Luong Van Xien (R), Director of Ngoc Chien Community Tourism Cooperative, introduces the specialties of the “Fairy Land”.

Called the "Fairy Land" of the Northwest, Ngoc Chien commune in Muong La district, Son La province is blessed with fresh climate, poetic scenery, natural hot mineral springs, and a variety of cultural and agricultural products.

Three years ago, Luong Van Xien, who was the then Deputy Secretary of Ngoc Chien commune's Youth Union, and other local youth union members started up a tourism business called Ngoc Chien Community Tourism Cooperative which is based on the local tourism ecosystem in association with safe agriculture.

Xien, who is also the Cooperative’s Director, said they faced several difficulties at the beginning.

He recalled, “When we started our business, we faced several difficulties. For example, it was difficult to convince local people to renovate the stilt houses, where they have lived for generations, to turn them into guest houses. It’s a complicated process because it concerns their customs and habits.”

The Cooperative also had to help the locals shift from solely farming to engaging in tourism services, said Xien, adding, “Due to their limited awareness and knowledge, local people have faced a lot of difficulties."

After 3 years of promoting creative ideas, Ngoc Chien "fairy land" has become more popular among tourists and local people are now ready to welcome guests. Any Ngoc Chien villager can be a tour-guide.

Since last year, Ngoc Chien Community Tourism Cooperative has welcomed 30,000 visitors, earning more than 400,000 USD. Tourism has generated jobs for more than 100 locals with incomes from 210 to 250 dollars a month.

Lo Van Thoa, Vice Chairman of Ngoc Chien commune’s People's Committee, said, “The community-based tourism model has created livelihoods and jobs for local people. The cooperative has promoted and introduced community tourism products and, more importantly, changed the mindset of Ngoc Chien people toward tourism development.”

The passion for wooden furniture has prompted Dang Ngoc Trung to start up a business in the rural area.

Dang Ngoc Trung of Phu Yen district told VOV that his passion for wooden furniture had prompted him to set up a facility for producing timber handicrafts and household items.

In 2017, Trung started making simple products like bowls, chopsticks, spoons, and chopping-boards from longan, litchi, and tamarind trees that are grown in the family's garden.

Three years later, Trung invested 22,000 dollars in expanding the workshop and buying more modern machines and raw materials. He has cooperated with 7 other people to establish a household furniture cooperative named "ON", of which he is the director. Each month the cooperative turns out more than 5,000 wooden utensils of different types.

Trung said as the cooperative's wooden items don’t have odor and affect the flavor of food when cooking or used as containers, they have been well received by the market.

He said the craft remains quite new in the locality and the skills of the local workforce remains limited.

“Thanks to exerting efforts and support from functional agencies, we have been able to turn out qualified products to the market. Many point-of-sales under the One Commune One Product program and supermarket chains have contacted us to place orders. It is good news for us when participating in the OCOP program. The quality of our products has improved and they have become more widely known,” Trung concluded.

On top of making products under the contracts signed with large supermarkets in Son La province, the ON is providing products to Hanoi and several southern provinces and cities. It is generating regular jobs for 8 to 15 local workers. 

Phung Thi Chan, a villager of Huy Ha commune, Phu Yen district and a Cooperative member, told us that she and her female friends in the workshop are in the same situation: having small children and having to take them to school every day and prepare meals at home.

“We choose to work here because there are no time constraints while we can earn 130 to 160 dollars a month by working hard. That is enough for our family's subsistence expenses,” said Chan.

Last year, the Son La provincial People's Committee launched a program to encourage business start-ups and attract investment in ethnic minority and mountain areas.

Under the program, activities to support innovative start-ups have been held while the provincial Innovation Startup Support Center has played its role.

Nguyen Duy Hoang, Deputy Director of the provincial Science and Technology Department, said, “To help the local start-up community, especially to support the realization of incubated ideas, Son La has attached great importance to providing startup businesses with capital.”

“The provincial People's Council’s resolution has been promulgated, stipulating the level of financial support for the startup and innovation ecosystem,” said Hoang.

The youth’s creativity, enthusiasm and the great support of local administrations have driven ethnic minorities to rise out of poverty and making rural areas in Son La places worth living.