Starting from a small homestay, she has gradually built a model that connects visitors with the local community while creating jobs and additional income for local workers. Her project, ‘O Thy - Heritage Hub, an ecosystem connecting Hue heritage experiences’ won the Second prize at the 2026 ‘Women entrepreneurs - Digital transformation journey’ competition.
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| Ms. Dinh Thi Phuong Thy (on the right) guided visitors in experiencing traditional Hue crafts. Photo: by courtesy of the character |
Creating livelihoods for local people
Nestled in the peaceful and green surroundings of Kim Long, O Thy Homestay currently offers 5 guest rooms, a garden, and a café, serving home-cooked Hue meals and drinks, along with a range of cultural experiences. What sets the homestay apart, however, is the way Ms. Thy creates additional ‘touchpoints’ for visitors to live alongside local culture.
“Starting a business in the digital age means finding a point of difference. If you simply do what everyone else is doing, it is very difficult to compete. I want visitors to O Thy not only to relax, but also to make their own cakes, make their own conical hats, or cook Hue-style meals, and enjoy what they have made themselves,” said Ms. Thy.
She develops flexible experiences that change with seasons. This approach keeps the activities closely connected to everyday life in the local community. Visitors not only hear stories about Hue culture; but also take part in the activities, enjoy what they have made, and interact with people who are preserving the traditional crafts.
Around 60% of guests staying at O Thy choose to take part in these experiences. The homestay does not provide all the activities itself, but instead connects visitors with suitable experiences, helping them find, book, and participate in them. Local artisans, households, and partners all contribute to creating the experiences.
Behind every experience is a story about livelihoods. O Thy currently provides regular employment for 9 workers, while also generating additional seasonal jobs for local people when visitors take part in the activities.
The conical hat makers, the cake makers, and other traditional artisans, who previously focused mainly on producing goods for sale, now have more opportunities to meet visitors directly. They guide visitors through each step, share stories about their crafts, and work with them to complete their own products. Ms. Le Nha Uyen, a conical hat maker in Kim Long Ward, said: “Thanks to the experience activities like these, we have more work and additional income.”
Ms. Thy shares the benefits generated by the experience activities with local people. The homestay keeps 10% of each experience’s price, while the remainder goes to the people directly involved. For Ms. Thy, this is a way to ensure that tourism not only generates revenue for an accommodation business, but also creates benefits for the wider community. With additional income, local people have greater motivation to stay with their crafts, and preserve traditional values.
The model also prioritizes local workers, particularly women, while connecting households and craft villages to create additional markets for their products.
Technology opens up Hue’s story
If culture is the material that sets the model apart, digital transformation is the tool that helps Ms. Thy bring those values closer to visitors.
Ms. Thy currently uses Facebook, TikTok, Google Maps, Zalo, and online booking platforms to promote her business, reach customers, and manage services. She also makes use of photos, videos, and feedback from visitors to tell the story of the model. A video of a visitor making cakes, a photo of a visitor making a conical hat, or a review of a Hue-style meal can become a natural way to introduce the experiences at O Thy, and reach more customers.
Using data on rooms, dishes, experiences, partners, and guests’ feedback, she has gradually standardized the operations, working toward a digital experience ecosystem with a service-booking website, QR codes for each activity, a digital map of Kim Long, and a customer management system.
Ms. Vo Thi Phuoc, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Kim Long Ward, and Chairwoman of the Ward Women’s Union, said that Ms. Thy’s model is well aligned with the locality’s strengths, particularly as Kim Long still preserves many cultural values, scenic landscapes, and traditional crafts. What is particularly noteworthy about Ms. Thy is that she not only focuses on accommodation services, but also connects local people to participate in the model, thereby creating more jobs and income while contributing to the promotion of local cultural values. The Ward Women’s Union will continue to accompany, and support local women in their entrepreneurial journeys, especially in networking, promoting, and applying digital transformation.
Starting a business with simple things, Ms. Thy has chosen technology to open new doors, culture to set her business apart, and the community as part of the journey’s value. As a result, visitors leaving O Thy take away not only memories of their stay, but also another experience that is authentic Hue. From a small homestay, Ms. Thy is gradually building O Thy into a point of connection between visitors and the local community.