Learned English on her own, returned home to build tourism

May Kim, whose real name is Ly Ta May (born 1997), is a Red Dao woman living in Sa Xeng village, Ta Phin commune, Lao Cai province. She is among the young local women pioneering tourism and content creation in the area.

After finishing high school, she worked as a tour guide in Sa Pa. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted tourism, she returned to her village to grow vegetables and resume farming like many other women in the community.

In 2023, she began building a TikTok channel to introduce and promote local products and daily life in the village. As her videos gained attention online, foreign visitors started arriving at her family’s home to experience authentic local living.

“Our family has three generations living together in a traditional two-room wooden house passed down from our grandparents,” May Kim said.

“When foreign visitors watch the videos and see how the whole family gathers around the meal table, they find it warm and impressive. Many of them decide to come here to experience that atmosphere.”

While working in Sa Pa, she attended a three-month English course. By continuing to practice and learn every day, she gradually became able to speak confidently with international visitors.

This ability helps her introduce guests to local customs, daily life, and cultural traditions of the Dao community.

Thanks to that, many international travelers now seek her out when they want to explore the authentic culture of the region.

May Kim admitted that the early days of building tourism services were not easy. She had to figure out how to find guests, design suitable travel experiences, and improve her home to accommodate visitors.

However, through constant learning and determination, the young Dao woman gradually developed the skills needed to welcome increasing numbers of tourists, mainly from European countries such as France, Germany, and Italy.

Foreign visitors experience farming in Ta Phin

Many international visitors are particularly fascinated by daily rural activities in the village.

“In many countries, young people live independently after the age of 18. Many also grow up in cities without land for farming,” May Kim explained.

“So when they come to Ta Phin, they are very impressed by the scenery and the lifestyle here.”

Visitors eagerly join local agricultural activities such as plowing rice fields, planting rice, and harvesting vegetables. They also enjoy sharing meals and spending time with the family, experiencing the warmth of village life.

Income increases five to seven times compared with farming

Today, May Kim’s family offers various accommodation and cultural experience services for international visitors, with different price levels depending on the program.

A one-day tour costs about VND900,000 per person (US$36). Visitors can hike into the mountains to gather leaves, enjoy lunch with the family, and experience the traditional herbal bath of the Dao people.

A two-day, one-night tour costs around VND2.2 million per person (US$90). Guests can explore walking trails to the town, enjoy the Dao herbal bath, learn wax-resist painting and fabric dyeing, and share traditional meals.

Longer tours are also available for those who want more time to experience local life, including simple daily activities and traditional cuisine.

In addition to tourism, May Kim continues working in the fields and sells local produce and handicrafts. This helps increase income while also promoting local products and culture.

“Before, when we relied only on farming, our family earned less than VND2 million per month,” she said.

“Since we started doing tourism, life has improved significantly. Everyone in the family has work to do, and my personal income is now around VND10-15 million per month (US$410-620), much higher than before.”

Alongside hosting guests, she regularly records videos of everyday life and shares them on social media, introducing the culture of Ta Phin to audiences near and far.

Her videos feature cultural traditions such as the New Rice Festival, highland Lunar New Year celebrations, local markets, and the process of making traditional Dao clothing.

She also shows daily activities such as gathering medicinal herbs, plowing fields, growing vegetables, and even bringing visitors to attend traditional Red Dao weddings.

In addition, she shares recipes for local dishes such as five-colored sticky rice and sam vermicelli, helping both visitors and online audiences discover the flavors of the region.

According to Vu Xuan Quy, Chairman of the Ta Phin Commune People’s Committee, the locality currently has about 50 homestays and community-based tourism facilities certified under the OCOP program.

Ta Phin is well known for its natural scenery and the distinctive cultural traditions of the Red Dao and Mong ethnic communities. Among its most popular experiences is the traditional Dao herbal bath, which remains a major attraction for international visitors.

Local authorities say tourism infrastructure and services have been steadily improved, creating opportunities for many households, especially women, to participate in community tourism through homestays, herbal bath services, and cultural guiding.

Among the women contributing to preserving and promoting traditional culture through tourism, May Kim has become one of the most prominent figures in the local community.

With her dynamism, skill, and commitment to cultural preservation, women like May Kim are expected to continue playing an important role in developing tourism services and creating valuable cultural products, contributing to the socio-economic development of the region in the years ahead.

Thao Trinh