From Ta Phin to Canada: Ly Lo May's Journey

Wake up with determination. Go to bed with satisfaction.

The motivational quote above currently serves as Ly Lo May’s profile picture on her Facebook page. This sentiment very well captures her ambitious, optimistic and forward-thinking personality. Lo May has been in Canada for nearly four years since earning a scholarship to study at Capilano University in 2008. 

She was born and raised in Ta Phin and has been connected to Capilano University and CBT Vietnam since adolescence.  Lo May is well known around the Capilano University campus and has been described as a leader, fearless and courageous. Follow this link to learn more about Lo May’s journey from Ta Phin to Canada including  her past successes - such as her first place win in LinkBC's province-wide Project Change competition in 2014!

Lo May’s passion fuels her motivation to continue learning and creating connections. In fact, she’s currently developing three new projects. 

One of the three initiatives expands on the marketplace structure she created in 2014 (the project that earned her first place in LinkBC’s Project Change competition).  The marketplace allows people in her village to gather, display and sell traditional handicrafts to tourists, which supports the community financially. Lo May has a larger goal in mind as well; she hopes that marketplace activities will inspire the community’s youth to maintain the traditional handicraft skills. Further details around this project are still under wraps as she drafts a business proposal and plans her next steps. 

Lo May is also keen on reinstating a “composting toilet” project that was initiated several years ago by CBT Vietnam. These eco-friendly sanitation units were introduced in some village homes as part of an environmental and sanitation initiative. Now, Lo May is investigating to expand the program. 

The third and final initiative is her most ambitious. She envisions an education centre in Sa Pa for community members to learn English and receive tourism-related training. This is a long-term goal, an idea still in its infancy. Lo May speaks with excitement about the opportunity nonetheless. In particular, Lo May aspires to establish a trekking and guiding certification that is recognized by the Vietnamese government. There have been discussions in the region around enacting legislation which would require trekking guides to hold a degree or to have higher education. Many people in Sa Pa earn a living from trekking, and a certification law would raise a barrier to entry. Lo May concedes that standardization can be positive to normalize industry practices but that we must consider its impact on local people. 

Sa Pa is experiencing unprecedented development right now. Not long ago a new highway was built through the region and the controversial Mount Fansipan Cable Car development project is planning to include golfing and many holiday houses in Sa Pa. Lo May’s fiercest desire is to preserve her heritage and to ensure fair and equal opportunities for her home community.

In a quiet moment Lo May will reveal that she misses the warm, generous atmosphere of Ta Phin. She explains, “in Sa Pa you would go see someone and they would welcome you! In the village you can go to any house and everyone knows each other”. Though ultimately, her travels and experiences have made Lo May a citizen of the world. She explains, "it doesn't matter if I live in Canada or Vietnam or any country, I live by my heart, because we are the world...our world [is] Mother Earth". Her industrious mind has not yet finished churning up exciting and innovative projects. She is eager to visit her family in Sa Pa again soon, but currently she’s happy to work toward her goals in Canada.