In recent days, many videos have appeared on TikTok and Facebook recording the scene of a young H'Mong girl patiently holding hands and guiding students with each needle and thread.
Not only teaching sewing, she also guides how to film videos and create content to promote products on social networks.
That girl is Giang Thi Gam (23 years old), the founder of the Mongi modern H'Mong ethnic costume design facility in San Sin Pao village, Sin Cheng commune (Lao Cai).
In the high mountainous border area, in a rented house used as a tailor shop and vocational training class, Gam is pursuing a larger goal than selling clothes, which is to create livelihoods for H'Mong youth from the cultural values of their own nation.
Few people know that before becoming a young startup face in the highlands, Gam once was confused about the future. After graduating from high school with 29.25 points, she once thought about putting aside her university dream to work as a worker.
At that time, I saw many older brothers and sisters returning to farm after graduating, so I couldn't imagine what they would do after graduating from university," Gam recounted.
Born into a family with a mother working in agriculture, her father used to be a state employee, she was encouraged by her parents to continue her studies. For them, knowledge is an asset that no one can take away.
Graduating with honors in Political Science, instead of looking for a job in the city, she decided to return to her hometown.
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Gam said that the idea of starting a business in the locality has been cherished for many years: "I always want to return to my hometown to do something for my community, especially to create opportunities for young H'Mong people.
According to Gam, her university years have helped her realize that behind many difficulties of people in mountainous areas is the story of livelihoods and jobs. To help the community develop sustainably, people must first have a stable source of income.
From that thought, the idea of starting a business with H'Mong ethnic costumes gradually formed.
According to Gam, Mongi's designs still retain the patterns, materials and characteristic spirit of the H'Mong people but are adjusted in style to better suit the needs of young people.
Currently, most students come to her facility through Facebook and TikTok. Many people are H'Mong ethnic youth who want to learn a trade to start a business in their hometown.
According to Gam, the biggest obstacle for young people in mountainous areas is not the lack of skills but the lack of confidence.
Many students are very skillful but are afraid to communicate, afraid to stand in front of the camera. Therefore, in addition to teaching sewing, I also guide how to record videos, create content on social networks and communicate in the common language," she said.
To make students bolder, Gam often directly models, guides each step and then lets them practice on their own.
What the girl born in 2003 expects most is not the number of products sold, but that more and more H'Mong youth dare to learn the profession, dare to try their hand and believe in their abilities.
Mr. Vang Seo Do - Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Department of Sin Cheng commune said that bringing H'Mong traditional costumes into modern fashion products not only shows the creativity of young people but also contributes to concretizing the policy of linking cultural preservation with economic development in ethnic minority areas.
