Since September, local villagers have been growing buckwheat flowers on an area of more than 50 ha spread across four communes. Ly Van Dong, Chairman of Pai Lung commune’s People’s Committee, said:  “Along tourist routes like the path from the white rock cliffs to the Ma Pi Leng stop, we have planted a lot of buckwheat flowers.”

Meo Vac district has supported the flower growers with seedlings, fertilizer, planting techniques, and part of funding to switch from vegetables to buckwheat flowers. The growers need to contribute only their labor to benefit from tourism revenue and flower sales. Buckwheat fields attract a lot of visitors. Visitor Hoang Xuan Duc told us: “I’m very impressed with the beauty of buckwheat flowers. They’re tiny but can survive on hillsides in harsh weather. It’s like magic.”

Meo Vac  has encouraged residents to upgrade local tourist lodging. So far, the district has more than 83 accommodations for visitors.  Mua Hong Sinh, Vice Chairwoman of the Meo Vac district People’s Committee, said: “We have created a night market for visitors. We have encouraged localities to promote their local cultures and traditions and pay attention to protecting the environment.”