A video with the title ‘du lich kieu moi 2024’ (new style of tourism 2024) featuring a group of foreign travelers planting seedlings on a terraced field appeared on the internet on May 18. The facial expressions of the guests showed they were happy with the work.

Vang A Sau, a Mong ethnic minority tour guide in Sa Pa, posted the clip. He said the filming was conducted on May 17 and the foreign travelers were French students, studying in Hanoi and visiting Sa Pa during their holidays.

“They stayed at a homestay run by me and my wife. And I was a tour guide for them. Yesterday I invited them to my rice field in Muong Hoa valley and showed them how to transplant rice seedlings like Mong people do,” Sau said.

“They were all young and they really liked the activities. Though they got spattered with mud and were tired after many hours of working, they were happy and felt excited,” he added.

“As they were hungry, they enjoyed the dishes. And they could understand how hard farmers had to work to produce rice,” he explained.

The video attracted nearly one million views and 2,000 comments 24 hours after it was posted. Netizens commented that tilling rice was an interesting experience for foreign travelers. It helped guests better understand local landscapes, lifestyle and people.

Most of the comments below the video said it was a good idea to design such an interesting tour for foreign travelers.

“Travelers want real experiences and want to better understand Vietnamese people’s daily life. They come to Sa Pa not just to take pictures with the beautiful landscapes there. This will be a good memory,” a viewer wrote.

Meanwhile, another viewer suggested that foreign travelers should be brought back to the field sometimes later to see the fruits of their labor.

Sau said he serves many French speaking groups of travelers each year. He usually leads foreign tourists to mountain villages and terraced fields in Muong Hoa. Located seven kilometers from Sa Pa Town center, the villages in Muong Hoa Valley still retain their pristine and rustic features. It is likened with an original Sa Pa version with sea of cloud, stone plateau, forests and traditional houses. 

“In addition to trekking tours, I also design tours that allow foreign travelers to experience our culture, such as transplanting rice seedlings, doing fieldwork and making spring rolls,” Sau said. 

Linh Trang