Who has just come back from trip to Ha Giang? I am talking to blogger Thu Hien, a good Sales Executive and Receptionist in Footprint’s front office previously and now working in the Product Department. She has just spent a one-week familiarization trip to Ha Giang, her first visit there. We had a little conversation at break-time after lunch.

Hien the first girl with tender smiling (from the right to left)

Dear Hien, you said that “Ha Giang is a place we should not miss.” Why do you say that?

Yes, we should visit it at least one time. Ha Giang’s scenery is so marvelous. 300km from Hanoi, Ha Giang is located at the highest altitude in Vietnam, and is ideal for an adventure tour. Coming here, you will have a chance to explore the most splendid limestone mountain ranges and incredible terraced paddy fields.  Many ethnic minorities, including the Dao, H’mong, Tay, and Nung, live in Ha Giang, so exploring the customs of the hill tribal people is also one of the interesting activities here.

Can you share with me what impressed you the most in Ha Giang?

I was deeply impressed by the children there. They look so cute. Their living conditions are poor, and the weather is severe, but they are still friendly and honest.  “Men men” (one kind of food made from corn meal) is considered as the main dish in their meals instead of rice every day

In your opinion, what do you think about the development of tourism in Ha Giang at present?

Ha Giang is a new destination with both natural potential and cultural treasures; but at present, the province’s tourism sector is not well developed.  However, there are ideas for a community-oriented, sustainable tourism approach by VNAT (Vietnam National Administration of Tourism). I hope, and indeed, I know that Ha Giang will become one of the destinations, which attracts very many tourists.

Do you hope that Ha Giang will develop to become the second Sapa in future?

I hope Ha Giang will attract more tourists, but not as the second Sapa. As you know, Sapa now is getting commercialized, and many tourists complain of harassment by sellers here. I hope this will not happen in Ha Giang.

A tour – Responsible Tourism in Quan Ba – Ha Giang has recently been launched. So what is meant by “Responsible Tourism”?   What plans does our Product Dept have for it?

There are many different definitions of “Responsible Tourism”. From my point of view: Responsible Tourism emphasizes the active role of the traveler in minimizing the impact her/his visit has on local society and the environment. Traveling to Ha Giang, tourists will have a chance to stay in local homes, use local products, etc. They will have more opportunities to experience local life and learn about the culture and the ecology of the area. Their activities will also help local people to improve their life.
We are planning to develop CBT (community-based tourism) in Ha Giang. We have support from Caritas (a well-known NGO), who wish to promote Sustainable Development in Ha Giang (especially in the Quan Ba District). They favor building on indigenous knowledge, which strengthens endangered cultures and sustains environmental resources, and they consider CBT one of the effective approaches to achieve that.

Similar to other trekking tours, travelers should read carefully the details about what they should bring for their trip. However, for this tour travelers should also expect a long drive from Hanoi to Ha Giang, as well as the significant time that trekking will require (4 to 5 hours per day). We are considering these possible disadvantages in order to find solutions.   If there are any ideas just let me know.

For homestay,  we should inform clients to bring insect repellent and a silk sleeping bag. I want to share with you an experience with homestay with H’mong people during my first night in Ha Giang. I did not have an adequate sleeping bag, and that is why I was badly bitten by mosquitos the whole night. I finally fell asleep for a while, then I was awakened by the noise of a machine grinding maize to feed the pigs.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me. I hope to visit Ha Giang one day. I wish you a successful career at Footprint Vietnam Travel.