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| Farmstay Area A Nor - the sturgeon fish farm of Mr. Ho Thanh Phuong in Hong Kim commune, A Luoi |
The very first bricks
Not too long ago, whenever there was a chance to work or visit A Luoi with friends, many people hesitated due to the lack of accommodation services in the highland district. However, upon returning to A Luoi in March 2024, we couldn’t help but be surprised by the remarkable development in the quality of tourism services there.
From the intersection on the Ho Chi Minh Highway, entering the community ecotourism area of A Nor, there is a completely different vibe with dozens of charming renovated houses, sparkling electric lights, and tourism homestay signs hanging at the entrance.
Mr. Nguyen Dam, the owner of Ho Tram Homestay (Dut hamlet, Hong Kim commune), revealed that the homestay tourism model in the A Nor ecotourism area was established in 2008. At that time, the Green Truong Son project supported the Dut hamlet, Hong Kim commune with a community tourism development sub-project with a budget of 500 million Vietnamese dong.
Specifically, the project supported 3 households, including families of Ho Tram, Nhuan Thoa, and one other (now retired due to old age), to renovate their stilt houses for community tourism. Out of the 500 million dong, part of the budget was allocated to the 3 households for stilt house renovation, road construction, and garden renovation. Apart from these, most of the remaining funds were invested in technical training and tourism business guidance.
In addition, the A Luoi district People's Committee also invested in roads and technical infrastructure, and establishing the A Nor Ecotourism Cooperative. After the tourism area began to operate, the number of visitors gradually increased; and to this day, during summer periods, the number of visitors to A Nor continues to grow.
Seeing the success of the initial 3 households, now there are over 10 other households in Dut hamlet having invested their own money in renovating their houses for homestay businesses. With their homestay area, each year Mr. Nguyen Dam's family earns a stable income of about 50 million Vietnamese dong. This amount is enough to cover expenses for services and provide additional support for the family's economy.
"The amount of income may not be considerable, but it's stable. More importantly, this way of doing business helps people have jobs. In addition, during the remaining time of the year, we spend time planting forests, farming, and gardening; so, life is also stable," Mr. Nguyen Dam said.
Being impressed by A Nor tourism
Among the homestay areas in A Nor, the farm stay area at the sturgeon fish farm of Mr. and Mrs. Ho Thanh Phuong (40 years old) situated at the end of the tourist route is a well-invested tourist spot.
Here, alongside the sturgeon fish breeding ponds are stilt houses built from wood with elegantly designed and quality rooms. The farm stay area currently has 3 stilt house areas serving individual or guest group with a capacity of up to 50 people. The guest rooms are built with environmentally friendly wooden architecture, balconies, and beautiful hillside views.
Having lost his mother at the age of 12, and coming from a poor family with two younger siblings, Mr. Phuong always worried about how to turn the dry hills into an area that could generate income to support his family and educate his siblings. After graduating from high school, Mr. Phuong returned to farming and started land improvement. With his own labor, Mr. Phuong began digging ponds for fish farming.
While diligently improving his farmland, Phuong was fortunate to receive admission to a university in Ho Chi Minh city with a major in Computer Science. Leaving behind farming, Phuong eagerly pursued his university education with the desire to find stable employment in the city.
"Determining myself as a minority person, if I want to escape poverty, there is no other way except education, so from the beginning, I studied very diligently. I had to grasp the knowledge firmly wherever I studied," Ho Thanh Phuong shared.
After graduating from university, Mr. Phuong returned to A Luoi and continued to improve his farmland, digging more fish ponds, etc., take the short-term for long-term gains. In 2009, Mr. Phuong officially began working at VNPT A Luoi branch after submitting his application. Having suitable employment matching his expertise in his hometown, with a stable income as the foundation, Phuong was able to borrow money to further invest in his long-awaited farm.
Not only diligent in land improvement, Phuong also enrolled in a second-degree program in Economics at University of Economy, Hue University to supplement his business management knowledge. During this time, he also traveled to the Northwest and Dalat to study successful agricultural tourism development models in those areas.
After several failures, Phuong has now mastered the sturgeon fish farming technique from the natural waters of A Luoi. Each batch of fish farming can yield up to 1,000 juvenile fish, and after about a year of farming, he can harvest them for 300,000 Vietnamese dong/kg (for fish weighing from 1kg to 10kg). Phuong's A Luoi sturgeon fish products not only are now a specialty of the farm stay area but also have begun to appear in specialty restaurants in A Luoi, Hue City, and neighboring cities such as Quang Tri and Quang Nam.
Currently, the Farmstay Area A Nor - the sturgeon fish farm of Mr. Ho Thanh Phuong is operating steadily with an occupancy rate of 80% during the summer season (from March to August each year). The stable income has helped Phuong and his wife repay debts, continue to invest in expanding ponds, and create stable employment for 3 - 4 local people with incomes ranging from 5-8 million Vietnamese dong/person/month.
With the highlands like A Luoi, Phuong's agricultural ecotourism model is becoming a role model for many young people to study, develop their economy, establish themselves, and build their careers right on the potential of their homeland.