Tay ethnic group cash in on rising tourism

Tay ethnic group, surrounded by a stunning natural landscape, the Tay ethnic group lives in stilt houses and lead a colourful life filled with beautiful songs and dancing, their clothes display traditional brocade weaving and they eat many traditional dishes which are rich in flavour.

Yet, when it comes to income, the Tay ethnic group are poor. One question villager Dao A Son always considered was: “How do we reduce poverty?”

He found an answer. And that was to invite tourists to sample the richness of Tay village life.

He has found new ways to welcome tourists to his mountain village. And when they arrive at his home, they are treated like family members.

Dao A Son aims to make the tourists feel as comfortable as possible. And he has become successful in his quest to welcome foreign visitors. His mountain village has become a famous tourist area, located 30km from Sa Pa town.

For the price of VND 60,000 ( US $3.6) visitors are provided with a dinner of many dishes, including bamboo-tube rice, fish, black chicken (a favourite dish in the area), cabbage and many other specialities.

Tay ethnic group, the village children also contribute to the experience of the tourists. By speaking with them, they are able to improve their English language skills.

In the mountain village, there are 15 households that welcome tourists. A stilt house can host 10 to 15 people and earn 5-6 million VND (US $295-350) per month, confirmed Deputy Chairman of People’s Committee of Ban Do commune Dao A Vinh.

Tourists sleep on the floor or on mattresses which provide a comfortable bed after they spend time trekking in Hoang Lien national park or climbing the nearby mountains. Visitors also like swimming in the Ca Nhat waterfall and using the hot springs near the village.

Developing the local tourism industry provides a much more gentle lifestyle for the villagers compared with the arduous work in the rice fields. Of course, the villagers are also able to earn three to four times more than before, Dao A Vinh added.

He reflected on poorer years of the village’s past which has only 30 ha on fields for 128 households with over 534 people mostly from the ethnic Tay group.

The life of the Tay people has changed for the better and they use every resource they have to make tourism work for them. Traditional handicrafts are maintained and women weave brocade to sell to travellers.

“The number of poor families has stabilised at about 35 percent. This is a good result for the village and I hope that the number of poor families decrease in the near future,” A Vinh said enthusiastically.

With traditional culture including folk songs, xoe dance, tinh guitar, bamboo dance, traditional special dishes and the beauty of the natural landscape, the Tay ethnic families have welcomed tourism into the heart of their village.

(Source: VNA)