The Pioneer Who “Awakened” Mai Chau’s Tourism Potential

After graduating with a degree in English from Hoa Binh Teachers’ College, Ms. Ha Thi Huong from Mai Chau Commune, Phu Tho Province, worked as a tour guide and restaurant manager. After 7 years, she decided to shift her career to community-based tourism. Her entrepreneurial journey has since become an inspiration for many local residents.

Ms. Huong with international visitors exploring Mai Chau.

In June 2017, recognizing the potential of Thai ethnic culture and traditional weaving in Mai Chau, Ms. Huong established Little Mai Chau Homestay. She identified her target market as young European travelers who prefer booking directly through online platforms rather than travel agencies. This strategy proved successful.

Just 6 months after opening, her homestay achieved a high daily occupancy rate. Building on that success, she expanded the business with 2 traditional stilt houses and 6 bungalows to better serve visitors.

Ms. Huong's homestay has become a favorite among international guests thanks to its creativity and close connection with nature.

Beyond accommodation, Ms. Huong actively promotes local culture. Experience-based tours, such as cycling to explore Nhot Village, learning traditional weaving, or joining cooking classes for bamboo rice, have drawn strong interest, particularly from foreign travelers. She also founded a traditional weaving group to showcase handicrafts and create stable employment for many local women.

To attract more visitors, Ms. Huong quickly embraced social media promotion. Her homestay now provides regular jobs for 3 local workers and collaborates with 5 others as guides and weavers, helping to increase incomes for the local people.

Viet Lam