Ms. Sung Thi Lan introduces brocade products on facebook

Every day, in addition to the time of traveling to highland villages to collect old brocade products of local people to recycle them, and put them into the design of products that are applicable in modern life such as brocade paintings, brocade pillows, bags, wallets, cup coasters... Ms. Sung Thi Lan also takes pictures of products posted on her personal facebook page to introduce to customers. During the local Ta Van plum harvest season, she goes to the plum garden "live stream", promoting the consumption of local agricultural products. She also organizes for small tourists in the province and in the country to experience making traditional incense of the Giay people, making cakes of the Giay people, and experience harvesting ripe plums…

Ms. Cao Huong, the owner of La Baeutes Bac Ha homestay, has changed her approach to guests, instead of welcoming guests on a daily basis, she lets guests stay for many days for foreign tourists living in Vietnam. As doing tourism business, Ms. Cao Huong has the advantage of going to many places, knowing many beautiful places, she also records trips, collaborates with a number of newspapers and magazines when having orders. Along with that, she has sought to access unique souvenirs such as lipsticks, handmade soaps, native honey, brocade and herbal teas... to introduce and sell to people in need. That is also how Ms. Cao Huong has an extra income while the homestay is empty. She takes beautiful photos to both introduce and promote products and beautiful scenery of Lao Cai highlands, and to sell endemic local agricultural products to tourists.

Developing organic farming

Not giving in to difficulties, many tourism service businesses have turned to organic agricultural production, creating a safe source of agricultural products for their families, and at the same time building models of ecological gardens and renovating the landscape, ready to welcome guests back when the pandemic is under control.

Ms. Bui Thi Oanh, the owner of Sa Pa Soul's homestay, Muong Hoa commune (Sa Pa town) has chosen to do organic farming as a hobby to form farmstay, but from organic agricultural products, her family has some extra income when tourism is in a sluggish period… She has grown a number of agricultural products such as cucumbers, giant flying squash, purple glutinous corn, Pinto beans, vegetables for healthy meals, juice according to market trends. With the advantage of a temperate climate, she takes advantage of the land area to renovate the garden to grow a variety of vegetables, flowers and fruits. Ms. Oanh confided that: When there is no regular income from homestay services like every year, organic agricultural products have "saved" the family's finances during the pandemic.

Ms. Bui Thi Oanh chooses pinto beans for customers to order

Like Ms. Oanh, Tay ethnic girl Ly Xuan Dien, owner of Xuan Dien homestay in Hop Thanh commune (Lao Cai city) has chosen to grow asparagus and raise fish. Currently, each kilogram of asparagus costs 70,000 VND in the garden, bringing a significant income to the family. There are times when bamboo shoots are good, 6-7 kg of asparagus can be harvested in a day. In addition, with a fish pond and stream near the house, Ly Xuan Dien has invested in extra model of raising 100 ducks. Taking advantage of the limited time to welcome tourists, the family has transferred part of the service to agriculture, while maintaining development as a source of clean food for the family's homestay service.

Online tourism during the pandemic

The travel restriction during the pandemic has made it difficult for tourism people in Sapa. Therefore, the Giay girl with famous names on Youtube "Giay’s Scent in Sa Pa" by Vu Ngoc Huong has created an online travel organization through the application of Zoom technology. From September 2021, Vu Ngoc Huong has organized the tours titled such as Autumn flavor - experience the beauty of autumn on the heritage of terraced fields in the highlands of Lao Cai; the tour "Scent of the Moon" brings visitors back to the unique traditional Mid-Autumn Festival of the Giay people; or the tour "Bathing with medicinal leaves of the Red Dao people - things you don't know"; the "Indigo" tour to learn about the indigo dyeing profession of the Black H'mong ethnic group in Sa Pa... and most recently the special tour "Love Market in Sa Pa” held at 8pm on November 19.

With only 70,000 VND, connecting via the Zoom technology application on computer device or smartphone, you can join Vu Ngoc Huong, indigenous people and "online" tourists from all over the country together with safe online communication during the pandemic.

Ms. Duong Thu Huong, a tourist in Ho Chi Minh City said: Although I couldn't witness it in person, through this special tour, I still felt authentically and vividly what was going on in a remote land thousands of kilometers away from me, I feel like I can immerse myself in life and discover many cultural identities of highland tourism in Lao Cai.

The online travel experience product of the Giay girl has won the Gold prize worth 120 million VND at the final round of the contest "Challenging business initiatives" under the project "Increasing access to livelihood opportunities for ethnic minority youth"…

The above creative ways all stem from the dynamism and initiative in finding ways to overcome the global pandemic of those working in the tourism economy in Lao Cai. Without relying on support, they have caught up with the trend of life flow to develop the economy, bring income for themselves and their families, and contribute to decreasing difficulties during the pandemic.