Suoi Thau: Turning scenic beauty into livelihood opportunities

Once a simple rural area where local people mainly raised livestock and grew maize and rice, Suoi Thau has now become an attractive tourist destination in Pa Vay Su Commune. Dubbed a “miniature Switzerland”, the natural beauty of this grassland is gradually being unlocked, opening up opportunities for community-based tourism and improved livelihoods for local highland communities.

Through photos and moments captured and shared on social media, Suoi Thau has gradually gained wider recognition. Expansive grassy hills nestled amid mountains, seasonal flowers, golden hues of terraced fields and clouds drifting across the grassland have increasingly appeared in visitors' photographs. These images have encouraged more people to visit Suoi Thau and experience firsthand the beauty of a place once familiar only to local people.

Photos of Suoi Thau shared on social media have helped bring the beauty of the grassland closer to visitors.

Situated at an altitude of 1,000–1,200 metres above sea level, Suoi Thau offers a vast, open landscape. Rolling hills, grassy slopes and valleys interspersed with cultivated fields create the distinctive scenery of the highlands. From the grassland, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Chay River and the mountain ranges of Pa Vay Su.

Rolling hills and expansive cultivated fields create the breathtaking, open landscape of Suoi Thau Grassland.

What fascinates visitors is not simply the beautiful scenery and photo opportunities. Suoi Thau has retained the close connection between its natural landscape and local people's daily lives. Amid the grassy hills, cultivated fields remain an integral part of residents' livelihoods, while the natural scenery coexists with the culture, traditions and everyday activities of the highland community.

Visitors pose for photographs and capture their favourite moments during their trips to Suoi Thau.

Suoi Thau takes on a different appearance in each season. Spring brings fresh greenery and blooming flowers, summer offers cool, lush landscapes, autumn paints the fields in golden hues, while winter blankets the grassland in clouds and mist, accompanied by the distinctive atmosphere of the high mountains. These seasonal changes give visitors more reasons to explore Suoi Thau at different times of the year.

The beauty of Suoi Thau leaves a strong impression on international visitors.

Some visitors initially come to Suoi Thau for a beautiful photograph but end up staying longer to admire the scenery, take pictures and experience the peaceful rhythm of highland life. Amid the vast grassland, seasonal flowers, cultivated fields and winding mountain roads combine to create a rustic charm that leaves a lasting impression on those who visit.

As visitor numbers continue to grow, the landscape, once familiar to local people, is creating opportunities for new livelihood models. Alongside their maize fields and rice terraces, local households have begun growing flowers and building small wooden shelters to provide additional spaces for visitors to explore and take photographs.

Flower gardens and photo shelters developed by local people provide additional stops for visitors to Suoi Thau.

Some households have begun exploring new business opportunities by making use of the existing landscape to create visitor attractions. Seasonal flowers are planted, photo spots are carefully arranged, and traditional ethnic costumes are made available to offer visitors more experiences during their trips to the grassland.

Local people grow and tend flowers to create attractive photo spots in Suoi Thau.

Among the first local people to venture into tourism in Suoi Thau is Ly Thi Dung. Since 2021, she and her family have planted flowers, built photo shelters and offered traditional costumes for rent to visitors. What was once an unfamiliar business has gradually developed into a family-run flower garden that has become a popular stop for tourists visiting Suoi Thau.

In addition to flower gardens, motorbike transport and mobile photography services have also emerged, creating more employment opportunities for local people. People who are familiar with the winding roads around the grassland now have additional work transporting visitors and taking them to scenic viewpoints.

Photography and motorbike transport services are creating additional jobs for people in Suoi Thau.

From flower gardens and small photo shelters to traditional costumes, meals for visitors and motorbike trips around the grassland, Suoi Thau is gradually developing a range of tourism services run by local people themselves. To date, 10 households have engaged in tourism-related businesses, creating new livelihoods by making use of the area's natural landscape and existing way of life.

People in Suoi Thau are gradually developing food services and traditional costume rentals to meet visitors' demand for cultural experiences.

Photo shelters, flower gardens, small eateries and motorbike tours are bringing a new rhythm of life to Suoi Thau. Building on these initial services, the challenge now is to ensure that the area's scenic beauty does more than attract visitors, becoming instead a well-organised and sustainable tourist destination.

Zoning plan for the construction of Suoi Thau Tourist Area in Pa Vay Su Commune.

In early 2026, the People's Committee of Pa Vay Su Commune completed a zoning plan for Suoi Thau Grassland Tourist Area, covering nearly 500 hectares, including a core zone of approximately 150 hectares. Based on the plan, the commune is focusing on improving essential tourism infrastructure, including roads, visitor stops, landscape enhancement and environmental sanitation. Development projects are being selected to suit local conditions, meeting visitors' needs while preserving the natural environment that makes Suoi Thau so attractive.

The road leading to Suoi Thau Grassland has been concreted, making travel easier and improving access for visitors.

Alongside infrastructure development, the commune is also working to create tourism products that encourage visitors to stay longer. Beyond sightseeing and photography, existing local assets such as seasonal farming activities, agricultural production, culture, cuisine and residents' daily lives are being developed into distinctive tourism experiences associated with Suoi Thau. This approach aims to transform the area from a scenic stopover into a fully-fledged tourism destination with its own appeal.

The clean, well-maintained road leading to Suoi Thau Grassland creates a positive first impression on visitors.

From a place known primarily for its scenic beauty, Suoi Thau is gradually developing new products, services and approaches to welcome visitors and create livelihoods for local people. This is also the journey towards transforming the grassland from a sightseeing stop into a distinctive tourist destination rooted in the everyday life and cultural identity of its local community.

Hong Nhung