tourist area called Na Cu.
Experiencing the terraced rice fields, the banks for growing flowers such as mustard, buckwheat, sunflowers... not only me but many tourists could not hide their excitement. The materials to make huts, tents or bridges across streams were all taken advantage of by Nhiem from his family's bamboo garden and xoan hills. According to Nhiem, on average each month he welcomes about 7 to 10 groups of guests, mainly people from the lowlands coming to work or travel. In addition to taking check-in photos, experiencing the fields, climbing hills, organizing events, and culinary exchanges, if tourists have a request, the staff will create a menu with rustic dishes, rich in the highlands.
Evaluating the models owned by the border men themselves, pride was evident on the face of Muong Lat District Youth Union Secretary Lau Van Phia. Secretary Phia said that with the goal of striving to make tourism one of the important economic sectors by 2025, a destination for domestic and foreign tourists; by 2030, becoming one of the key economic sectors, making important contributions to the local economy, helping Muong Lat escape poverty quickly and sustainably, on May 18, 2023, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 1673/QD-UBND approving the Project on tourism development in Muong Lat district by 2025, with a vision to 2030.
The project also sets out the goal of focusing on developing 4 tourism products including: Community tourism associated with the unique cultural values of ethnic communities in the district and border villages. Cultural, historical, spiritual tourism, associated with attractive places to explore such as Sai Khao village, Tay Tien memorial stele, milestone 281... Ecotourism combining study, sightseeing, and relaxation associated with Pu Hu Nature Reserve. Border tourism associated with Ten Tan border gate, Muong Lat town, and border villages.
In order for Muong Lat district to achieve the above goals, the pioneering of young men like Quang, Nhien, Nhiem... is very noteworthy. The initial success of these models has been contributing to the overall socio-economic development; preserving and promoting national cultural values associated with preserving the landscape and protecting the environment in border areas.
Article and photos: Dinh Giang
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