Lao Cai (VNA) - Y Ty commune in BatXat district, in the northern province of Lao Cai, has become a new touristdestination for domestic and foreign visitors.

Many locals have been exploiting natural andcultural advantages to develop their business.

With agility and intelligence, 33-year-old SungA Ho, a resident of Ngai Cho village, was one of the first to offer a homestayservice in the commune.

The first impression that people have of A Ho isthat of a friendly and frank man. Born into a poor family with eightchildren, he did not have the resources to go to school. He cannot read orwrite, but that has not stopped him from earning a stable living.

“My family used to be very poor,” he said. “Wehad to work on terraced rice and maize fields throughout the year. Sometimeswhen we did not have a good harvest, we had to eat cassava instead of rice ormaize.”

The family did not have enough food all yearround. Thus, none of his brothers and sisters knows how to read andwrite. A Ho faced more difficulties when he got married 10 years ago.

Y Ty commune is famous for its spectacularlandscapes which attract many photographers and tourists.

A Ho met a tourist named Ngo Huy Hoa in 2014,who travelled to the area to take photographs. Hoa was the first person toinspire A Ho to offer tourism services.

Hoa told A Ho that the area had beautifullandscapes and interesting ethnic cultural features, but lackedaccommodation. He advised A Ho to offer the service to improve hisfamily’s income.

With the support of Hoa and some other friends,A Ho upgraded his house and other necessary facilities to offer homestayservices.

His business has welcomed guests for two yearsand brought A Ho an income of more than 200 million VND (8,800 USD).

"Homestay is much better thanfarming," A Ho said. With the money, he re-invested and enlarged roomsbesides improving other facilities.

He has also encouraged other friends to runhomestays to make a better income.

“At first, when I told them to offer homestays”A Ho said, “They said they were shy and could not do it as they had no moneyand could not speak the Kinh majority language.”

A Ho explained to them that Y Ty had beautifullandscapes and that was a huge advantage.

“If you don’t know you can learn,” he told them,“You should work hard and tourism services are rather simple.”

Seeing his success, his friends agreed tocontribute money and open homestays in the neighbourhood.

“Many tourists have given me their opinion onhow to provide better service,” he said.

Though he can’t read or write, A Ho knows how totalk to tourists and win their trust with his frankness.

A Ho Homestay has been a popular destination fortourists in Y Ty. At a reasonable 50,000 VND a night per head together withother friendly services, tourists get the chance to eat, play and stay withlocals.

“We like this homestay model as we canunderstand the culture and customs of local ethnic groups such as the Mong andHa Nhi,” said Bui Thi Phuong, a tourist from Hai Phong city.

A Ho’s homestay can host up to 30 guests a nightand it is always full on the weekends in winter and autumn — the ideal seasonsfor tourists to trek up the mountains and watch clouds and terraced ricefields. His house on an average receives 400-500 tourists per year.

Together with Bach Moc Luong Tu (Ly Quan San),Nhiu Co San and Muoi mountains, Lao Than Peak for the past two years has becomea trekking destination for backpackers.

A Ho also offers a tour guide service. With hisunderstanding of local geography, he has guided many teams to conquer peaks bythe shortest and safest routes.

He and his friends have also offered overnightstop in tents on the way to Lao Than Peak at 50,000 VND per head. He rentssleeping bags and sells food at the stops.

According to Hau A Sinh, chairman of the Y Tycommune People’s Committee, locals are now aware of the benefit of theirservices.

“However, many have received less success thanthey expected due to a lack of guidance. Sung A Ho’s initiative is a goodexample for locals to follow to eradicate poverty,” he said.-VNA