On the barren land of Thanh Thuy border area with acacia as the main crop, there is an eco-tourism area, recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a tourist destination on the Nghe An tourism map - HDT Eco-tourism Area. This is considered a positive signal for Thanh Chuong tourism.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hop - Director of HDT Ecotourism Area in Thanh Thuy commune said: “When the model was first implemented (in 2016), with the policy of developing agricultural economy according to the VAC model, combining fruit tree planting, pig and chicken farming and fish farming; many people were skeptical, because this land has long been able to grow only acacia and tea trees. In 2019, when the investment shifted to the ecotourism farm model, many people were skeptical again, because the investment capital was large and the revenue was unknown; however, with the thought of wanting to do something good for myself and my homeland, I was determined to do it, even though the process had difficulties”.
Intelligence, love for the homeland and aspiration have "turned nothing into something", now, HDT Eco-tourism Area has become a destination for many families, groups of friends, organizations, agencies, units participating in experiential activities associated with farming, food and beverage services, accommodation, entertainment and recreation on holidays and weekends. Only counting the time of being recognized as a tourist destination of the province in April 2023, up to now, the tourist area has attracted more than 20,000 visitors, of which, the 3 holidays of April 30, May 1 and September 2 alone attracted about 10,000 visitors.
HDT Eco-tourism Area in Thanh Thuy Commune has a total area of nearly 22 hectares, with a total investment of more than 45 billion VND. Currently, this tourist area has invested about 30 billion VND, including a large timber forest area, fruit trees, ponds, and lakes to create a green, clean, and beautiful ecological space, serving the needs of tourists to experience and enjoy; a system of bungalows; a system of meeting rooms, conferences, seminars; a children's entertainment, recreation, and experience area.
In the coming time, this tourist destination will have more 3-star hotels; high-class bungalows; standard swimming pools and outdoor sports areas; areas to introduce agricultural products and Thanh Chuong specialties...; to meet the diverse needs of tourists, becoming a destination, connecting with tourist destinations in Thanh Chuong district and in Nghe An province, provinces along the Ho Chi Minh route.
But will there be anyone next who is passionate about Thanh Chuong's tourism potential?
The tea island area (in 3 communes of Thanh An, Thanh Thinh, Thanh Thuy) has created an attractive destination; with about 80 hectares of tea grown on green islands all year round, surrounded by clear blue water with a water surface area of over 83 hectares. This was also once considered the "Ha Long Bay" on the mountains of Nghe An; attracting domestic and foreign tourists to enjoy, with about 35,000 - 40,000 visitors/year.
Liep Waterfall (in Thanh Son commune) is also expected to be an interesting destination for tourists who want to experience the fresh nature, imbued with the mountains and forests; especially in the hot season. This area has attractive dishes of the indigenous people, such as grilled chicken, cool fish, stream fish, bamboo rice and some culinary dishes of the Thai ethnic group.
Or Bach Ma Temple in Vo Liet Commune - the temple is one of the "four sacred animals": first Con, second Qua, third Bach Ma, fourth Chieu Trung of Nghe An, associated with the Bach Ma Temple Festival held annually, attracting 20,000 - 25,000 tourists...
In addition to the above 4 tourist attractions, Thanh Chuong district has beautiful landscapes, such as Mua waterfall, Coi waterfall, Cay Tram waterfall, Song Ro dam...; has 5 rivers and more than 70 large and small lakes, with a rich and diverse ecosystem. The system of historical and cultural relics with 457 relics has been inventoried, of which 70 relics are ranked at the national and provincial levels. The potential for forestry and agricultural land is large; associated with drastic direction of converting the structure of crops and livestock and investing in intensive farming, improving the economic value of agriculture and forestry has contributed to creating new ecosystems to develop agricultural tourism. At the same time, from the rich and quality agricultural products, including many products with local characteristics, such as chicken, canarium, Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber, Tong Doi orange, Phong Thinh orange, Thanh My grapefruit..., creating culinary cultural values and a unique attraction for the locality to develop tourism.
Through the implementation of the tourism development program for the period of 2021-2025 and the following years, Thanh Chuong district has identified tourism development with a focus on agricultural eco-tourism; community cultural tourism; spiritual cultural tourism. The Party Committee and the government have also connected potential investors to survey and find investment opportunities in eco-tourism areas, combining resorts at Cau Cau Lake - tea island; ecological farms combined with tourism at Ro River Lake; preparing planning documents for the historical relic cluster of General Phan Da (in Vo Liet commune) and forming a community cultural space for Liep waterfall. At the same time, encourage and support organizations and individuals to invest in building accommodation facilities and restaurants to serve tourists with a total of 18 existing accommodation facilities and 8 restaurants serving from 100 to 500 guests.
However, according to Vice Chairman of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee - Mr. Nguyen Van Chien: The most difficult and problematic issues at present are related to land law policies. To build an agricultural and eco-tourism destination, it is necessary to have a certain area of land to build a system of wharves, places to stay, eat, live, check-in points for tourists, product display booths and even internal traffic...
Meanwhile, the land is mainly forestry and agricultural land; it is not easy to convert. Agricultural and ecological tourism models are mainly household-scale with limited economic potential for systematic investment, so in reality, some new models are just starting to "conceive", whether building temporary houses or even small things like building toilets, which are violations of land laws and must be dismantled. This is an issue that all levels need to study and resolve, creating favorable land conditions for the development of community tourism models, ecological tourism combined with agriculture.
Thanh Chuong district also proposed that the province study to have mechanisms and policies for developing eco-tourism combined with agriculture, including policies on land, taxes, credit support, etc. Along with that, many issues related to tourism infrastructure; human resources and professionalism in tourism; building products, connecting destinations and promoting tourism, etc., are being continued by the district to exploit and better develop the local tourism potential.
