Phàn Tả Mẩy
Known as: Ta May
Cultural identity: Red Dao (Iu Mieu)
Home area: Tả Phìn, Sa Pa
Donations support all three apprentices through one shared education fund.
What Ta May Already Brings
Practical independence: She learnt to cook, organise her time and manage daily responsibilities from a young age.
Developing cultural and forest knowledge: She recognises some medicinal plants, wild fruits, edible mushrooms and other resources taught by her mother and grandmother.
Growing communication confidence: Restaurant work helped her become more comfortable speaking with unfamiliar people.
A positive and reflective attitude: She is honest about uncertainty but works to remain hopeful and continue.
Strong family responsibility: She wants to become financially independent and support her parents and grandmother.
Respect for Red Dao cultural identity: She wants visitors to understand culture as living knowledge rather than costume or performance.
What Ta May Wants to Develop
English language skills
confidence in speaking and public communication
tourism and guest-care skills
digital and workplace skills
greater financial independence
opportunities to travel, learn and understand different ways of life
Introductory Profile
Ta May is an 18-year-old Red Dao woman from Tả Phìn Village, where she lives with her parents, grandmother and two younger siblings. Her family’s story is one of gradual progress built through years of work, saving and sacrifice. Her father has worked as a carpenter for more than twenty years, while her mother and grandmother have supported the family through market and street selling. Although her mother never attended school, both parents have encouraged Ta May to continue learning and make use of opportunities they did not have themselves.
Growing up in Tả Phìn taught Ta May practical independence from an early age. She learnt to cook, organise her time and take responsibility for daily tasks. She has also begun learning about Red Dao medicinal plants, wild fruits, edible mushrooms and forest resources from her mother and grandmother. Ta May is careful not to overstate this knowledge. She understands that traditional knowledge is detailed, specialised and learned gradually.
One of Ta May’s greatest personal challenges has been confidence. She describes her younger self as quiet and shy, and she sometimes still feels uncertain about the direction of her future. Working in a restaurant helped her begin speaking more comfortably with customers and colleagues. Through practice, she discovered that confidence can grow.
Ta May chose the ETHOS Apprenticeship because she wants to continue learning, become more independent, support her family and create more choices for her future. She also wants travellers to understand that Red Dao culture is living knowledge held in language, family, beliefs, work, plants and relationships with the land, rather than something that exists only for photographs or performances.