On July 19, I asked the boatman to drive me from the main wharf of Cau Cau Lake dam upstream of the tea island tourist area in Thanh Thinh commune, Thanh Chuong district to go to the scene of the illegal construction on production forest land that had just been discovered and handled. When I returned, when everyone was making noise about the land and construction violations in the planning area of the Tea Island Tourist Area project, I heard the boatman mumble: If small investors had been allowed to come in, the Tea Island Tourist Area would have been finished a long time ago...
Surprised, I asked him how long he has been a boat driver taking tourists on tours? How do you evaluate the tourism service activities so far...? He said, around 2015 - 2016, when there were some wedding photographers, then there were social networks like Facebook, Zalo, smartphones..., visitors from all over flocked to visit the tea island. But now, the number of visitors has decreased, only crowded on weekends, holidays, and Tet. Although the locals also have income, many people are starting to feel that things are not going well. Regarding the reason, everyone agrees that besides the natural scenery and local cuisine, the tea island has nothing new to attract and retain tourists. "I have been working since 2017, which was also the time when the tourist area was planned, and until now I have not seen anything different..." - the boat driver said.
Listening to the boatman confide, the story related to the Che Island Tourist Area project seemed to become more lively. Several district and commune officials also complained about their hardships, saying that their names were not included in the function and duties, having to work all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and even holidays, but the responsibility was heavy, and being absent-minded would result in disciplinary action. Taking advantage of the momentum, the boatman enthusiastically joined in the conversation: “In my opinion, if this investor does not do it, we should stop and find another investor. If there is not a big enough investor with enough enthusiasm, we should adjust the planning, call for many investors to do it at the same time…”
Listening to the boatman talking passionately, I remembered the conversation with Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh - former Director of the Department of Science and Technology in 2021, revolving around the character Phan Xuan Dien, the creator of Pu Mat Medicinal Materials Joint Stock Company with many truly quality OCOP products.
At that time, I asked Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh: For a long time, in the province, there have been a number of large enterprises interested in medicinal plants, why have they not had any specific results like Phan Xuan Dien's company? According to Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh, the reason is because start-up enterprises like Dien's unit originate from passion. Then he said: "In a forest, there are not only eagles but also sparrows. To develop the medicinal plant industry, not only eagles are needed, but sparrows are also needed. Indigenous enterprises like Pu Mat Medicinal Plants Joint Stock Company are like sparrows, very precious. Because only indigenous enterprises can easily connect with the people to create raw material areas without the State having to reclaim land...".
Remembering Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh's words, the boatman's sentence "If there is not a big enough and dedicated enough investor, then adjusting the planning and calling for many investors at the same time to do it..." is not without reason.
Welcoming large enterprises with abundant financial resources, enthusiasm and expertise in the tourism sector, the tea island areas of Thanh An and Thanh Thinh communes will certainly be able to fully exploit their potential advantages, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of Thanh Chuong district as well as the province. However, if we welcome large enterprises that are not enthusiastic, do not invest or invest "half-heartedly", the potential advantages will gradually fade away, and consequences will arise.
Big businesses are like eagles. Small businesses are like sparrows. But big businesses like the Tea Island Tourist Area project for so long, would rather welcome more sparrows!
Illustration: BNA Document
