Opening up opportunities for tourism in Cua Lo.

(Baonghean) - Located on the key Vinh - Nam Dan - Cua Lo tourist route, with convenient transportation by water, road, and air; and with gateways to the East Sea through the two ports of Cua Lo and Cua Hoi, Cua Lo town has the potential to develop tourism services, exploit and process seafood... In 2014, Cua Lo was recognized as a coastal tourism city by the Prime Minister. To fully exploit these strengths, Cua Lo needs to make a strong breakthrough with bolder strategies…

Attractive destination

When visiting Cua Lo town, tourists can choose from a variety of transportation options: waterways, railways, roads, and air travel, all of which are fast and convenient. Currently, the town has 265 accommodation establishments with 7,496 rooms and 15,028 beds, capable of serving 18,000 overnight guests; 25 establishments meet 1-4 star standards and are able to host international events. The total workforce in the tourism sector is 7,300 people. Every year, billions of dong are invested in tourism projects alone, many of which have become "highlights" for Cua Lo tourism, such as: Binh Minh Square, the town's sports arena, the Song Ngu Son project, the 18-hole golf course project with high-end hotels and guesthouses by the Sea Golf Joint Stock Company, and especially in the 2015 tourist season, the first 4-star Muong Thanh Cua Lo hotel will be put into operation to serve tourists… Along with that, the system of lush green lawns and the neatly planned kiosks on the east side of Binh Minh road… create a unique beauty for Cua Lo town.

To cater to tourists, Cua Lo town has developed many attractive tours such as: Cua Lo - Uncle Ho's birthplace; Cua Lo - Lam River - Cui Temple; Cua Lo - Vinh - Kim Lien historical site - Pu Mat primeval forest; scenic boat tours of Lan Chau Island - Turtle Cave - Tien Island; Cua Lo - Ngu Island - Mat Island - Lam River… and some inter-provincial routes such as Cua Lo - Cau Treo border gate - Lac Xao... Besides enjoying seafood specialties and swimming, visitors to Cua Lo can also participate in sports activities such as swimming, diving, surfing, beach volleyball, jet skiing… or visit night markets specializing in fresh and dried seafood of guaranteed quality, or visit traditional craft villages such as Nghi Thiet boat building, Nghi Xuan weaving, Nghi Hai seafood processing… using convenient and affordable means of transportation such as electric cars, tourist cyclos, tandem bicycles...

Van Loc Temple Festival (Cua Lo Town). Photo: Xuan Nhuong

This land is a place where "human mountains gather": Lo Mountain (Lo Son) overlooks the sea; at the foot of the mountain is Lo Son Pagoda, a famous scenic spot and a place of spiritual significance for visitors. Co Mountain, Voi Mountain, Mao Mountain, Ao Mountain (in Nghi Quang, Nghi Hop), Kiem Mountain, Thoi Muc Island (in Nghi Tan), Bang Mountain (Bang Nhan Son - Nghi Thiet)... have flourished, giving rise to deities and talented generals who contributed to the country and the culture of this land. Co Mountain (also called Dong Dinh) is located northwest of Lo Mountain, at the foot of which lies the tomb of Nguyen Hoi, buried by a tiger. Nguyen Hoi was the father of Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi - a founding hero of the Le Dynasty...

Recognizing that these historical sites contribute significantly to attracting tourists to Cua Lo town, in recent years, in addition to the local budget, the people have mobilized charitable donations to restore and renovate them to serve the cultural and spiritual needs of local people and tourists from near and far. In particular, every year during the southern fishing season, fishermen hold a ceremony to pray for peace: praying for calm weather, peaceful seas, and abundant catches of shrimp and fish. Gradually, what started as a traditional prayer ceremony has developed into a large-scale river festival. With the development of tourism, the Cua Lo River Festival also coincides with the opening of the summer tourism season. The festival is held annually over two days (April 30th and May 1st) with many rich activities reflecting the unique identity of the Central Vietnamese coastal region, attracting tens of thousands of people and tourists.

Travel in all four seasons

How to fully exploit Cua Lo's tourism potential, not just during the three summer months but throughout the year, is a concern for both the local government and investors. To achieve this, the town's authorities need specific plans and approaches. In the spring, the town should focus on spiritual tourism, and the Van Loc Temple Festival (Nghi Tan ward), held on the 15th day of the first lunar month, should be the main event to attract tourists to Cua Lo town. Van Loc Temple is dedicated to Thai Uy Quan Cong Nguyen Su Hoi, who was instrumental in attracting people to reclaim land from the sea and establish the villages of Van Loc, Tan Loc, etc. Every year, the Cua Lo River Tourism Festival is held with a procession of the dragon throne and ancestral tablets of the deity Nguyen Su Hoi to Cua Lo beach to begin the opening ceremony.

With that significance in mind, the Van Loc Temple Festival, organized by the people of Cua Lo coastal area, is very impressive and deeply rooted in the cultural identity of Nghe An province. Along with the rituals of worshiping the deities, the people of Van Loc village also organize processions, traditional boat races, and cultural, artistic, and sports exchanges. Besides fulfilling the spiritual needs and aspirations of the people of Cua Lo coastal area and visitors from all over, contributing to the preservation and promotion of national cultural identity, this is also an opportunity for Cua Lo town to promote its tourism potential. Mr. Hoang Minh Son, Chairman of the Nghi Tan Ward People's Committee, stated: "In fact, the Van Loc Temple Festival has only attracted people from Nghi Loc, Cua Lo town, and Vinh City. To attract tourists from within the province and the country to the festival, and to make the Van Loc Temple Festival a highlight of the spiritual tourism season, the most important issue remains strengthening the promotion efforts and creating a strong ripple effect, similar to the King Mai Festival, the Corn Temple Festival, and the Cuong Temple Festival…"

Cua Lo Beach, an attractive destination.

Cua Lo sea snail products

Following the Van Loc Temple Festival is the Nguyen Xi Festival on the 29th of January. Thus, the town simultaneously hosts two spiritual festivals, attracting tourists to Cua Lo during this period. Alongside these are numerous historical sites such as Lo Son Pagoda (Nghi Tan), Bau Loi Temple (Nghi Thu), Mai Bang Temple, Yen Luong Temple (Nghi Thuy), Dien Nhat Temple (Nghi Huong)... In particular, visitors to Cua Lo town cannot miss visiting Dao Ngu Pagoda – the shrine of the sea god Hoang Ta Thon. During the Tran Dynasty, this was a strategic location for General Hoang Ta Thon to fight against the Yuan-Mongol invaders. In 2004, Dao Ngu Pagoda was renovated, meeting the cultural and spiritual needs of the local people and tourists from near and far. Along with the pagoda's renovation, ports on Song Ngu Island and Lan Chau Island were also built, making it convenient for pilgrims and visitors to the pagoda. Visitors can explore Song Ngu Island by speedboat, visit the Song Ngu Temple, admire the island's scenery, and enjoy seven-course fish dishes along with Song Ngu wine - a wine distilled from the sacred well water on the island.

The Cua Lo River Festival and the opening of the tourism season, held on April 30th and May 1st, are highlights of the summer season in this beautiful coastal town. Along with that, a series of events will continue throughout the autumn: the Trade Promotion Fair, the Tourism and Culinary Festival of the North Central provinces; the National Radio and Television Arts Festival "Connecting Hands by the Sea"; the Cua Lo Open Beach Golf Tournament, the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children's Football Tournament... Especially, in the summer of 2015, the Muong Thanh Hotel Group, in coordination with the People's Committee of Cua Lo town, will organize the first ever grand music festival on Cua Lo beach in early June, which will become an annual event for the group. In July, the corporation also officially launched the "For the Sea and Islands" Fund and organized activities such as the Cua Lo beach race, attracting tourists to participate. The fund was used to purchase mobile trash cans, support the construction and beautification of beach areas, and support the construction of breakwaters for coastal areas of Nghe An province such as Cua Lo, Dien Chau, and Quynh Luu.

Winter isn't the beach season, but Cua Lo can attract tourists through conferences, seminars, weddings, and other events. However, to truly attract visitors, the town needs to organize suitable activities. For example, a Seafood Specialty Festival. With its potential for exploiting and processing seafood, Cua Lo town is more than capable of hosting such a festival. Currently, four traditional craft villages specializing in the production of fish sauce, shrimp paste, fresh seafood, and dried seafood such as fish, squid, and shrimp bring in a total production value of 163 billion VND per year, creating jobs and increasing income for 980 workers in the area.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Hue, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Nghi Thuy Ward – one of the seafood processing villages in the town, and owner of a traditional fish sauce shop – said: “Cua Lo should definitely have a seafood specialty festival in the winter, at the end of the year. Through this, tourists can visit and shop at stalls and shops that process seafood on the spot, such as grilled mackerel heads and tails, grilled shrimp, grilled squid… and tourists can even become chefs if they want to prepare dishes according to their own preferences. At the seafood specialty festival, tourists can also listen to local fishermen introduce the process of making fish sauce, how to preserve fish sauce, and how to prepare seafood to keep it fresh and delicious… This way, Cua Lo town will no longer be deserted when winter comes.”

In reality, Cua Lo town already has stalls showcasing seafood products in its traditional craft villages, a seafood market, and even establishments grilling mackerel in Nghi Hai... but all of these are scattered and fragmented, failing to become a highlight. The core issue for Cua Lo town today is the approach. The local government, and especially the officials working in the tourism and culture sectors of Cua Lo town, must truly reflect on this, and advise the town's leaders on effective methods that are suitable for the local situation and create a positive impact.

Mr. Doan Tien Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo Town, affirmed: In order for Cua Lo Town to become a year-round tourist destination, the current challenge is to have a truly scientific plan, synchronized policies for development, and high consensus to transform potential, human resources, and material resources into tourism products.

Thanh Thuy