Experience travel to live like a local

Tourists coming to Pu Luong commune can immerse themselves in the life of the local people.

In August, temporarily leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city, Ms. Do Thi Phuong, a tourist from Hanoi , traveled to Pu Luong commune to immerse herself in the peaceful atmosphere of the mountains and forests. Welcoming her and everyone in the group was the gentle sunlight running along the mountainside, stretching across the lush green terraced fields.

Bam village, Pu Luong commune is gradually changing towards community tourism, with simple but fully equipped homestays. Every day, Ms. Vien Thi Tram, owner of Trang Hoa Vien homestay, wakes up early to prepare breakfast for guests. Ms. Phuong and the guests wake up to enjoy breakfast after a good night's sleep in the cool, fresh air. Then, she and the group go to the waterfall, to the forest, to the majestic wilderness and participate in the new rice celebration - a traditional and unique cultural feature of the Thai people in Bam village. This is a festival held by local Thai families after the harvest, expressing gratitude to their ancestors, wishing for a bountiful harvest and a prosperous life. Ms. Phuong clearly feels the proud eyes of the local people when talking about the houses, the village, and the rice fields full of grain. She realizes that culture is the "soul" of the beautiful land of Pu Luong. This is clearly demonstrated through community tourism villages such as Bam, Lan Ngoai, Don, Hieu or Son - Ba - Muoi - where traditional culture is not only preserved, but also comes alive through the working and living life of the people. Entering Lan Ngoai village, she was welcomed by smiles from the local people. The women sat at the looms, their hands nimbly creating colorful brocade. The motifs on each piece of fabric are not simply patterns, but stories about the mountains and forests, a life closely connected with nature. In addition to brocade, hand-woven baskets, which are daily necessities of the people, have now become souvenirs loved by tourists.

During her days in Pu Luong, Ms. Phuong felt like she was truly living in this land. She went to places where people often go, woke up early like their daily routine, visited the local market, and ate rustic dishes. She also spent a lot of time cycling around the villages to feel the rhythm of life and chat with the locals. At night, in the chill of the mountains and forests, everyone gathered around the wood stove, drank rice wine, listened to singing, and joined in the passionate xoe dance. Here, Ms. Phuong was able to wash away the dust of the city with the mountain wind and forest mist, and learned about the "household customs" of the Thai and Muong people in the West of Thanh Hoa. "After each such journey, when I return, I learn to appreciate what I have and not be afraid to show my affection for the important people around me," Ms. Phuong said.

Not only Ms. Phuong but also many domestic and foreign tourists when coming to Pu Luong are really impressed with the type of tourism experiencing the indigenous culture of ethnic groups. "In addition to the fresh and cool natural landscape, Pu Luong land is mostly inhabited by Thai and Muong ethnic groups, so many traditional cultural features are still preserved such as gongs, bamboo flutes, Thai cymbals... and traditional stilt houses. Taking advantage of the space from the traditional cultural values of indigenous ethnic minorities in a creative way is the way to do tourism in the commune. From there, establish the foundation for a unique tourism product, with depth in tourism services" - Mr. Tran Duy Tien, Chairman of Pu Luong Commune People's Committee affirmed.

In the province's tourism development orientation, indigenous culture has been identified as the "key" and "magnet" to attract tourists all four seasons. In recent times, the province has paid attention to and issued many tourism development projects associated with exploiting indigenous cultural values; including 10 community tourism development projects based on exploiting the unique natural and cultural values of ethnic minorities in mountainous areas. At the same time, localities are encouraged to actively exploit the unique values from the traditional cultural identity of ethnic groups and consider this as one of the factors to attract tourists, thereby soon turning the province's tourism into a spearhead economic sector.

The story of community tourism does not stop at Pu Luong, but continues to spread to Nang Cat village, Linh Son commune; But village, Nam Xuan commune; Ma village, Thuong Xuan commune. Community tourism and experiences in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa are gradually becoming brighter, not thanks to the splendid and luxurious constructions, but thanks to the cultural depth and rustic beauty that touches people's hearts.

Article and photos: Tang Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/trai-nghiem-du-lich-nbsp-de-duoc-song-nhu-nguoi-ban-dia-257412.htm