Trang A Chu (born 1982), after checking the electrical lines and water pipes one day recently, climbed down from the roof. “Technicians only install new equipment, so the owner or staff must handle maintenance,” he told VietNamNet.

Late last year, A Chu Homestay in Hua Tat village (VanHo commune, SonLa province), added four VIP rooms at a cost of VND1.5 billion. The homestay now has 20 rooms for guests.

Before he was arrested in July 2013, Trang A Tang, or Tang Keangnam, was a major drug lord in Long Luong commune, former Van Ho district, Son La province. Located 15km from the border, Long Luong made it a stronghold for drug-related crimes in the northwest.

Many Hmong people in Long Luong once saw drug trafficking as a quick way to wealth.

In the past, several of A Chu’s acquaintances worked in Trang A Tang’s drug network and asked him to transport drugs. A successful trip across the Lao border to retrieve drugs would earn him VND20-30 million. For locals, this was significant compared to local manual labor earnings.

However, Trang A Chu firmly refused the job. Seeing many villagers imprisoned for drug-related crimes, he chose to avoid illegal paths and instead learned to run a homestay and develop tourism.

Initially, A Chu and his wife borrowed VND30 million to buy an old 120sqm house for VND170 million on installment. Located near Lon Luong, the house was renovated into a homestay.

He opened A Chu Homestay in August 2015, and received 30-40 guests only that year, mostly tourism company staff conducting surveys. 

As the homestay was located near the drug trafficking hub, travelers did not dare stay there. Meanwhile, locals thought A Chu’s homestay was a front for police operations. To ensure guest safety, he accompanied them during village walks.

A Chu and his wife gradually standardized community tourism services, incorporating local culture into tours. For example, the staff at the homestay all wear Mong ethnic clothes. Tourists walk around the highland villages, experience farming with the locals, pound rice cakes, learn how to make Mong ‘do’ paper, and paint patterns with beeswax on traditional linen. 

If there is a cultural program, the villagers will gather, sing, dance ‘xoe’, and play khen with the tourists.

Their efforts paid off. Three years after opening, A Chu cleared his debt.

More homestays in the highlands

As drug lords were brought to justice, the area changed. Hua Tat village’s community tourism model became a standout destination in Van Ho, Son La.

Four households in the village operate large-scale community tourism. The destination helps preserve Hmong papermaking, tool forging, and cultural practices like love duet singing, khen dancing on poles, tu lu games, and pao throwing.

In 2024, community tourism in the village generated an estimated VND5 billion in revenue, a 25 percent increase from 2023. Hua Tat welcomed over 10,000 visitors, 40 percent of whom were international.

A Chu Homestay alone hosted nearly 3,200 guests, accounting for a third of the total. In 2023, it welcomed over 3,400 guests, earning VND2.44 billion in revenue.

Over the past decade, A Chu’s family has invested over VND7 billion in renovating and building new accommodations, including private and communal rooms.

Households cooperating with A Chu’s homestay earn about VND15 million monthly. Families offering tourist experiences, like A Cua’s papermaking, earn around VND500,000 daily, while beeswax drawing households make about VND350,000 daily.

A Chu aims to improve his homestay’s services, planning to upgrade medicinal bath facilities and renovate rooms by year-end. He is focusing on eco-friendly products, using palm-leaf roofing and Hmong paper on discarded plastic items to create reading lamps for guests to buy as souvenirs.

For him, retaining guests requires continuous improvement in services and hospitality. “Even in a mountain village, we must provide at least a three-star experience,” A Chu said, explaining why many domestic and international tourists return, some up to 15-20 times.

People from other regions, like A Su in Mu Cang Chai (Lao Cai), A Vang in Muong La (Son La), and a household in Luc Yen (Lao Cai), have visited Hua Tat to learn from A Chu’s model and develop similar tourism ventures. He willingly shares his experiences.

“Making more money isn’t my current goal. I want to help the Hmong community build sustainable tourism to escape poverty,” Trang A Chu said.

Ha Nguyen