The Pu Nhi terraced fields area is located more than 20km from the center of Điện Biên Phủ ward, in Phù Lồng B village, Pu Nhi commune. This area covers about 20 hectares of fields cultivated by many households from the villages of Phù Lồng A, Phù Lồng B, Nậm Ngám A, and Nậm Ngám B. From late September to mid-October, this place dons the brilliant golden coat of ripe rice. The terraced fields meander gracefully in the middle of the sky, creating a vivid watercolor painting. That beauty, through the lens of those who love beauty, has quickly spread, inviting tourists from all over to come and admire, capturing moments that captivate the heart. Pu Nhi has suddenly become a sought-after destination, a newly awakened “muse” of the Northwestern mountains and forests.

But the rice season will pass, and the golden terraces will return to the brown color of the earth. When the seasonal beauty ends, the difficult question of sustainable tourism development is posed for the people here: How to keep the “muse” of Pu Nhi from only “awakening” for a few months? How can tourism become a stable source of livelihood, nurturing the lives of the people year-round?

To find a solution to that problem, on the afternoon of this past October 8, the Pu Nhi commune People’s Committee met with, discussed, and encouraged households to participate in the “Pu Nhi Terraced Fields” tourism model. Attending the meeting were commune leaders, representatives of professional departments, businesses, and more than 20 households whose terraced fields are within the planned tourism development area.

In an open and sincere atmosphere, Mr. Phạm Duy Linh, Vice Chairman of the Pu Nhi commune People’s Committee, shared his heartfelt thoughts, outlining a fresh roadmap. That path is not a choice between agriculture and tourism, but a delicate blend: doing two things at once. The people of Pu Nhi will continue to be diligent farmers on their own land, with agricultural production as a solid foundation. In parallel, they will learn to become professional tourism operators, turning their own lives, culture, and land into attractive products. Tourism will be the driving force, a favorable wind promoting agricultural development in a new, more valuable direction.

To ensure that path is not just an idea, the commune is guiding households to establish a Community Tourism Cooperative Group. This is an important step to make the activities more orderly and professional, building trust and satisfaction for tourists and avoiding spontaneous, fragmented development. Responding to the government’s direction, the households showed consensus and hope, and boldly proposed their wishes and recommendations for government support to make the model effective soon.

Immediately after the meeting, the first ideas began to emerge. Mr. Hạng A Cải from Phù Lồng B village, a pioneer in developing tourism on the terraced fields, shared: “After this rice season, we are researching and discussing whether we should plant brilliant yellow mustard flowers or romantic flower beds to entice tourists to stay. And if we plant them, how will we do it? Furthermore, we are also pushing forward with the establishment of the Community Tourism Cooperative Group.”

“The thing we are most concerned about right now is whether, after establishing the Cooperative Group, we should collect a small fee from tourists to maintain the Group’s operations and reinvest in cleaning and creating photo spots. Because as it is now, tourists are still visiting for free, and the local people have hardly earned much from tourism besides a small amount from renting out costumes and selling drinks and agricultural products...” Mr. Hạng A Cải pondered.

The story of whether or not to collect entrance fees is also a very thorny issue. It is understood that this would be a source of funds for reinvestment, community building, and protecting the shared landscape. However, if not done skillfully, appropriately to the actual situation, or in accordance with legal regulations, it could very well create a backlash, affecting long-term development. Representatives of the commune government and tourism businesses also discussed with the people that they should be extremely cautious, research and understand the regulations, and consult opinions from various other channels.

Development cannot be limited to just one terraced field location; the government and businesses are also expanding with many new products. a journey to find new pieces of the puzzle has begun to create a complete tourist route. The destination this time is the vast bamboo forest in Háng Trợ village, even closer than the terraced fields, only about 15km from the center of Điện Biên Phủ ward. It takes only about 5-7 minutes to turn off the main road, and right at the entrance to Háng Trợ village is a lush, quiet, and poetic space. The straight, tall bamboo stalks create a deep perspective, a perfect backdrop for artistic photos and an ideal destination for weekend picnics.

Currently, this destination is still very wild; bamboo roots and branches left by residents after harvesting are scattered about, not yet ready to welcome visitors. But if invested in and renovated systematically, learning from successful bamboo forest tourism models, Háng Trợ could completely become a new bright spot, perfectly complementing the beauty of the terraced fields, creating a diverse tourism product that keeps tourists in Pu Nhi longer.

The initial steps taken by the government, businesses, and people of Pu Nhi commune are showing a completely correct direction, a methodical and in-depth approach to tourism. The combination of “internal strength”, the landscape, culture, and people, and “external strength”, the experience and connectivity of businesses under the government’s guidance, is a solid “three-legged stool” for sustainable development.

For this journey to go further and be more effective, it is thought that the people here should also reinvent themselves, learning from the experiences of those who have successfully developed the terraced field tourism model before them. At the same time, it is also necessary to connect the destinations into a complete chain. For instance, in the early morning, tourists could experience a traditional market fair; when the sun is high, they could visit the bamboo forest; at noon, have lunch at a homestay by Nậm Ngám lake; and as the afternoon light fades, they could immerse themselves in the sunset over the terraced fields, ending a captivating day of travel.

Pu Nhi is facing a great opportunity to redraw its own tourism map. With its God-given beauty, a correct vision, and the consensus of everyone, it is believed that it will not be long before Pu Nhi becomes a four-season destination, where tourism not only brings economic value but also contributes to preserving and spreading the unique cultural values of this land.