Cau Cau Tea Island - When will this green gem shine?
The Cau Cau Tea Island area, with its lush green tea hills reflecting in the water, is likened to a green gem, a "Ha Long Bay" of Nghe An province. Soon after, a multi-billion dollar investment project was planned, carrying high hopes for the former Thanh Chuong region and the province's tourism industry. However, the project remains on paper, leaving behind lingering concerns…
Nhat Lan - Vinh HoangDecember 21, 2025
The Cau Cau Tea Island area, with its lush green tea hills reflecting in the water, is likened to a green gem, a "Ha Long Bay" of Nghe An province. Soon after, a multi-billion dollar investment project was planned, carrying high hopes for the former Thanh Chuong region and the province's tourism industry. However, the project remains on paper, leaving behind lingering concerns…
For a long time, Cau Cau Tea Island has been known as one of the most attractive scenic spots, a brand that identifies Nghe An province in the media and on social networks. The image of gently sloping hills rising from the lake like lush green "oases" reflecting in the clear water every morning; the boats gliding through the waves, taking tourists into the tranquil yet expansive green space… has made Cau Cau Tea Island a green gem, a "Ha Long Bay on land," a fascinating destination in western Nghe An.
With many favorable conditions for developing ecotourism, Cau Cau Tea Island is gradually breaking away from its purely agricultural tea-growing region. This led to the formation of the Cau Cau Tea Island Mixed-Use Tourism, Service and Resort Project. The project, invested by CIENCO 4 Group Joint Stock Company, received investment approval from the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee in February 2017 and detailed construction planning approval in December 2017. According to the plan, the project covers over 380 hectares, with a total investment of over 1,500 billion VND, and will be implemented in Thanh An and Thanh Thinh communes (formerly Thanh Chuong district). Phase 1 is expected to be completed in 2017, and the entire project by October 2022. These timelines are considered a catalyst for Cau Cau Tea Island to enter a new phase of development...
Armed with this impressive information, we visited Cau Cau Tea Island in early December. After July 1st, 2025, Cau Cau Tea Island belongs to Hoa Quan commune. To get there, from the center of Vinh City (formerly), follow National Highway 46A westward for about 50km. Upon reaching Hoa Quan commune, the hilly landscape with its sprawling tea plantations comes into view. Another 4km along district road 21, from the commune's People's Committee headquarters to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, leads to the entrance of Cau Cau Tea Island.
Here, take a leisurely boat ride through the tea plantations, fully appreciating the unique beauty of this place. The emerald green water reflects the shimmering tea hills, and the gentle breeze carries the faint scent of tea, creating a rare feeling of relaxation and serenity.
After resting for a few minutes, we visited the largest tea plantation overlooking the Cau Cau dam. The tea plants were decades old, with silvery-white stems covered in moss, forming continuous green circles that blanketed the hillside.
Through a drone, the Cau Cau Tea Island area is captured in a panoramic view. It comprises gently sloping tea hills, like inverted green cones rising endlessly from the water. Embracing these tea islands are streams like soft, green silk ribbons, winding and curving. The tea islands and streams intertwine, creating a multicolored, surreal landscape of lush greenery.
However, within that idyllic landscape, imperfections are also evident. Interspersed among the lush green tea hills are patches of brown and black. These patches are essentially newly planted acacia trees, their reddish-brown soil mixed with streaks of burnt grass. And some tea hills have suffered damage, decay, and are overgrown with weeds and bushes…
Accompanying us on our visit to Cau Cau Tea Island were several officials from Hoa Quan commune. Through their conversations, we understood that the income of the local people has long come primarily from spontaneous tourism activities. Due to a lack of systematic investment, the scale of these services is small and fragmented, while the number of tourists is seasonal and unstable, failing to meet expectations. As income from these services decreases, investment in caring for the tea plants has also been reduced. Some households have even switched from tea cultivation to planting acacia trees to save labor and costs. Therefore, the area of tea plantations on Cau Cau Tea Island is at risk of shrinking and deteriorating over time...
Gathering stories from a visit to Cau Cau Tea Island, I learned that the Cau Cau Tea Island Tourist Area project, spanning over 370 hectares with a total investment of over 1,500 billion VND, has yet to be implemented after nearly a decade, with not a single construction item having been built. At most, there has only been an agreement from the investor regarding compensation for land clearance of 25.8 hectares, representing approximately 9% of the total area, with a total agreed value of over 10.7 billion VND.
Dissatisfied with the slow progress and because of the repeated petitions raised at every voter outreach meeting, the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong District (formerly) has repeatedly reported to the People's Committee of Nghe An Province and relevant departments and agencies over the years, requesting an inspection and handling in accordance with the law regarding the Tea Island - Cau Cau Mixed-Use Tourism, Service and Resort Project.
Specifically, on February 25, 2022, the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong District (formerly) submitted Report No. 65/BC-UBND to the Department of Planning and Investment regarding the slow progress of the project and recommended including it in the inspection list of the provincial inter-agency team. Subsequently, on November 24, 2022, they issued Document No. 2689/UBND-KTHT, identifying it as a key project to achieve the goals of the Resolution of the 31st District Party Congress, term 2020-2025, and requesting the People's Committee of Nghe An Province and relevant departments and agencies to promptly direct the resolution of the issue so that the project can be implemented.
In 2023 and 2024, the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong District (formerly) continued to issue documents No. 486/UBND-KTHT, No. 393/UBND-KT&HT, and No. 47/UBND-KT&HT to the Department of Planning and Investment, reflecting the situation of the project's delayed progress and requesting inspection and handling according to regulations.
Faced with the prolonged delays in tourism projects, in 2025, the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially addressed the issue through Document No. 979/SVHTTDL-KHTC dated April 24, 2025, sent to the Department of Finance. In this document, the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed including the Tea Island - Cau Cau Mixed-Use Tourism, Service and Resort Project in the list of projects to be reviewed by the Provincial People's Committee in 2025.
From its inception, Hoa Quan commune has identified the Tea Island - Cau Cau area as a crucial region requiring investment to drive socio-economic development. Therefore, despite its busy schedule, the Hoa Quan Commune People's Committee promptly reviewed the Tea Island - Cau Cau area and sent Document No. 282/UBND-KT dated September 4, 2025, to the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee. In this document, the Hoa Quan Commune People's Committee requested the Provincial People's Committee to consider and definitively resolve the Cau Cau Mixed-Use Tourism, Service, and Resort Project; and to support the locality in attracting a truly capable investor to replace it.
The prolonged delay of projects not only wastes resources but also leads to numerous negative consequences for the locality. Within the project's planned area, there have been numerous instances of illegal construction of accommodation facilities and homestays; illegal transfer and conversion of land use; and even illegal exploitation of forest land.
Prominent among the incidents that have occurred are the construction of structures in the Khe Tro hill area, Thanh An commune (formerly); and the exploitation of tea plantation land to build a dam for the Cau Cau reservoir in Thanh Thinh commune (formerly). These activities not only violate the law but also have a negative impact, altering the land status of the Tea Island - Cau Cau area and disrupting the approved tourism development plan.
Managing a large area with violations arising from "stalled" projects is no simple task. Pressure has weighed heavily on local Party committees and authorities. For example, in the case of the illegal construction of a homestay on Khe Tro hill, Thanh An commune (formerly), due to its complex nature, the People's Committee of Thanh Chuong district (formerly) had to establish an inter-agency team to conduct an inspection. Because the local authorities failed to take preventative measures and did not promptly address the construction of structures on forest land, responsibility was attributed to the People's Committee of the commune, along with the Chairman of the People's Committee and the land management officials. On July 14, 2023, the Chairman of the People's Committee and the land management officials of Thanh An commune (formerly) received disciplinary action…
According to Mr. Nguyen The Cuong, Chairman of the Hoa Quan Commune People's Committee, the mixed-use tourism, service, and resort area of Tea Island - Cau Cau is among the top 10 key projects and works implementing the Action Program of the Commune Party Congress Resolution for the 2025-2030 term. Therefore, given that the project has not been implemented for many years and the investor has not followed the conclusions and directives of the province, the Hoa Quan Commune People's Committee has submitted a report and request to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration. Furthermore, efforts are being focused on mobilizing local people to restore and care for the existing tea plantations to preserve the ecological landscape of Tea Island - Cau Cau.
Mr. Nguyen The Cuong also informed that, after the Hoa Quan Commune People's Committee submitted a request, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Finance to take the lead in advising on the handling of this matter. Recently, the Department of Finance has agreed with the commune on a timeframe to conduct an on-site inspection and work with the local authorities, in collaboration with relevant departments and agencies, before proposing a solution to the Provincial People's Committee.
In September 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also received Document No. 282/UBND-KT from the People's Committee of Hoa Quan Commune, and subsequently sent a document to the Department of Finance. In this document, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism's stance was very clear: It requested the Department of Finance to advise the Provincial People's Committee to terminate the project's operations, revoke the legal documents granted to CIENCO4 Group Joint Stock Company; and coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to select a new investor with financial capacity and experience in the field of ecotourism and resort tourism to replace the current investor...
With information from the newly established Hoa Quan commune and a clear stance from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, new hope is being kindled for the Cau Cau tea island region. This is truly a rare "green gem," which will shine brightly if it finds an investor with sufficient resources and dedication. Therefore, these concerns and aspirations will surely be heard and given due attention...
