On July 19th, I asked a boatman at the main dock of the Cau Cau reservoir to take me upstream to the Tea Island tourist area in Thanh Thinh commune, Thanh Chuong district, to the scene of an illegal construction project on forest land that had recently been discovered and dealt with. On the way back, while everyone was clamoring about the land and construction violations in the planned Tea Island Tourist Area project, I heard the boatman murmur: "If we had let small investors come in, the Tea Island Tourist Area would have been completed a long time ago…"
Surprised, I asked him how long he had been working as a boat driver transporting tourists? What was his assessment of the tourism service over the years? He recounted that around 2015-2016, when wedding photographers started appearing, and social media platforms like Facebook and Zalo emerged, along with smartphones, tourists flocked to the tea island. Currently, however, the number of visitors has decreased, only becoming high on weekends, holidays, and Tet (Lunar New Year). Although locals still earn income, many are starting to feel uneasy. Regarding the reasons, everyone agrees that besides the natural scenery and local cuisine, the tea island area lacks anything new to attract and retain tourists. "I've been doing this job since 2017, which was also the time when the tourism development plan was announced, and I haven't seen any difference since then..." the boat driver said.
Listening to the boatman's story, the conversation about the Tea Island Tourist Area project became more lively. Several district and commune officials complained about their many responsibilities, including working on Saturdays, Sundays, and even holidays, while facing heavy burdens and disciplinary action for negligence. Encouraged by this, the boatman enthusiastically joined in: "In my opinion, if this investor isn't going to do it, then we should terminate the project and find another one. If we can't find a large and dedicated investor, we should adjust the plan and invite multiple investors to participate simultaneously..."
Listening to the boatman's enthusiastic rambling, I recalled a conversation I had with Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh – former Director of the Department of Science and Technology in 2021, revolving around Phan Xuan Dien, the man who built Pu Mat Medicinal Herbs Joint Stock Company with many truly high-quality OCOP products.
At that time, I asked Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh: For quite some time now, several large businesses in the province have shown interest in medicinal plants, so why haven't they achieved any concrete results like Phan Xuan Dien's company? According to Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh, the reason is that startups like Dien's company stem from passion. Then he said: "In a forest, there are not only eagles but also sparrows. To develop the medicinal plant industry, we need not only eagles but also sparrows. Local businesses like Pu Mat Medicinal Plant Joint Stock Company are like those sparrows, very valuable. Because only local businesses can easily connect with the people to create raw material areas without the State having to reclaim land…"
Recalling Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh's words, the boatman's statement, "If there isn't one investor large enough and dedicated enough, then adjust the planning and invite multiple investors to come in at the same time...", isn't without reason.
Attracting large, financially strong, and dedicated businesses with expertise in tourism will undoubtedly help the tea-growing island areas of Thanh An and Thanh Thinh communes fully utilize their potential and advantages, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of Thanh Chuong district and the province. However, if large businesses are not enthusiastic, do not invest, or invest half-heartedly, the potential and advantages will gradually fade, leading to negative consequences.
Large businesses are like eagles. Small businesses are like sparrows. But large businesses like the one involved in the Tea Island Tourist Area project all this time would rather welcome many sparrows than large ones!
Illustrative image: BNA archives
