Ha Giang, Vietnam – Tour operator Local Vietnam has introduced a series of traditional craft sessions held within active Hmong and Dao homes at its Ha Giang Aya Lodge. The effort seeks to channel tourism earnings to the highland settlements along the Ha Giang Loop, a driving route that has grown into one of Southeast Asia’s most frequented motorbike circuits over the last ten years, yet funnels minimal income into the villages it traverses.
Currently, most of the money generated by the well-known route is retained by agencies in Hanoi or Ha Giang City. To counter this disparity, Local Vietnam’s new initiative features six traditional crafts still practiced locally: flax gathering and hand-weaving, beeswax batik combined with indigo dyeing, Red Dao embroidery utilizing forest-herb dyes, corn wine distillation over a wood flame with leaf yeast, incense crafted from forest bark, and hearth cooking inside family homes. Participating households receive direct payment for welcoming guests.
In contrast to conventional demonstration centers, these workshops occur inside functioning family dwellings, with availability changing according to the local farming calendar. Corn wine is made only once the maize harvest wraps up, and flax processing happens strictly during its season.
“Most craft experiences in Vietnam are designed for the tourist,” remarked Marnick Schoonderwoerd, co-owner of Local Vietnam, who runs the lodge alongside his wife, Nhung Phung. “A room is arranged, someone demonstrates the craft, everyone takes photos and leaves. That is not what happens here. If the season is off, the workshop does not take place. It may seem like a business disadvantage, but it is the only version that is authentic.”
Cultural Heritage on a UNESCO Global Geopark
Ha Giang Aya Lodge is situated in Sung Trai, a hamlet on the Dong Van Karst Plateau. This area holds UNESCO Global Geopark status, a classification that formally acknowledges the local inhabitants alongside its geological formations. UNESCO’s framework highlights sustainable tourism and education as primary tools for preserving cultural identity and enhancing local livelihoods in the region.
The geopark is home to 17 ethnic groups, some of whom have resided on the plateau for 500 to 800 years. Hmong communities make up over 60 percent of the population, representing the largest Hmong concentration in Vietnam. Beyond the plateau’s limestone gorges and 550-million-year geological history, UNESCO records a diverse range of local crafts, oral traditions, festivals, and musical customs.
However, many of these traditional arts are in decline as younger individuals increasingly move to lowland cities for paid work. Local Vietnam’s direct-compensation model seeks to make sustaining these ancestral skills financially feasible for local families.
“When a craft brings no income, it turns into a pastime for the elderly and then it vanishes,” stated Duong Phung, co-director of Local Vietnam and manager of Ha Giang Aya Lodge. “When it generates money, daughters learn it from their mothers. That is the entire concept. We are not preserving anything. The families are. We are making it worth their time.”
About Ha Giang Aya Lodge
Ha Giang Aya Lodge launched in early 2026 with 14 rooms and is staffed almost entirely by locals from neighboring villages, who receive set salaries along with English and hospitality training. The lodge is embedded within a functioning village rather than a converted homestay zone. Following administrative changes in 2025, the province was merged into Tuyen Quang, though the area’s famous travel route still bears the Ha Giang name.
The lodge offers year-round cultural day excursions as well as seasonal craft workshops. Guided hikes into Sung Trai and surrounding valleys run from April through June and September through November.
For additional details, visit localvietnam.com.
About Local Vietnam
Local Vietnam is an independent travel company focused on customized and private itineraries across Vietnam. Established by Marnick Schoonderwoerd and Nhung Phung, the firm has operated in the region for more than a decade and publishes travel guides in English, Dutch, and German. Local Vietnam owns and runs Ha Giang Aya Lodge in Sung Trai along the Ha Giang Loop.
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Media contact
Company Name: Local Vietnam
Contact Person: Marnick Schoonderwoerd
Email: marnick@localvietnam.com
Website: localvietnam.com
City: Ha Giang
Country: Vietnam
