In early November, the vineyard of Lê Thị Dung in Ten Luống village, Thanh An commune, began its harvest season. Amidst the green leaves, plump clusters of grapes shimmered with a beautiful pinkish-purple hue. On weekends, the vineyard bustles with groups of visitors in vibrant attire, eagerly taking photos and delightedly picking the succulent grape clusters. With a price of VND 20,000/guest for a visit and experience, and VND 200,000/kg for grapes picked at the vineyard, the model brings in an income of over VND 12 million/month for Dung’s family.

From the effectiveness of the model, it can be seen that combining clean agricultural production with experiential tourism activities is opening up a new development direction for rural people. This is also clear evidence of the green, sustainable path that local tourism is aiming for.

Lê Thị Dung shared: “In recent years, I’ve noticed that agricultural produce buyers want to experience and learn about the cultivation and care process right in the garden. Therefore, I opened the vineyard for visitors to tour, take photos, pick their own ripe grapes, and enjoy them on the spot. This activity helps promote local agricultural products and encourages people to move towards a lifestyle closer to nature. In my opinion, this is a very effective way to do green tourism.”

One of the check-in locations attracting many tourists in Điện Biên is the Nậm Khẩu Hú flower hill in Thanh Nưa commune. About 15km from the center of Điện Biên Phủ ward, this place possesses charming scenery, with vibrant buckwheat and cosmos flower hills, a wide, clear blue lake, and a sea of clouds floating mid-mountain. It attracts hundreds of visitors daily, especially young explorers, families looking for a weekend relaxation space, and photography enthusiasts wanting to capture moments in the fresh nature.

The appeal of the Nậm Khẩu Hú flower hill has opened up economic development opportunities for local people through various business forms such as: photography services, costume rentals, and selling drinks and agricultural products.

Giàng Thị Ly, a resident of Thanh Nưa commune, said: “Previously, my family grew corn and rice in this area. The work was hard, and the income was not high. This year, I switched to planting flowers to test development in a green tourism direction. The results exceeded expectations; the number of visitors coming to see and take pictures is very large, especially on weekends. In the future, I plan to invest in costume rental services, a coffee stop, and accommodation to serve tourists better.”

In Pu Nhi commune, many green tourism spots are forming, attracting visitors for experiences. Notable examples include: the terraced fields in Phù Lồng B village; the cogon grass hill in Pu Nhi A village; and the Tù Lu Tìa Ló community tourism model in Tìa Ló village. These models help to enrich the green tourism picture in Điện Biên, linking tourism development with landscape conservation, preserving cultural identity, and creating stable livelihoods for highland people.

Hạng A Thái, Party Cell Secretary of Pu Nhi A village, Pu Nhi commune, said: “In the past, people only knew how to farm on the hillsides, planting corn and rice. Only when people started coming to take pictures and visit the cogon grass hill did we realize our home was also beautiful and could be used for tourism. The Party cell regularly communicates with the people, urging them to maintain environmental hygiene, not litter, and to work together to make roads and plant flowers to be cleaner and more beautiful.”

To develop green tourism sustainably, Pu Nhi commune organized meetings to encourage households to participate in the “Pu Nhi Terraced Fields” model. Local leaders focused on discussing solutions to effectively exploit the potential of the natural landscape in conjunction with agricultural development. They also encouraged residents to establish community tourism cooperative groups, improve service skills, raise environmental protection awareness, and build distinctive highland tourism products. This is seen as a timely step to promote the value of the terraced fields, a resource for green tourism development, and gradually create stable livelihoods for local people.

It is clear that many households and communities in the province have learned to leverage their advantages in natural landscape, climate, culture, and available natural resources to develop tourism, forming destinations that are environmentally friendly and rich in regional identity. These initial steps, along with guidance and support from local authorities, are helping to shape a new development direction for Điện Biên tourism, linking economic development with nature conservation and the preservation of traditional cultural values.