Cua Lo - Sea daisy season
(Baonghean) -Nature is fair in giving this sunny and windy Central region a long, gentle coastline, fine sand, and clear blue water under the golden sunshine. Over the years, the two words "Cua Lo" have become familiar, inviting tourists from near and far every summer.
Going back in history, more than 500 years ago, the eldest son of Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi - a founding minister of the Le Dynasty, Grand Tutor District Duke Nguyen Su Hoi, came to this pristine coastal area to recruit people, develop fishing and farming. Since then, for generations, the residents of Cua Lo have worshiped him as Thanh Hoang, with deep gratitude: Defeating the enemy and pacifying the people, his loyalty will be remembered for thousands of years / Establishing a career, his merit will be passed down forever.
From a poor fishing village, shaking off the sand to rise up to become an attractive coastal tourist town today is a long story. In the early 20th century, the invasion of Vietnam and the colonial exploitation policy of the French colonialists, in Vinh - Ben Thuy, an industrial zone was formed including many large factories such as Truong Thi railway factory, sawmill, Ben Thuy match factory... An administrative apparatus with a team of French and Vietnamese officials was born and increasingly crowded. With extensive experience, the French soon discovered the tourism value of Cua Lo. A number of villas and resorts were built along the coast. Besides the famous tourist destinations at that time such as Sa Pa, Tam Dao, Vung Tau, Da Lat..., Cua Lo has attracted domestic and foreign tourists. That is why a French newspaper in the early 20th century wrote: “Central Vietnam has many beaches that the French in neighboring cities soon appreciated for their attractiveness and fresh air. In Ba Hoi (Ba Ngoi) Nha Trang, Cua Tung, Cua Lo, many people came to relax.”(*)
Sea daisies bloom along the beach exits.
Such great potential and discovered very early, but due to the ups and downs of history, it was only after the renovation, especially after the town was established in 1994, that Cua Lo really rose up, developed rapidly, with a youthful and increasingly attractive appearance. So fast that many tourists returning to Cua Lo after only one year were surprised.
How can we not be surprised when each day and each month that passes is the same amount of time that the authorities at all levels and each Cua Lo resident have been persistently and painstakingly working and building. Among them, we must mention the generations of dynamic, daring and capable leaders of the town. With 4 communes and 1 small town separated from the poor Nghi Loc district, residents mainly live by fishing and agriculture, with efforts to shift the economic structure towards tourism - services to maximize potential strengths, the coastal town today has streets with many agencies, units, cultural works, hotels, restaurants located west of Binh Minh road running along the coast for nearly ten kilometers. To the east along the beach are kiosks located between the pine forest and the green grass. Developed later, Cua Lo has learned valuable lessons. That is to expand the construction of urban space, but there must be modern planning, on the basis of preserving the landscape of the natural ecological environment, associated with taking care of building the social environment.
Up to now, the town has had more than 220 accommodation establishments, with 5,748 rooms, capable of receiving 15,500 guests/day. Among them, many establishments meet the standards to serve international conferences and seminars such as Saigon - Kim Lien Hotel, Green Hotel, Thai Binh Duong Hotel...etc. Over the years, the number of tourists to Cua Lo has always been higher year after year. In 2010 alone, Cua Lo welcomed 1,850 thousand visitors, with revenue from tourism activities reaching 725 billion VND. To achieve this result, along with improving service quality and developing infrastructure in the area, Nghe An province has had the right policies for developing tourism in Cua Lo in particular and in the whole province in general.
It is very convenient for visitors to Nghe An and Cua Lo because of the rapid development of many high-quality means of transport. Besides branded passenger transport companies such as Mai Linh taxi, Van Minh passenger car, Ngoc Anh bus..., there are up to 3 flights per day from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh, and 10 flights per week from Vinh to Hanoi. Recently, Nghe An provincial leaders have coordinated and created conditions for Vietnam Civil Aviation Corporation to upgrade Vinh airport to an international airport. Many new flight routes will be opened in the near future, such as Vinh - Vientiane, Vinh - Northeast Thailand, Vinh with Phu Bai (Hue), Da Nang, Cam Ranh (Nha Trang) and Chu Lai (Quang Nam) airports. Thousands of kilometers away, but in just over 1 hour of flight, visitors can immerse themselves in the ocean with memorable weekends. From here, visitors can travel to Kim Lien, Uncle Ho's hometown, visit King Mai's temple, Phan Boi Chau memorial site; or go south to visit the memorial site of the great poet Nguyen Du, visit the Hoang Muoi temple, Dong Loc crossroads... A land where everywhere is deeply imbued with historical sediments - imbued with a rich culture from ancient times.
The kiosks are renovated and spacious.
These days, Cua Lo town is rushing to complete work for the 2011 tourist season. Restaurants, hotels, and streets are all being renovated to look fresh. The sun and wind have begun to blow over the sand dunes. The casuarina forests and grass hills are still green, and the yellow sea daisy carpets are still blooming along the path to the beach. It is said that this sea daisy was brought back by King Bao Dai to plant during a visit to Cua Lo for sightseeing and relaxation. It is not clear where the king got this flower from, but it seems that sea daisy can only be found in Cua Lo. And strangely, this flower only grows well and shows its bright colors in the summer sun - a gift of the scent of fields and sea breeze, like an invitation to tourists every summer.
In the kiosks serving food and drinks and bathing, the prices of goods and services are publicly listed. Comrade Doan Tien Dung - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo Town said: One of the issues that the town government focused on directing this year is to continue improving the quality of service. The "5 no" policy (no price gouging, no soliciting customers, no street vendors, no harm to the environment and no disturbing security and order) has continued to be thoroughly implemented, and commitments have been signed to business households and each person providing services in the area. Disease prevention work, ensuring food hygiene and safety, and rescue activities have also been carefully organized.
Nowadays, the children of many fishermen and farmers have become managers and receptionists in luxury restaurants and hotels. After several years of studying at Nghe An College of Tourism and Commerce in the area, thousands of young people have become skilled workers. Elegant and professional in attitude and service methods, they still do not lose the simple, gentle features of the coastal people. Thinking about it, that is also a unique feature of Cua Lo. Perhaps it is this uniqueness that creates the comfort, familiarity, and charm for many travelers, even the most difficult ones.
Talking with comrade Phan Cong Luu - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Cua Lo Town Party Committee, one of the first people present since the coastal town was established - about the things that the town's leaders are concerned about; he said: The direction of developing Cua Lo into a coastal tourist city, but must preserve the natural environment. It is necessary to diversify and improve the quality of tourism types, better meet the needs of tourists for vacation, learning about the land - culture of Nghe An, to the needs of entertainment or shopping. Above all, it is necessary to continue to build a cultural environment in the tourism business. In the near future, Cua Lo will become a stopover for tourists not only in the summer.
If we count from the milestone of the town being established in 1994 until now, then the journey of 15 years is not long compared to more than 100 years since the French discovered the tourism potential of Cua Lo. But if we look back at what Cua Lo has achieved, it can be considered a miracle. With a youthful appearance, a solid foundation and the right direction, the shape of a bustling and charming coastal tourist city has clearly appeared since today.
______________
(*) - The economic awakening of Indochina - document number 387-G- XVNT Museum
Nguyen Nhu Khoi
