Dead fish put coastal tourism in North Central Vietnam in a precarious situation.

The tourism industry in the provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Binh, and Thua Thien Hue is in a state of panic due to the mass fish deaths occurring in the area.

The unusual fish deaths that have occurred since the beginning of April in the North Central provinces have affected consumer confidence, especially among tourists. In light of this situation, the tourism industry in these localities is concerned that beach tourism will be severely impacted, particularly with the upcoming beach tourism season and the April 30th/May 1st holidays. Several provinces have quickly developed contingency plans to ensure food safety for tourists and residents, while minimizing losses to the tourism sector.

Quang Tri suspends coastal tourism activities.

On the afternoon of April 22nd, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thang, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Tri province, stated that the situation of dead fish and other seafood washing ashore along the beaches of Quang Tri province and some other central provinces has severely affected beach tourism. Tourists are concerned that this situation will affect food quality and pollute the seawater, so they are hesitant to swim or enjoy seafood.

"Currently, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues along the coast have almost completely ceased operations following recommendations from provincial and central government leaders. This will significantly impact tourism," Mr. Thang expressed his concern.

Dead fish line the coast of Ky Anh town (Ha Tinh province).

The Director of the Quang Tri Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also stated that a working group from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is currently en route to Quang Tri for inspection. Provincial leaders are also conducting inspections and collecting samples for testing.

"This issue affects several central provinces, so we are waiting for the final conclusions from the relevant authorities to resolve the matter and resume beach tourism activities as soon as possible. Otherwise, this year's beach tourism season will suffer heavy losses. We just launched the beach tourism season and recently opened a new beach tourism route to Con Co Island. But with this situation, tourists will only be able to stand on the shore and won't dare to swim."

Meanwhile, Mr. Phan Tien Dung, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thua Thien Hue province, said that the province is currently advising residents and tourists not to eat dead fish or use seafood of unclear origin to ensure safety. The local tourism industry is also waiting for the final conclusion on the mass fish deaths to resume normal tourism activities.

Quang Binh strictly controls the supply of seafood.

Mr. Ho An Phong, Director of the Quang Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the mass fish deaths in the coastal areas of the province recently have caused panic among tourists and consumers, and have also affected the province's tourism activities.All the seafood restaurants along the coast of Dong Hoi have had to close.

Many fish species raised by local people in coastal ponds in Loc Vinh commune, Phu Loc district (Thua Thien - Hue province) have died en masse and washed ashore.

On the morning of April 23, the Quang Binh Tourism Association held a meeting to discuss solutions to address the issue and announced that it will issue a document guiding seafood restaurants to switch their menus to include farmed fish from the river, free-range chicken, freshwater eels, and many other specialties from various regions in Quang Binh.

To improve service quality and ensure food safety and hygiene for tourists and consumers, the Quang Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is conducting inspections and directing food service establishments, restaurants, etc., in the province to strengthen management and strictly control the source of raw materials.

“The Department requires all units not to use fish caught near the shore or dead fish to serve tourists during this time. Establishments are only allowed to use food sourced from offshore fishing vessels in fishing grounds in the Gulf of Tonkin, the Truong Sa archipelago, and the Hoang Sa archipelago, absolutely ensuring food safety and hygiene for tourists and consumers, preventing any cases of food poisoning or any consequences due to unsafe food hygiene,” Mr. Phong said.

According to Mr. Phong, since the mass fish deaths occurred, businesses in the province have complied quite well with the Department's directives, strictly controlling input materials and only using food with clear and safe origins. Dishes served to tourists are mainly prepared simply, such as steaming, boiling, and grilling, relying on the natural freshness of the food to ensure hygiene and food safety for visitors.

"The Quang Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to strengthen inspection and supervision to ensure the safety of tourists and prevent the above situation from affecting Quang Binh's tourism activities," Mr. Phong affirmed.

Ha Tinh: Famous coastal tourist destinations remain unaffected.

According to Mr. Bui Duc Hanh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Tinh province, several popular coastal tourist destinations in the area remain safe, with no reported cases of dead fish. "I just conducted a survey this morning, and well-known coastal tourist spots in Ha Tinh such as Thien Cam, Son Thanh, and Loc Ha have not experienced any fish deaths," Mr. Hanh stated.

According to the leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Tinh province, local people and tourists are still swimming and consuming seafood as usual because the sea area remains clean, and there has been no mass fish kill like in the sea area near the Vung Ang Industrial Zone.

"We are preparing for the upcoming major festival; all preparations are thorough, and measures to ensure environmental hygiene and visitor safety are ready," Mr. Hanh said.

According to VnE