Western tourists come to Vietnam to travel, enjoy weeding, cooking pig feed, and plowing with buffaloes.

In early December, Mr. Jean Louis (born 1957, from France) and his wife, Mrs. Marcelle, had a 4-day, 3-night trip to Phu Tho, stopping at Nhoi village, Long Coc commune, Tan Son district.

Here, they had interesting experiences that are “rare and hard to find in the West”. These include learning to make wine, picking leaves to make five-color sticky rice, leading buffaloes to plow…

“Ban Nhoi is hidden at the foot of Dragon Mountain with about 60 households and 300 people who are Muong people. Because of its isolated location, this place still retains its wild beauty and traditional lifestyle.

This is also what many foreign tourists are looking for, so they enjoy visiting and experiencing the daily life of the locals, especially the local agricultural activities," said photographer Ut Muoi, who accompanied Mr. Jean Louis and his wife.

The photographer said that during their 4 days exploring Long Coc, the 2 French tourists spent half of their schedule visiting the scenic spots around the area.

The rest of the time, they prioritize experiencing the daily life of the indigenous people, through cooking and participating in typical agricultural activities.

Mr. Ha Van Long - the host of the house where Mr. Jean Louis and Mrs. Marcelle stayed said that the two Western guests like to immerse themselves in the local life.

Instead of booking a room in a fully-equipped homestay, they chose to "eat and sleep together" with Mr. Long's family, experience the stilt house and enjoy traditional Vietnamese meals.

“We cook rustic meals with some typical dishes to welcome foreign guests such as fried chicken, stir-fried goose, grilled duck, etc. Their requests and tastes are simple, so cooking is not difficult. After finishing the meal, the guests all praised the deliciousness and said they liked the warm family atmosphere,” said Mr. Ha Thanh Luan (34 years old) – Mr. Long’s son.

In addition to preparing meals and accommodation, his family also acts as tour guides, taking visitors to some unique destinations in the area and introducing them to rural work such as plowing, weeding, picking tea, etc.

The evening before the guests left, Mr. Luan and the locals organized a performance, inviting visitors to dance, sing and take pictures, thereby spreading the unique beauty of traditional culture.

After nearly 5 years of connecting and spreading community tourism models in many northern provinces, photographer Ut Muoi assessed that Long Coc commune in particular and Phu Tho province in general have a lot of potential for "green economy".

“Many foreign tourists have come here because they want to experience rural life in Vietnam such as farming, weeding, and picking vegetables. These activities help them understand more about the diligence, hard work, and solidarity of the Vietnamese community,” photographer Ut Muoi shared.

According to this photographer, while Asian visitors (mostly photographers) often come to Long Coc to hunt clouds and take landscape photos, European and American visitors want to learn about local customs and living habits as well as wet rice agriculture.

“They are used to industrial activities and machinery, so they feel strange and excited when they lead buffaloes, carry plows to the fields, pull weeds, or even chop vegetables, cook bran for pigs to eat…”, he added.