Ha Giang, Vietnam – Tour operator Local Vietnam has introduced a series of traditional craft workshops held within functioning Hmong and Dao family homes at its Ha Giang Aya Lodge. This effort is designed to funnel tourism earnings into the highland villages situated along the Ha Giang Loop, a motorbike route that has gained immense popularity across Southeast Asia over the last ten years but generates minimal financial benefit for the communities it traverses.
Currently, the bulk of the revenue produced by this well-known circuit is taken by companies operating out of Hanoi or Ha Giang City. To counteract this disparity, Local Vietnam’s new offering spotlights six traditional crafts still practiced locally: collecting and hand-weaving flax, making beeswax batik combined with indigo dyeing, embroidery by Red Dao artisans using forest-herb dyes, brewing corn wine over a wood fire with leaf yeast, producing incense from forest bark blends, and cooking at the family hearth. Households that take part receive direct payment for welcoming visitors.
In contrast to typical demonstration venues, these experiences occur inside active family residences, with their availability changing according to the local farming schedule. Corn wine is prepared solely following the maize harvest, and flax work happens exclusively during its season.
"Most craft experiences in Vietnam are built for the visitor," said Marnick Schoonderwoerd, co-owner of Local Vietnam, who runs the lodge alongside his wife, Nhung Phung. "A room is set up, someone performs the craft, everyone photographs it and leaves. That is not what happens here. If the season is wrong, the workshop does not run. It sounds like a commercial weakness, but it is the only version that is real.”
Cultural Heritage on a UNESCO Global Geopark
Ha Giang Aya Lodge is situated in Sung Trai, a village on the Dong Van Karst Plateau. This area has been designated a UNESCO Global Geopark, a status that explicitly acknowledges the local inhabitants alongside its geological formations. UNESCO’s framework points to sustainable tourism and education as key avenues for protecting cultural identity and improving local livelihoods in this region.
The geopark is home to 17 ethnic groups, some of which have resided on the plateau for 500 to 800 years. Hmong communities make up more than 60 percent of the population, representing the largest Hmong group in Vietnam. Beyond the plateau’s limestone gorges and 550-million-year geological history, UNESCO records a varied collection of local crafts, oral traditions, festivals, and musical customs.
However, many of these traditional crafts are in decline as younger people increasingly move to lowland cities for paid work. Local Vietnam’s direct-payment model seeks to make keeping these traditional abilities economically viable for local households.
"When a craft earns nothing, it becomes a hobby for old people and then it disappears," said Duong Phung, co-director of Local Vietnam and manager at Ha Giang Aya Lodge. "When it earns money, daughters learn it from their mothers. That is the whole idea. We are not preserving anything. The families are. We are making it worth their time.”
About Ha Giang Aya Lodge
Ha Giang Aya Lodge opened in early 2026 with 14 rooms and is staffed almost entirely by residents from nearby villages, who receive set wages as well as English language and hospitality training. The lodge is positioned within an active working village rather than a converted homestay area. Following administrative changes in 2025, the province was combined into Tuyen Quang, but the region’s famous travel route still carries the Ha Giang name.
The lodge provides year-round cultural day tours in addition to seasonal craft workshops. Guided walks into Sung Trai and neighboring valleys run from April through June and September through November.
For more information, visit localvietnam.com.
About Local Vietnam
Local Vietnam is an independent travel company specializing in custom and private itineraries throughout Vietnam. Founded by Marnick Schoonderwoerd and Nhung Phung, the company has operated in the region for over a decade and publishes travel guides in English, Dutch, and German. Local Vietnam owns and operates 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
