Huổi Nhả is home to 34 Hmông households. With its isolated mountainous terrain, residents have traditionally relied on subsistence farming and livestock raising. Life has been difficult: phone signals are unstable, and access to the internet for learning and information in the digital era remains very limited.

Despite lacking information, experience, and knowledge in tourism development, Huổi Nhả was the first village of the former Mường Chà district to come together with unanimous determination: 100 percent of households joined hands to build and develop tourism.

According to village head Lầu A Khai, Huổi Nhả began its tourism development in 2021 after villagers met, discussed, and agreed that all households would contribute labor and resources. To attract visitors to experience the natural scenery, traditional culture, and local life, the village pooled its forest environmental service payments into a common fund. This was used to build and improve landscapes such as rest huts, stone arrangements for photo spots along the stream, and a weekend market every Friday and Saturday with nearly 10 stalls. The solidarity of villagers created a destination that could offer food, sightseeing, and leisure for locals and visitors alike.

In early September, as the rainy season ended, Huổi Nhả bustled with activity: people repairing houses and improving landscapes. At the gate of each home, familiar tools and objects such as Mông bamboo flutes, hammers, sickles, and sheaves of rice were displayed, each household with its own unique decoration, expressing both warmth and Mông cultural identity.

Huổi Nhả mainly welcomes tourists during the dry season and around New Year. On average, the village receives about 10 groups per month, ranging from 5 to 60 visitors each. Services offered include food preparation, dining, fishing, net casting, damming streams to catch fish, shopping, and enjoying specialties at the village market.

Resident Lầu A Minh shared: “In the past, livestock raising was mostly for family needs. Thanks to tourism, our agricultural products are now in demand and we no longer worry about selling them. On average, my family sells 30-40 kilograms of chicken meat per month for visitors. Other farm products are also sold through tourism services, creating significant income for our household economy.”

Community-based tourism is built upon cultural and natural values that local communities themselves manage and organize. In Huổi Nhả, aside from common contributions, each household has its own development direction, from supplying food to selling handicrafts or providing dining services, avoiding overlap and conflicts of interest, while ensuring that every household becomes a link in the chain of tourism services and benefits from it.

Lầu A Tủa explained: “Each household has its own conditions and strengths, so we discuss together what type of tourism product or service fits best. My family has a house we don’t use regularly, so in village meetings I decided to develop it into a homestay. Once the national power grid arrives, our homestay and others will add essential equipment to welcome guests who want to stay overnight while exploring the Mông culture of Huổi Nhả.”

The “tourism season” has now come to Huổi Nhả. With the national electricity grid soon lighting up the village, together with the warmth of hospitable people and the beauty of pristine landscapes, Huổi Nhả is ready to welcome visitors seeking authentic upland experiences.