From conversations with the people here, we saw an aspiration for a brighter tomorrow, for a day when tourism “takes root,” simmering in the eyes of the local residents.

The afternoon sun was brilliant. Huổi Thanh 1 village rested peacefully in a narrow valley. Đặng Văn Néng, the village chief with a kind smile and a face tanned by sun and wind, eagerly led us up to his spacious wooden stilt house. Over a pot of hot, strong tea thick with the flavor of the mountains, Néng slowly spoke of Huổi Thanh 1: “Our village has 100 households, with 692 people. Three ethnic groups live together here in great solidarity. There are 38 Sán Chỉ households, 40 Dao households, and the remaining 22 are Hmong.”

What caught our eyes upon entering the village was not the spacious stilt houses, but the indigo and vibrant colors on the attire of the Sán Chỉ women. These seemingly simple things showed us that the traditional culture of the Sán Chỉ people is alive, present in every piece of fabric, every needle and thread, and in the bustling chatter of the women and mothers under the eaves.

Sán Chỉ men’s clothing is quite simple, but the women’s attire is an intricate work of art. It is a combination of many elements: an outer shirt, an inner shirt, trousers, a belt, and especially the headdress. Every detail is meticulously made. The brocade patterns are embroidered by hand, coordinating colors like purple, red, blue, and yellow on a black-indigo fabric base, creating a striking yet strangely harmonious contrast. On that fabric, shiny metal ornaments create sounds with movement.

But the “soul” of the outfit lies in the headdress. Sán Chỉ women wrap their hair up high, wearing a pure white scarf accented with a piece of black cloth in the middle and secured with silver pins and exquisite accessories. “This is the most recognizable feature of Sán Chỉ women. You see the scarf, you know they are Sán Chỉ; it can’t be mistaken,” Néng explained.

We quietly observed the women and grandmothers sitting on their porches, their hands deftly embroidering. They chatted as they worked. Stories of the village, of children and grandchildren’s schooling... rang out clearly. For them, this is spiritual nourishment. But more deeply, it is also a classroom without a lesson plan. Young girls sit beside them, their eyes intently following the needlework of their mothers and grandmothers. Culture is passed on so naturally, so deeply. Néng said the Sán Chỉ people here still maintain their traditions, from clothing to food. They understand that this is their root, what distinguishes them from other ethnic groups. And that is also their most “precious capital.”

If the Sán Chỉ culture is the “soul” of Huổi Thanh 1, then nature is its exquisite “body.” The second “precious capital” that Néng proudly showed us was the 20-hectare terraced field. Amidst the surrounding majestic mountains and forests, the Huổi Thanh 1 field appears like a giant watercolor painting. During the ripe rice season, that painting is colored a brilliant gold. The fields curve softly, resting on each other, running from the mountainside down to the edge of the stream. They are like golden silk ribbons shimmering in the sun, making it difficult for anyone to look away.

In the ripe rice season, Huổi Thanh 1 is not only beautiful, but also fragrant. The smell of new rice, of straw, of the sun, mingling with the cool highland air, creates a strange sense of peace. “During the golden season, it’s very beautiful for tourists to come here and take pictures. We want to hold the tourists’ feet, we want them to see the beauty of labor, the connection of the people here with this nature,” Néng said.

The main road is open, the unique culture is still preserved, and the natural landscape is beautiful. These three factors of “heaven’s timing, earth’s advantage, and human harmony” are converging in Huổi Thanh 1. And people like Đặng Văn Néng do not want their “gem” to sleep any longer. Néng shared: “We really want to do community tourism. We can’t do it on a large scale right away, but in the near future, we can renovate our houses to create homestays. At the same time, we will also set up check-in points at the terraced fields, organize tours for guests to visit the stream, go camping, experience the special-use forest, and enjoy traditional Sán Chỉ dishes. The commune’s orientation is also that if we do community tourism, we will plant two rice crops to serve visitors...”

The potential has been identified, and the people’s aspiration has been lit. What they need now is direction, support in skills, capital, and a methodical strategy to turn that potential into an asset. Speaking with us, Nguyễn Tiến Thành, Chairman of the Nậm Kè commune People’s Committee, affirmed: “Huổi Thanh 1 is one of the villages in Nậm Kè commune with great potential for developing community tourism. The natural landscape is still pristine and majestic, and especially the culture of the Sán Chỉ people is very well preserved, almost intact.”

“The commune’s orientation for the near future is to coordinate with professional agencies, first of all, to survey and plan the spots where tourism can be developed. At the same time, the commune is also guiding economic development for the people, such as planting tea, macadamia, and coffee... The goal is to build Huổi Thanh 1 into an ideal destination, a community tourism model that both helps people escape poverty sustainably and preserves their unique cultural identity,” added Thành.

We left Huổi Thanh 1 as the afternoon sun began to cast a honey-gold glow on the mountainsides. The sound of Sán Chỉ voices and laughter still echoed from the porches. Sitting in the car, we briefly thought that Huổi Thanh 1 is currently like a beautiful maiden asleep in the forest. The problem now is how to let that “maiden” step out into the world confidently while still retaining her original, pristine charm. Developing tourism without ruining the culture, without destroying the landscape, that is the difficult path, but it is the only path for Huổi Thanh 1 to “become a gem.” And we believe, with the aspiration of people like Néng and the companionship of the government, the day Huổi Thanh 1 becomes a bright spot on the tourism map is not far off.