Homestay - Awakening the Muong village in the difficult area of ​​Ngoc Son

Previously, the lives of people in Ngoc Son commune mainly depended on agriculture: afforestation, rice cultivation and livestock raising. Difficult roads caused great obstacles to economic development, so the poverty rate was high. However, nature has endowed Mu waterfall commune with pristine and unique Muong culture. Taking advantage of this, the local government and people have decided to exploit the homestay model to develop the economy. Local people have turned traditional houses into attractive resorts for tourists, especially foreign tourists. Households near Mu waterfall have invested in building houses and infrastructure to make homestays. Tourism exploitation has created jobs and income for people.

From farming , Ms. Quach Thi Thuc in Ngoc Son commune works in tourism to serve guests for a stable source of income.

As the first person to set up a homestay in Ngoc Son, Ms. Quach Thi Thuc in Mu Khuong hamlet said: At first, there were many surprises, but with the support of local authorities and functional agencies, people gradually adapted. After being trained, my family knew how to protect the environment, move the livestock pens away from the house, and repair the road leading to the house. Guests staying at my family have very good comments. In addition to eating and sleeping, I often welcome foreign guests to go on picnics, visit, and experience the local landscape. Guests coming to my house all say that they really like the culture, people, and landscape here. They feel excited because everything here is natural. My family has 3 houses with a capacity of about 50 guests. With this model, 5 people in the family have jobs with a stable income. Many other families see that my family has income, so they follow suit.

Realizing that homestay services bring high economic efficiency, improving the lives of families, up to now, 5 households in Mu Khuong hamlet have boldly borrowed capital to renovate and repair their houses with architecture suitable to nature, attracting many tourists. Also from homestay business activities, many households have jobs and stable income.

Since tourists have come to Ngoc Son, Ms. Bui Thi Nang has raised Dam Xanh specialty fish and sold them at high prices.

Ms. Dang Thi Hoai, a tourist from Dong Anh, Hanoi, who came to Ngoc Son for the first time, said: When we came here, in addition to enjoying the pristine Mu waterfall, we also enjoyed the culture and customs of the ancient Muong people. Through this community tourism model, we introduce the unique cultural features of our people to tourists from all over the world, mostly foreigners. Guests staying in the village can join the locals in catching fish in the stream, picking vegetables in the forest, planting trees, cultivating rice... and then come back in the evening to prepare delicious dishes according to the cuisine of the people here. From the community tourism model, jobs have been created, creating more livelihoods for the people in the highlands. They have been able to confidently introduce to tourists the unique features of their culture and love for their homeland and village.

The development of community tourism creates opportunities for local products to be known by many people, opening up development opportunities for the agricultural processing industry and traditional products of our people. Mrs. Bui Thi Nang in Sat hamlet said: In the past, if people wanted to sell agricultural products, they had to bring them to the market, but now when tourists come to visit and relax in the village, we can sell our products right at home, the economic efficiency will be higher than bringing them to the market to sell...

Thanks to the homestay model, the lives of people in remote areas have changed with many diverse sources of income. Many people do not have to go far to work.

Viet Lam

Source: https://baophutho.vn/homestay-danh-thuc-ban-muong-vung-kho-khan-ngoc-son-238328.htm