What can be done to ensure that the sea daisy remains a symbol of Cua Lo beach tourism?

A new tourism icon

For the past two years, every April, the coastal town of Cua Lo has become even more vibrant with flowers. At this time, the sea daisies here bloom yellow on the flower-covered hills; along the paths to the beach; under the casuarina forests; in front of every office, unit, school, and hotel; along both sides of the main roads and in residential areas.

There are two types of sea daisies in Cua Lo. One type has single-colored, bright yellow petals. The other type has two-colored petals, with yellow edges and orange-red inside. Cua Lo sea daisies usually bloom from April to July each year. The flower stalks are slender, emerald green, and covered with fine, downy hairs from the stem to the calyx.

Each serrated petal is arranged in an alternating circle around the pistil. The flowers rise up like countless tiny suns... Sea daisies are found in many localities along the central coast, but the sea daisies in Cua Lo seem to be the most abundant and beautiful.

Many legends exist about the origin of the sea daisy in Cua Lo, such as the amorous King Bao Dai bringing the seeds from a French colony to plant in Cua Lo during a visit; or the French bringing the seeds to plant in the Cua Lo resort more than 100 years ago… However, the most plausible explanation is that the sea daisy seeds were carried by birds and waves to Cua Lo, and then bloomed here.

For a long time, the sea daisy has been a symbolic image representing the special qualities of the people of Cua Lo: Amidst the hot, dry, barren sand, the sea daisy patiently gathers every drop of life, so that as summer approaches, the flowers still bloom brilliantly and beautifully, beautifying life.

The scent of sea daisies is gentle, sweet, and very distinctive. The fragrance has found its way into poetry and songs.The scent of sea daisies blends with the casuarina forest of Lan Chau...” (The Sea's Words); “"There is a soldier who remembers the color of the sea daisy / The yellow color of the flower evokes memories of the sunset."(Evening on a Distant Island - Nguyen Trong Tao).

Over the past two years, in order to promote local tourism development, Cua Lo town has chosen the sea daisy as its tourism symbol. This aims to create a positive impression and attract tourists to Cua Lo.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Son, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Cua Lo town, said: In 2022, the People's Committee of Cua Lo town issued and implemented the "Conservation, Development and Promotion of Sea Daisy" project for the period 2022-2025 with the goal of making the sea daisy a characteristic flower symbolizing Cua Lo tourism. Through the implementation of the project, the aim is to contribute to preserving and developing this beautiful and precious flower species, while also creating a new space for tourists visiting Cua Lo beach to have more places to visit, check-in, take photos, and create souvenirs.

The People's Committee of Cua Lo town also assigned the town's Agricultural Services Center to plant, care for, and expand the cultivation at the following locations: the natural flower hill area south of Binh Minh Square with an area of ​​10,000m².²The area where the 72m road intersects with Binh Minh road has an area of ​​2,000m².²The Sea Daisy Park area covers 500 square meters.²… Assigning agencies, schools, hotels, and guesthouses to plant sea daisies in vacant areas to create a beautiful landscape.

In addition, Cua Lo town has also strengthened its communication and promotion efforts regarding the sea daisy – a symbol of Cua Lo tourism – to a wide range of people in the province and friends near and far through coordination with information, communication, and press agencies.

In particular, the town has organized many events to further spread the image of Cua Lo sea daisies among domestic and international tourists. In 2023 and 2024, Cua Lo town organized the Cua Lo Sea Daisy Ao Dai Festival, the Cua Lo Elegant Young Women's Contest, and the "Decorating Check-in Spots with Sea Daisies" competition, and in 2024 with the theme "Cua Lo Sea Daisies - A Gift from Nature".

Spreading the symbol of the sea daisy

Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang (36 years old), a tourist from Hanoi visiting Cua Lo, shared: “Never before, anywhere else, have I seen sea daisies blooming so brilliantly and beautifully as in Cua Lo. My family and friends and I have taken many beautiful photos with the sea daisies. When we posted them on social media, everyone praised them and asked for the address to find out where to go…”

However, in late May, there was a regrettable situation in Cua Lo town: the sea daisy season had ended prematurely. Photographer Nguyen Xuan Nhuong (Cua Lo town), who has had many excellent photographs of sea daisies, shared: "This is the peak tourist season, with students on summer vacation, and many tourists will flock to Cua Lo for relaxation. I went around the town to 'hunt' for more beautiful photos of the sea daisies, but unfortunately, many of them have already withered. It's unclear whether the wilting was due to the weather or the way they were cared for."

Authorities need to re-evaluate this issue, because previously, when sea daisies grew naturally in Cua Lo, they typically bloomed from April to July each year. June was the peak season for these flowers, creating a stunning and striking scene against the backdrop of the sunny and windy central coast.

Photographer Nguyen Xuan Nhuong further explained: "Actually, it wasn't until 2022 that the sea daisy was proposed as a tourism symbol in Cua Lo. In 2004-2005, Cua Lo town also had this idea and began directing some agencies and units to plant them. However, for various reasons, this was later forgotten. It wasn't until 2022 that the Town Party Committee and People's Committee of Cua Lo revived and realized the idea…"

The people of Cua Lo highly appreciate this and hope that this type of flower will take root permanently and be grown more in Cua Lo, so that the image of Cua Lo sea daisies can spread more widely.

The hopes and concerns about the future of the Cua Lo sea daisy are part of the overall aspirations of the people of Cua Lo to maintain and develop the century-old Cua Lo tourism brand.