PROFILE - Ly May Lai

Five years ago I befriended Ly Mai Lai. I was living in the village at the time and she was the shy girl who never really talked. I later found out that she had stopped going to school younger than the rest of the girls in her village. And, her English was almost nonexistent.

Because of her proximity to where I was staying we had the opportunity to become very good friends. In the fields, collecting wood, and at dinner, I would practise my Dao-ness, and she would be practising her English.

Today, Ly May Lai's English has become so good that she has just become a tour guide for international trekking tourists coming to Sapa. She has learned about tourists and tourism through running one of the most successful homestays in Ta Phin village.

Just after the CIDA funded Capilano University tourism capacity building project, Ly May Lai, learned from other Ta Phin homestay owners, to start her own. Her brother and father built a complementing addition onto their home; following traditional Red Dao architecture. Ly May Lai, met and networked with day-tripping tour guides and invited tourists to her house for lunch. The connections she made became business partnerships and her homestay has seen regular occupancy ever since.

She is however very busy, and especially with her new tour guiding job. This young entrepreneur has begun training her new sister-in-law in hosting guests, cooking and even English. In August (2010) she created a mini-business development plan outlining some short term goals which included: enhancing her menu options for homestay tourists, building a new herbal bath room, and decorating the guests' common area.
We will continue to post updates on May Lai's developments as she continues to excel as a youth leader in her community's tourism.