The aspiration to reach further from culinary "resources" - Part 3
With its existing advantages, and with the determination and aspirations of the people of this coastal town, the Cua Lo seafood brand can absolutely become a "stepping stone" for Cua Lo tourism to reach further, especially after the merger with Vinh City.
Lesson 3:
Aspiration to reach further
With its existing advantages, and with the determination and aspirations of the people of this coastal town, the Cua Lo seafood brand can absolutely become a "stepping stone" for Cua Lo tourism to reach further, especially after the merger with Vinh City.
"Off-the-table" dishes
Besides its culinary "resources," the people of Cua Lo have been creating new, youthful "dishes" in the form of innovative tourism services that visitors want to experience.
As the owner of a popular spot among young people in Cua Lo town, Phan Cong Duc (born in 1993) shared: “To reach a wider range of customers, in addition to seafood and traditional dishes, we also serve European cuisine with flavors adapted to suit the majority of customers. Besides the restaurant, we also combine a cafe model with camping accommodation. On weekends, we organize live music nights or workshops suitable for young people. These efforts aim to diversify the experiences for customers coming to Cua Lo and hope to provide the best quality service to tourists from all over.”
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Despite only being in operation for two years, Duc's service complex has established its brand by continuously upgrading its visually appealing space, maintaining a steady stream of customers throughout all four seasons (instead of just one), attracting a large number of international visitors, and retaining a stable base of regular customers from Vinh, Ha Tinh.
Duc also believes that, after Vinpearl Cua Hoi comes into operation, the number of visitors to Cua Lo will become increasingly diverse, and if service providers are creative, kind, and meticulous in their work, then the doors of opportunity will certainly open wider.
As a loyal customer of Cua Lo, Kent Wallace, an American writer and freelance journalist, confided: “I have traveled to many countries, experienced many cuisines, and I can confidently say that the seafood and cuisine of Cua Lo are fantastic. I even found my favorite eel soup restaurant here instead of in Vinh City. I've written promotional articles about some of the dishes on the Cua Lo town website I built so that more international friends can learn about Cua Lo.”
Besides enjoying beach activities, visiting seafood markets, riding electric vehicles, and strolling through the streets at night, young residents of Cua Lo, with their fresh spirit, have opened up many types of experiential services that suit current trends. One of them is the experience of paddling a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) to watch the sunrise.
As one of the pioneers in bringing stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) experiences to Cua Lo, Mr. Nguyen Ho Manh (Vinh City) shared: “Cua Lo is a beautiful beach with a gently sloping terrain, fine sand, calm waves, and open scenery, ideal for kayaking and SUP activities. Initially, we were just a group of people with shared interests, coming together to satisfy our passion. Gradually, driven by the needs of tourists and the desire for more people to experience watching the sunrise, we started offering this service.”
Having directly experienced paddleboarding to watch the sunrise with her family, Ms. Nguyen Giang Linh (a tourist from Hanoi) shared: “With reasonable service prices and the dedicated attitude of the support staff, these activities not only benefit physical and mental health, but also help children develop courage, and create memorable family moments. I hope Cua Lo will have more activities like this so that tourists come to Cua Lo not only to swim and eat seafood, but also to have fun and stay healthy.”
Mergers – open doors
Prior to the decision to merge Cua Lo town into Vinh city, many believed this was a good opportunity for both Vinh city and Cua Lo town. From a tourism perspective, Nguyen Ba Hai – a Vinh native who has traveled across Vietnam and is currently the Chairman of the Da Nang Paragliding Club – shared: “If you ask me what I am most proud of about Vinh, I would answer that it is its cuisine. Not only is the food diverse, but the taste of Vinh people is also very authentic, harmonious yet rich, which has been confirmed by many of my friends – people from different regions. That is also why I believe that Vinh's 'food tours' will win over many tourists. The merger of Cua Lo into Vinh city will help expand and diversify the culinary experience of my hometown, giving it more unique features.”
As a loyal customer of Duc, Kent Wallace, an American writer and freelance journalist living and working in Cua Lo town, confided: “I have traveled to many countries, experienced many cuisines, and I can confidently say that Cua Lo's seafood and cuisine are fantastic. I even found my favorite eel soup restaurant here instead of in Vinh city. I've written promotional articles about some dishes on the Cua Lo town website I built so that more international friends can learn about Cua Lo.”
When talking about Vinh, it's impossible not to mention its advantageous geographical location. Its excellent connectivity allows visitors to reach the area by road, rail, and air. With the current transportation infrastructure, a short 11km drive on the 72m road takes visitors from the city center to Cua Lo beach. Along with Vinh oranges and Nghe An's freshwater eels, Cua Lo's squid and seafood are sure to be positioned on the domestic and international tourism map.
At the 2024 "Excellent Chef - Honoring Cua Lo Cuisine" competition, the phrase "aspiration to reach further" was mentioned many times in the presentations of the participating units. That spirit was fully felt in the presentation style, in every word shared, and in every dish.
At the Nghi Thuy ward's dining area during the "Excellent Chef - Honoring Cua Lo Cuisine" competition in 2024, a large, exquisitely designed wooden model of a fishing boat was on display. In their presentation, representatives of the Nghi Thuy ward's chefs stated: “The image of the fishing boat is both familiar to our lives and represents the aspirations of the Cua Lo fishermen. We strive to reach further, clinging to the sea, catching seafood, developing the economy, and protecting our homeland's islands… and we believe that Cua Lo tourism will continue to develop and expand further in the future.” These sincere and resolute words were enough to touch the hearts of all the people of this coastal town.
