Sa Pa's Tourism Development

It goes without question that tourism development alters the places where it occurs. How it alters these places and whether the results are positive or negative depend largely on how the complexity of development is managed. From a sustainability standpoint, tourism development occurring in an “ideal way” will result in widespread economic benefits for the local community, and tourism that doesn't degrade the local/natural environment or the well-being of the local people. The question is: what factors cause a destination to transform in a way that allows it to achieve these ideals?

The Sa Pa region of northern Vietnam is one that changed immensely through tourism development. Since the early 1900s when the French utilized Sa Pa as a holiday destination for the military, the area has experienced fluctuating levels of tourism. In the late 1940's visitation was halted completely when the region was attacked by Viet Minh. It wasn't until the 1990s that it picked up again, and is now showing little sign of slowing down.

The construction of a new hotels in Sa Pa town.

When you go to Sa Pa today, the “hustle and bustle” that comes along with tourism development is visible across all corners of town. One major enabler of the tourism industry’s growth is the recent addition of a national expressway that was built in 2014. Cutting the journey from Hanoi to Lao Cai (Sa Pa’s closest major city) in half, the new route has resulted in a steady influx of domestic tourists who travel to the mountain town on weekend getaways.

In addition to the growing weekend crowds, other signs of development are very noticeable. The construction of several large hotels is underway throughout the town, a new cable car is now operating on Mount Fanispan, and more and more locals from the surrounding villages are opening up homestays. On top of all this, a new domestic airport to serve Sa Pa has been proposed.

So, as Sa Pa town and the surrounding villages enter this new phase of tourism development, the question remains: what steps need to be taken in order to ensure that this development occurs in a way that is sustainable from environmental, socio-cultural and economic standpoints? Many believe that a community-based approach to tourism (one that is advocated by our team at CBT Vietnam), where the development is managed collectively by the local people is the optimum approach to sustainable tourism development.

It is our hope that as this region’s tourism industry continues to grow, that the local people from both the town and the surrounding villages will be able to work together using a community-based approach to achieve tourism development that is truly sustainable.

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The Homestay Development in Sapa

A visit to the local tour operators in Hanoi revealed that the current tourism development in Sapa is lacking clear structure. Sapa is facing an increase in tourist visitations, but with the lack of facilities and amenities, the region is slowly reaching its capacity and becoming overcrowded. The tour operators in Hanoi have been seeing the rapidly increasing demand for homestays, but as many homes do not meet the criteria of the tour operators, they are not considered for their clients. Simultaneously, some villagers are not motivated to upgrade their homes, because they had yet to witness the influx of tourists in the village themselves; this creates a problematic catch-22 situation.

Meeting with Mr. Hoang Nguyen, HandSpan Travel IndoChina

Mr. Hoang Nguyen, the Vice Director of HandSpan Travel Indochina shared that his experiences working with the local women of Sapa have been positive- but not without its own set of challenges. He has the drive to work directly with the locals there, because it helped him create authentic experiences for his clients, and because it also helped enrich the lives of the local community. According to Mr. Hoang, he felt that enforcing modern living standards and infrastructure in the homes would challenge the truly authentic village experience. To quote him, “the soul of the homestay is important”.  

Late last summer, our CBT Vietnam project linked the Hmong women of Lao Chai with the tour operators of Hanoi, by bringing a small group of women to the big city. One of the women's meetings was with HandSpan Travel Indochina. When they met with Mr. Hoang’s company, the representatives liked the women's proposal and took the opportunity to form a business partnership with them. Unfortunately, he still struggles to meet the demand of his clients, because there wasn’t enough developed homestays. He felt that HandSpan simply required more support from larger tour operators to affect real change. In fact, he has already tried calling the big players to encourage them to work with the locals more, and use local services (like staying at homestays and eating traditional home cooked meals). He believes that those companies can and should assist with the development because they possess a larger client base and expertise.

In the village of TaPhin, Lao Cai, Vietnam

Looking into the future, the homestay owners still need some support from companies to develop the structures and systems needed for a tourist destination to thrive. If both parties can come together and form a synergetic relationship, then the goal can be accomplished and the needs of both parties can be met.

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How to Survive your First Day in Hanoi

How to Survive your First Day in Hanoi

It was our first day in Hanoi and Justina and I were keen to get up early and explore the city. The night before, Chris recommended an early morning walk to the lake. "It is about 5-10 minutes from here. It’s really easy to get to, just go down the street and take a right, then follow the big one-way road right to the lake,” said Chris

“Perfect, thanks Chris!” Justina and I replied in unison.

As self-proclaimed “seasoned travelers”, an early morning stroll to the lake was going to be a breeze for us…or so we thought. Once we reached the lake, it didn’t take long for us to find ourselves lost in the city of Hanoi. Relying solely on Google maps and the advice of well-meaning (but non-English speaking) locals, we attempted to navigate our way from the lake, back to the hostel.

 Trúc Bạch Lake, Vietnam

After 30 minutes of wrong turns and following our Google map through a sea of motorbikes with no familiar landmarks in sight, the panic began to set in. With every new street appearing identical to the last and only 10 minutes until our morning meeting, we began to worry that we may never find our hostel. Luckily we were able to catch a ride with a cyclo driver who (eventually) got us where we needed to be. In hindsight, there are many lessons to be learned from getting lost in a new city. Here are ours:

1. Bring a physical map

Google maps can be a great resource for making your way around a new city, but following a little dot on a small screen can prove to be challenging in certain situations, especially when walking through side streets or paths off the beaten track. If you are keen on using Google maps, make sure to have a physical map on you, and have your destinations plotted in advance. This can help with avoiding mishaps like the one we had today on our mini-adventure.

2. Know the local language

When traveling to a new country where the local language is not your native tongue, communication is key to a smooth experience. Understanding basic words and phrases, including directions, can prevent you from miscommunications that could lead you in the wrong direction. You’ll be surprised at how much time and energy you can save by knowing how to say phrases like “where can I find...” or “I want to go to...”.

3. Agree on your price before getting on the cyclo

Riding a Cyclo in Vietnam

Our cyclo driver today happened to be extremely kind and honest, but that may not always be the case. When travelling in countries where bartering is commonplace, proceed with caution by agreeing on a price with your driver before jumping into any vehicle. This will ensure that you are not left to pay a hefty price for a short journey.

4. Take a photo of the intersecting street signs near your hostel/hotel.

Street Signs in Vietnam 

If there was one thing that saved us today, it was having a photo of the intersecting street signs that were near our hostel. Our cyclo driver was not familiar with the name of our hostel, and could not identify the location by referring to Google maps, so having a picture of the intersection where our hostel was located, really helped him get us home.

5. Look both ways before crossing the street, and then look again!

Crossing the street in Hanoi is like playing a real life game of frogger. With motorcycles and taxis coming at you in both directions, the only way to get around the city without getting hit is by “just going for it”.  Saying this, the keys tips that we learned are:

1.     Look both ways before you go

2.     Walk slowly

3.     Walk in a straight line, and;

4.     Don’t hesitate or change your pace

You may find that you will get honked at a lot, but rest assured that more often than not, the drivers just want to inform you that they are there. In Hanoi, traffic lights are a rarity and traffic rules are more like guidelines, and the road is alive! Make sure you pay close attention!

6. Stay calm

Staying calm was a key factor in us getting back to our hostel. Getting lost in a foreign city can be extremely stressful and it is easy to panic when you encounter difficult or confusing situations. If you do find yourself in an unpleasant situation, take a few deep breaths, and then stop to assess the problem. Sometimes, our adrenaline can make the issue appear worse than it is. By stabilizing your mental and emotional state, you’ll be able to make better judgments and get yourself out of sticky situations.

7. Cake for breakfast is always a good idea!

Eating Cake in Hanoi, Vietnam

In a moment of calm during the storm, we stopped for some delicious cake from a local bakery. So, this isn’t really a lesson, but our last piece of advice is to enjoy your trip! If you don’t normally divulge in sweets, this is the time to do it! What happens in Hanoi stays in Hanoi…except those extra few pounds, you’re probably going to take that back home with you. So I guess the moral of the story here is that, when in doubt, eat some cake!

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First Day in the Villages

The train from Hanoi to Lao Cai was quite the experience. We all slept like babies from the rocking of the train. However, at one point I was awoken by heavy swaying and I could have sworn we were going to tip off the tracks. Luckily, though, we did not and slowly fell off to sleep again.

At 5:30 am, we hear knocking on the doors all down the train car letting us know that we are arriving! My first thought of the scenery of this region was that of amazement. The expansiveness of the rolling mountain hills covered in rice patties along the winding roads was pretty spectacular, which trust me it only got better.

When we arrived to Sapa it was the beginning of a national holiday in Vietnam. Right away we could tell that this is a hot spot for the local tourists. It was only 7:00 am and the streets were already crowded with Vietnamese vacationers walking below the french style buildings Sapa is famous for. We dropped off our bags at the beautiful, recently renovated Mountainview Backpacker’s Hostel, and headed up the hill for a delicious breakfast.

After, Chris rounded us up with some Xeoms (motorbike taxis) to take us to check out all of the villages that the CBT Vietnam project has worked with over the years. We had wind in our hair, winding down the steep mountainous roads that overlook one of the most beautiful places. Can’t get much better than that!

The group then pulled into Tavan for our first lunch in a village, and do they ever cook amazing food. Usually, the meals in the villages consists of rice, a few different types of protein and some veggies. As well as, the best spring rolls! 

On this first day we opted to save Lao Chai for the following day as we would be there all week. Tonight was all about Ta Phin and checking out how our most recently completed phase of CBT Vietnam’s project is doing. We stayed at the lovely Ly May Lai’s home with her husband, their 3-yr old baby, along with a few other trekkers. Her and husband built a beautiful new home that can be easily recognized by its bright red roof. We were pleased to see that when they planned the construction of their new home they kept it inline with the traditional Red Dao homes. This shows that they understand the importance of their culture and keeping their home authentic if they want to sustain their tourism business. The evening continued with many laughs and jokes were shared over dinner and plenty of rice wine. 

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The Journey of a Lifetime Continues!

 After 3 days in the busy capital of Hanoi, the CBT Vietnam team has finally arrived in SaPa!

With all of our supplies, luggage, and filming equipment, we hopped on an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. We all forgot about the rough 10 hour ride once we woke up with breathtaking views, cool weather, and refreshing smell of the mountainous area of Northern Vietnam.  What a change from the humidity of overcrowded Hanoi!

Once we arrived in the town, we checked into the beautiful SaPa Eden Hotel. While we waited for our rooms to be ready, the team headed to the rooftop restaurant for breakfast. It also gave us the chance to finally snap our own photos of this magical landscape!

For the next 10 days, the team will be staying in TaPhin and Lao Chai working on different projects, including homestay training, product development, and environmental training for kids.

We are all very eager to connect with the community and deliver the training we have been working on these past few months. Everyone is excited to stay in the homestays and build lifetime memories with the locals.

Did you know the project now has Instagram? Follow us at http://instagram.com/cbtvietnam!

Stay tuned with the CBT Vietnam blog and social media channels for more details on our work in the villages!

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3 Successful Days In Hanoi

We have been in Hanoi for only 3 days and have had great success! Here's a quick synopsis of what we've been up to and who've we met.

We met with the dedicated Hanoi Open University volunteers who gave us a very warm welcome and who we look forward to getting to know even better as we travel to Sapa to work hand in hand on the CBT Vietnam Project both in Taphin and Lao Chai villages.

We have met with many PATA members including Jewel Tours, Buffalo Tours, 365 Travel and Hanspan Travel. who are all excited about the CBT Vietnam project. They are looking forward to meeting the Red Dao woman of Taphin to learn about their homestays and herbal bath product and look forward to sending travellers to Taphin to enjoy an unforgetable authentic village experience. Equally excited were Footprint Vietnam Travel and Little Hanoi Hostel.

We have also gathered many supplies from Hanoi's shopping streets including what is needed for the environmental lessons we will deliver to the school children in Lao Chai.

 

Tonight we take the night train to Sapa.

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Let the preparations begin

To get ready for our time in the villages we have had lots of preparation to do, both in Hanoi and in Sapa. We were joined by Trung, one of the student volunteers from Hanoi Open University (HOU), to assist us with our errands in Hanoi and smooth the language barrier. Trung and Rachael purchased supplies, and got CBT business cards printed at a local print shop. 



We got our business cards printed. Can you find Kyle Sandilands card?

We met Ms. Ngoc Anh, the project lead at HOU, to refine our itinerary and finalize our plans. We also took some time to deliver invitations to a number of tour operators for the private sector workshop that the CBT team is facilitating next weekend. 

Ms. Ngoc Anh, Jen and Nic discussing logistics

We arrived in Sapa early this morning and we're off to a great start. We went for lunch with Peter Gilbert, from Sapa O'Chau, to discuss the private sector workshop. Sapa O'Chau will be hosting the workshop next weekend in their new facility. We are currently in the process of connecting with local tour operators to follow up with them about the private sector workshop.

On the training side of things, we have been out in the community connecting with people from Ta Phin and Lao Chai to let them know we are here and that we will be delivering training and working with people in the villages this week.

 

Jen connecting with women from Lao Chai

The HOU team, Ms. Ngoc Anh, Ms. Huyen and Trang, will be taking the night train to Sapa tonight to join forces with us. From there we will be making the game plan for the next week.

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Good morning Vietnam!

 

Day 1 was packed full of adventure!



The CBT team was up bright and early to brave the rain and head to the Tamarind Café for breakfast. We were going to be in Hanoi for the next three days so we had to make a game plan. 

CBT Team spent their first night at the New Hanoi Hotel




Jen, Rachael and Nic enjoying fresh passion fruit juice at the Tamarind Cafe

After breakfast the team headed back to the hotel, packed up, and made their way to The Little Hanoi Hostel. While we were waiting to check in, we took advantage of the free tea, coffee and WiFi in the lobby! We stayed in the lobby and got right to work.

Nic working hard on getting the team organized

Then we hit the streets to find some lunch, run a few errands and exchange some money. The Old Quarter is a bustling neighbourhood with motorbikes whizzing everywhere and amazing Vietnamese street food at every corner.

Stopped for lunch to enjoy some eel soup at a popular spot.

Getting CBT Vietnam business cards printed


Our errands took us to Hoan Kiem Lake and we saw the most amazing Tet decorations. Tet is the Vietnamese New Year and is just finishing up.



Happy New year or, as they say in Vietnam, chúc mừng năm mới everyone!



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CBT Team arrives in Vietnam

After an adventurous 24 hours of traveling, the CBT Vietnam team made it to Vietnam!

Here's a recap of our travels.



Nic and Rachael showing off their new treasures from their complimentary China Southern Airlines travel kit

After some reading, lots of chatting, a few naps and some card playing, Jen was extremely excited to get noodles mid way through the flight.



Jen with her noodles!

On the plane we realized a couple glitches for our Vietnam itinerary. During our short layover in China, we scurried to make a few last minute changes. What we discovered is that you are unable to make international phone calls from within the secure area of the airport.

Without being able to use Wi-Fi without a Chinese SIM card, we definitely made some friends at the airport (and got some funny looks). Eventually we were able to get a wireless password from a VIP lounge with the help of a lovely Australian woman who spoke English and Mandarin.

Then Skype and Chris Carnovale saved the day...

Once we landed in Vietnam we had an adventurous cab ride to our hostel and an hour later we arrived at the Old Quarter. When we stepped out of the cab our senses were overwhelmed by the life of the city. The noise of all the people hanging out and eating street food, the new smells, the motor bikes zipping by...we had arrived.

By 3am it was time for some shut eye. Tomorrow is a new day and there's lots of work to be done to prepare for our journey to Sa Pa.

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Anyone up for a train ride?

Have you ever been on an overnight train through beautiful, exotic countryside?

Have you ever wanted to travel this way?

Well I most definitely have.

This is one of those things I've dreamed of my whole life, like many people, and in just a few short weeks it's finally going to happen. If you’ve read Nic’s recent blog post you’ll know that we will be travelling from Hanoi to Lao Cai by overnight train and then on to Sapa for the Capilano U / PATA Foundation tourism training project.

We'll be buying our tickets from Footprint Vietnam Travel, an amazing company who was started in 1999, by two entrepreneurial students from Hanoi Open University.  Footprint has become known for taking you “off the beaten path” to truly experience the culture and what Vietnam is all about. They have also been touted as a leader in responsible tourism What ever type of trip you're looking for they offer; cruise tours, trekking tours, cycling tours, community based tours, volunteer tours and so much more! 

Maybe Footprint Vietnam Travel can make your travelling dreams come true too?

Thanks Footprint for your continued support of the project and in the villages! 

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Setting a plan, charting a course...

I have been working on the itinerary for the February trip the last couple of days. For those who are curious I will give you the Coles notes, and include a bit of info about each place that we have an opportunity to visit.

The trip begins with two days in Hanoi. A hustling, bustling city the architecture has been described to me as a blend of French Colonial and traditional Vietnamese styles. Tree lined boulevards abound and reflect Hanoi's history as the capital of French Indochina. The food sounds amazing, and reading Rachael's blog about her first pho experience had my tummy rumbling. One of my favorite things about travel is experiencing the food. I can't wait to cram in as many new dishes as possible.

It's not all play, though. There is work to be done: obtaining supplies for our modules, exchanging money at a jewellery store, meeting with the folks at Footprint Vietnam Travel to get tickets, and recovering (at least trying) from the travel are just a few of the tasks from a long list that need to be checked off to ensure that the trip is a success. We'll be doing this work with the HOU student volunteers, relying on them to help us navigate the city streets.

From Hanoi we travel by overnight train to Lao Cai. The town is located on the border with China, and is an extremely important border crossing and economic link with China. Depending on the weather we might be able to spy Hekou on the Chinese side of the border. We do not have time to linger, as we have a bus to catch to Sapa.

Sapa, I am told, is like a central hub to the smaller villages of Lao Chai, Ta Phin (both to the North), and Ta Van (South)  This link will take you to a map to provide some context. Sapa was established by the French as a hill station in 1922, although it has a history which is barely documented going back to at least the 15th century.

We will be spending two days in Sapa, and this is where the real work begins for our PATA Foundation funded project. We will be prepping for the workshops we will be running. The prep work involves: inviting the private sector operators, figuring out food, and crossing the T's and dotting the I's.

Check back for part two of this blog, where I'll get into the CBT Vietnam activities we will be engaging in in the villages of Ta Phin and Lao Chai.

Bye for now...

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The Past 72 Hours - A Filmmaker’s Perspective

The past 72 hours has seen our second film, When the Village was Heard for the CBT Vietnam project erupt with views, shares and support from around the world; and, it’s been an exciting thing to witness as a filmmaker.  I suppose it’s a bit like watching your kid leave home and head off to college.  You’re not really sure what people will make of your son or daughter; whether it’ll stand out and make you proud, or if it will simply go out and slip into the crowds of videos that make up YouTube.  (A recent stat says that 48 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute - nearly eight years of content every day!!)

With this second video, we really tried to make the focus less about the Canadian/Vietnamese group delivering the training, and more about the women telling their story in their own words.  As Dao language is their native tongue, it made sense to do as many of the interviews with the women in Dao as possible, sometimes creating the need to double translate from English to Vietnamese to Dao.  A big thank you has to go Ly Lo May who spent several hours going through the video in the editing room (which in this film’s case, happened to be various coffee shops in Hanoi), helping translate the Dao language into English.

Hearing the women speak in their own language, confidently and comfortably, is something that, as a filmmaker, I’m most proud of with this new video.  We took great strides to make sure the translations were accurate, and it’s a fascinating language to listen to - very different than Vietnamese or other South Asian languages.  Dao is an oral language, one that cannot be written on paper, and it has become something that I’d like to pretend that I’m unintentionally learning, after watching and listening to the footage for hours upon hours.

I lived in Hanoi for three months this past spring where the majority of this video was edited.  Living in the Old Quarter of Hanoi in a hotel room without A/C was an experience I’ll never forget, and I have many thanks for the cool floor tiles, and the electric fan that saved my life and kept the MacBook Pro alive and running fine.

Cutting a video down from the hours and hours of raw content into its current length is never an easy task, and like the first video, there were a lot of ideas and issues to get across in a six-minute piece.  The goal for this video was to show the progress that has been made as a result of the project training through the eyes of the Dao women.  We also wanted to show the great risks that the women are taking in order to build tourism in their village.  Chao Ta May, for example, has invested 75 million Vietnamese dong, roughly $3700 USD to make improvements to her homestay.  If tourism dries up, she and her family have a very real problem.

Topics such as the successes of the temporary community market and how it’s providing a place for the elderly women to sell were important to showcase.   Of course we also wanted to feature the tour operators meeting the Dao women in Sapa, the cooperation between the government, private organizations and Capilano University and Hanoi OpenUniversity.  And we wanted to set up how training is beginning to take shape in the neighboring Black H’mong community of Lao Chai.

This last week has been an exciting one.  And as we approach 1000 hits, I have a lot of people to thank.  Bill Thumm, probably first and foremost, for thinking of me and putting me in touch with Chris Bottril and Chris Carnovale in a last minute meeting to have a videographer film what became When the Tourists Come. Last year’s video had us borrowing a lot of camera equipment from the Bosa Centre for Film and Animation on incredible short notice (72 hours!!)  Chris Curran-Dorsano and the rest of the studio team did a great job in hooking us up with gear, and I was very happy to be able to bring it back in one piece..  Sorry about the mud guys.

Many thanks need to go to the team members on the each of the project trips I’ve been a part of now  (three so far!).  Helping schlepp gear around Hanoi and in the villages, rounding up interviewees and simply working out logistics to make my job easier are all big reasons for the videos turning out the way they do.  And it’s that unseen help that is so important in this style of small-unit documentary filmmaking.  And a shout-out to Capri Studios and composer Luke Dunn for the great work on the original music created specifically for this video. 

Thank you to the PATA Foundation, the generosity of whom is now being seen all around the world.   

Thanks also have to go to the women themselves, for allowing me into their homes and to interview them on camera.  They are fantastic, and when you put them in front of the camera and attach the mic to their lapels, they have the same kind of nervousness and pre-interview jitters as anyone else.  But they did a great job of speaking on camera, better than many English-speaking interviewees I’ve interviewed here in Canada.

To get the kind of international exposure in making videos such as these, and to be able to travel and see another side of the world and it’s unique and remarkable culture, is something that has absolutely changed my perspective.

To get to know and befriend the Dao women, to be able to go inside their homes and document their incredible stories has been a tremendous privilege, and an absolute pleasure to be a part of.  It’s hard work.  Mentally, physically and psychologically challenging.  You’re in a place where extreme poverty is all around you, and it’s something you absolutely must be able to adapt to.

But I have no regrets in being a part of these videos and I can only hope that there are more projects like these around the corner.  More stories to be told.  More long days of editing in foreign countries in air-conditioning-less hotels.

It’s been a fantastic project to be a part of, and I hope people enjoy the videos and find themselves wanting to learn more about what’s going on in the CBT Vietnam universe. Thanks again for joining us over the last 72 hours, as we launch this video, and share what so many have been a part of. 

Cheers,

Kyle

www.kylesandilands.ca

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Many Thanks to our Friends in Hanoi!

Two days of meetings have been highly productive in the Hanoi Old Quarter for our CBT group. Ta Phin entrepreneurs have met with numerous private tour operators. We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest thanks to following companies that have hosted us over the past two days:

• Buffalo Tours
• The Responsible Travel Club of Vietnam
• Hanoi Backpacker Hostel

Tonight the women will be participating in a Cultural Night hosted by the Sofitel Metropole. Then tomorrow the meetings will continue as we meet with the Hanoi chapter of Handspan.

The women are learning about the expectations and clientele of the tour operators. The experience has been valuable and enlightening to the Ta Phin entrepreneurs, whom as a group are ready to entertain the idea of packaged tourism to the villages.

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Phase 2 begins: First trip starts in 4 days!

The CBT Vietnam slogan for this month is: "if you're not running, something is wrong!" We're joking, of course! But seriously, Phase 2 of the PATA Foundation funded project in Northern Viet Nam is underway and it is going to be a busy one!

Returning to Vietnam will be Dr. Chris Bottrill, Dean of Global and Community Studies at Capilano University, Instructor Stephanie Wells, and students Jase Wilson and Taryn Bodrug. Once again we will be joined by Ms. Ngoc Anh (Vice Dean of the tourism faculty at Hanoi Open University - HOU) as well as a team of HOU student volunteers.

It is going to be an exiting, ground-breaking trip for our learners and community leaders in Ta Phin. We will be working on the following:

• facilitation of a business trip for 12 entrepreneurs to the big city of Hanoi;
• here our entrepreneurs will meet with private tourism companies to begin:
• partnerships will be created;
• and, negotiations will ensue.

Tourists to the region would usually book a hill tribe trekking tour that lands them in Sa Pa -visiting villages such as Ta Phin and Lao Chai for merely an hour or two. The home-stay operators from Ta Phin are collectively working towards creating packaged experiences where tour guides bring visitors directly to Ta Phin home-stays. This will be a fantastic development for our home-stay owners and the village of Ta Phin. 

In the village of Lao Chai, the CBT team will continue delivering training on entry level skills. Our goal is to help residents of Lao Chai to increase their capacity to pursue their own brand of successful community based tourism. This is not cut paste here - what works in Ta Phin can serve as a model for success but every case is different. The CBT team will sample what Lao Chai has to offer and connect with local stakeholders.

Our whirl wind two week schedule will start on Thursday September 27th and end October the 9th, 2012. Readers will not want to miss out on what is happening! Over the next few weeks we will be releasing new media and performing regular trip updates. 

So get onto twitter @CBTvietnam and facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cbtvietnam, let us know what you think! We want to hear your voice!

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Spotlight: Lo May

It has been an amazing experience being connected with the Sapa villages as we all learn and grow together. One journey that we have had the opportunity watch is Lo May's. Today Lo May can be found in Hanoi, building up her resume as a tourism profesional, and preparing to make a move to Canada to continue her studies.

When we first met Lo May, she was running between her classes at the Taphin elementary school and the CBT Vietnam training sessions. Back then, she told us that she planned to become a singer when she grew up, and would often share her love for singing with traditional songs.

Lo May has had an tough adolescence. When her father passed away her responsibilities to her mother and family became so significant that she almost had to stop going to elementary school. Determined to finish school, it was double-duty for young Lo May.

Lo May has gained a reputation as a youth leader in her village. She has volunteered for NGOs such as Oxfam. She also gained a scholarship to go to highschool at the Vietnam-Laos Friendship School. Since graduation Lo May has become a local tour guide, and a key village trainer and interpreter for the CBT Vietnam project. You can catch what Lo May had to say about tourism and her village in the short film "When the tourists come."

Last year, Capilano University awarded Lo May with a scholarship to attend school in Canada. The scholarship will see that Lo May studies in Capilano University's International Student's Tourism Management Diploma Program. Her years as an undergrad will start this September.

Most recently, Lo May moved to Hanoi to try and gain experience working in Vietnam's growing tourism industry. She has secured a job working with a 3 star hotel group in Hanoi's Old Quarter as a receptionist at one, and as a concierge at another. Within her first week Lo May was making record sales!

When asked Lo May will say that she has learned a lot from the CBT project, especially when it comes to what she knows about tourism. She is excited for new opportunities, and plans to move into the kitchen as soon as she can. Not to leave her other positions, but to work all three! She currently starts at 7:00am working as a receptionist, has lunch, then moves to the second hotel to sell tours and transportation services till 10:00pm 6 days a week.

Lo May is one youth leader from Taphin village that we will be watching as she continues her exciting journey!

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