Promoting the Cua Lo tourism brand.

Come to fall in love...

In the golden sunshine of early July – the peak month of the tourist season – after two years of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, like many other tourist destinations across the country,Cua Lo townIt's truly bustling with tourists from all over the world who have chosen this place as a destination on their sightseeing and vacation trips.

Walking around Cua Lo town, it's easy to spot many cars with license plates from other provinces like Hanoi, Bac Giang, and Thai Nguyen parked densely around hotels and guesthouses. Even the smaller, lower-class guesthouses and hotels are packed with guests at this time. According to a report from the Cua Lo Town Department of Culture and Tourism, during the summer tourist season, especially in June and early July, Cua Lo welcomed approximately 15,000 visitors daily, with about 30-35% staying overnight. The total number of tourists in the first six months of the year is estimated at 1.26 million, reaching 8% of the plan, including 430,000 overnight visitors, reaching 83% of the plan. Revenue from tourism and service activities reached 1.28 trillion VND, reaching 84% of the plan. This is a positive sign for Cua Lo tourism after two years of stagnation.Covid-19 pandemicWhat is it about Cua Lo that makes tourists remember and love it so much?

Tourists enjoy swimming at Cua Lo beach. Photo courtesy of Thanh Cuong.

We visited the Yen Huong establishment, specializing in fresh and dried seafood, located in Block 7, Nghi Thuy Ward. At that time, the establishment was quite crowded with tourists visiting and choosing seafood as souvenirs after their trip. The owner, with a cheerful smile, greeted and introduced each type of seafood, not forgetting to provide the specific prices, while quickly selecting and advising customers on the items they requested.

Cua Lo boasts numerous sacred and tranquil spaces. With a history spanning hundreds of years, it has a dense network of historical sites, many of which have been developed for tourism. Mai Bang Temple (Nghi Thuy ward) is one of them… (Photo courtesy of Thanh Cuong)

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Lan (a tourist from Thai Nguyen), meticulously selecting dried squid, happily shared: "This is the third time my family has chosen Cua Lo, and each time we've come in a large group. This year, our group consists of 12 members, all siblings and children. She said that initially, there were suggestions to go to Sam Son, Da Nang, Nha Trang... but ultimately, the majority chose Cua Lo. There are several reasons: firstly, the travel distance is manageable for everyone; secondly, the prices in Cua Lo are very reasonable (from accommodation, food, services); thirdly, Cua Lo has beautiful beaches and fresh seafood. And importantly, Cua Lo combines the bustling atmosphere of a city with the beauty of a fishing village. It also boasts many historical sites that are unique to this region."

Grilled fish over charcoal, a tempting dish in Cua Lo during the tourist season. Photo courtesy of Duc Anh.

As for Mr. Trinh Xuan Hong (a tourist from Hanoi), each visit to Cua Lo brings a very different feeling to his family. This year, after two years of not being able to travel due to the pandemic, he chose Cua Lo for a vacation with his wife and children. “My family has visited Cua Lo before because we all love the beautiful, relaxing beach and the great swimming experience. This time, I took the time to research the attractions in Cua Lo. Therefore, my wife and I decided to spend a day visiting fish sauce processing facilities and fish grilling establishments… witnessing the seafood processing firsthand was exciting for my children, who had only seen it on TV before… We didn't have much time, so we haven't been able to visit the historical sites in the area yet. But that's okay, it's an opportunity for us to return to Cua Lo.”

Concerns of people working in tourism

Ms. Nguyen Thi Viet (Hai Giang 1 ward, Cua Lo town) has over 30 years of experience producing traditional fish sauce. Photo: Thanh Thuy

How could one not return, how could one not love this land and its people, when they are always so dedicated and meticulous in every product and service... with the desire to bring the best products to tourists? That is the concern of Ms. Nguyen Thi Viet (owner of Loan Viet fish sauce production facility) - Hai Giang 1 fish sauce village. Having worked in the traditional fish sauce processing industry for over 30 years, Ms. Viet believes that doing the job requires a sincere heart. The heart of those working here is "cleanliness from input to output and saying no to preservatives." For Ms. Viet, the fish sauce making profession...fish sauceEvery step is crucial. To produce fish sauce with a delicious aroma and a perfect amber color, the producers must select fresh ingredients that haven't been frozen (according to Mrs. Viet's secret, frozen fish will not taste good). The salt used to preserve the fish must be clean and aged for as long as possible (salt purchased should be dried for over a year before being used to preserve the fish for fish sauce). The fermentation vats must be earthenware or cement vats with the insides thoroughly cleaned. After being washed, these vats must be continuously dried in the sun to remove any odor before use.

With over 30 years of experience in the trade, Ms. Viet's processing facility only selects black scad fish for making fish sauce (because this type of fish has a delicious aroma). For every ton of fish, 200 kg of salt is needed for marinating. If less is used, the fish sauce will certainly spoil. Even if more salt is added, the fish sauce will never taste good; the color will turn black and it will have a foul odor. Ms. Viet's production facility marinates about 10 tons of fish annually, and her fish sauce is mainly sold to regular customers and tourists. Many customers, after buying once and finding it delicious, continue to do so year after year. With just a phone call, she packs and ships orders to customers throughout Vietnam, from the South to the North.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Viet said: "I'm happy that customers remember me, delighted that the fish sauce from our village is loved by consumers, and I feel I need to try even harder to serve customers better, so that customers will remember me for longer. That's all it takes for a professional to feel happy."

“For those in the service industry, there’s nothing more joyful or fulfilling than when customers remember you and seek you out,” shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, owner of Huong Son restaurant. After a long period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, when tourism recovered, many customers didn’t abandon her but continued to support her restaurant, which deeply moved her. This affection is a source of motivation for her and her husband to constantly improve their service, food preparation, and selection. This tourist season, to meet the demands of tourists, Ms. Huong hired more waitstaff, renovated the restaurant, purchased more equipment, and redecorated the dining rooms to make them more appealing. She always reminds her service staff to be welcoming when customers arrive and cheerful when they leave. The restaurant's menu is also diverse, catering to a wide range of customers.

The concerns of Ms. Viet and Ms. Huong are shared by all those working in tourism in Cua Lo. Although they may not be professional or formally trained, they serve tourists with sincerity and the heartfelt spirit of people from this coastal region, "accustomed to the waves and winds." We travel to learn about regional cultures, to understand the land and people of the places we visit even more deeply. Each region offers different experiences in terms of cuisine, people, and services... all contributing to the unique cultural characteristics of our beloved S-shaped land. And Cua Lo is no exception. In line with the town's general directive, every citizen must be a tourism promoter – Cua Lo has been and is striving towards this goal, aiming to build a "safe, friendly, and hospitable" coastal town.

Striving to welcome and serve over 3.1 million tourists.

Opening Ceremony of the Cua Lo Tourism Festival 2022. Photo: Thanh Cuong

After more than two years of impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, like many other tourist destinations nationwide, the coastal town of Cua Lo has undergone many changes with the goal of welcoming and serving more than 3.1 million tourists, an increase of 42.5% compared to 2020, and achieving tourism revenue of 3,300 billion VND, an increase of 47.7% compared to 2020.

Sea daisies offer many interesting experiences for children during their trip to Cua Lo with their parents. (Photo: Duc Anh)

To achieve that goal, in the first six months of 2022, the People's Committee of Cua Lo town directed relevant departments and units to survey and develop tourism products in Cua Lo; to promote Cua Lo as a safe tourist destination, combining epidemic prevention with economic development. State management of tourism activities, especially the "5 no's" policy from the beginning of the year, was implemented decisively. In coordination with Vinh City and Nam Dan district, a conference on tourism development cooperation was organized titled "Three localities, one journey, many experiences". Particularly in 2022, instead of focusing only on the summer months, Cua Lo tourism will extend throughout the year, from the opening day on April 9th ​​to December 31st, 2022, with many activities to highlight Cua Lo tourism and spread its appeal to tourists from near and far, as well as international friends. Notable examples include the Human Chess Tournament; the Street Music Festival; The program included folk art performances; a provincial Karate, indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball tournament; a tour guide and commentary competition; a town-wide chef competition; the final round of the Nghe An province's Got Talent competition; and the Cau Ngu Festival in Nghi Hai ward... The highlight was the opening ceremony of the Cua Lo Tourism Festival and the art program themed "Cua Lo: Love for the Sea and the Aspiration to Shine," which left a lasting impression on visitors.

The performance space showcases the cultural heritage of Nghe Tinh folk songs and chants – the pride of Nghe An province in general and Cua Lo in particular. (Photo courtesy of Thanh Chung)

This July, Cua Lo town is hosting its first-ever hot air balloon festival at the beach east of Binh Minh Square and several other locations within the town. This is one of the highlights of the 2022 tourism season. At the festival, locals and tourists will have the opportunity to admire spectacular hot air balloon performances, bringing a feeling of excitement and enjoyment. If desired, visitors can experience riding in a hot air balloon to admire the panoramic view of Cua Lo and its surrounding areas. Along with the hot air balloon festival, also in July, this beautiful coastal town will host the Phuc Luc Ngoat festival and a lantern release ceremony at Cua Hoi Bridge on the evening of July 16th.

Cua Lo is changing every day to offer more exciting experiences for visitors to this beautiful coastal town. In particular, restaurants here are focusing on diversifying their culinary offerings, a key element in leaving a lasting impression on tourists. (Photo: Duc Anh)

Alongside cultural, sports, and festival activities, Cua Lo town has also focused on building tourism infrastructure and beautifying the urban area to welcome tourists; mobilizing social resources to install LED lights and decorative lights on main roads, repairing and upgrading electronic welcome gates, and replacing, upgrading, and adding new environmentally friendly check-in points made of flowers and ornamental plants. Coordination with the Police, the Urban Market Management Team, and the Tourism Security Teams of the wards has been strengthened in managing tourism activities and ensuring the safety of tourists while swimming, playing, and sightseeing.

One solution that the town is particularly focused on to attract tourists is the development of tourist destinations. This includes concentrating on destinations in Nghi Thuy ward with the creation of pedestrian streets, food streets, shopping streets, and the restoration of spiritual sites and traditional cultural features. From Nghi Thuy, Cua Lo is gradually expanding to develop new tourist destinations and products for all seven wards in the area.

Cua Lo Beach. Photo courtesy of Canh Hung.

Mr. Hoang Van Phuc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo Town, said: To further promote the Cua Lo tourism brand, in the coming time, the town will continue to strengthen propaganda and promotion of Cua Lo as a safe and friendly destination, enhance tourism linkages and connections with provinces in the North Central region. Measures to stimulate tourism demand will be implemented, such as improving service quality to attract visitors. The town will also intensify the dissemination of information about Cua Lo tourism destination events and activities in 2022 on Vietnam Television, VTC, tourism publications, the websites of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Nghe An province, Cua Lo, and tourism businesses. Updates on events organized in Cua Lo will be posted on the website nghean.gov.vn, the electronic information portal, and on smartphones... With decisive leadership and the consensus of every citizen, Cua Lo tourism will be a bright spot on the Vietnamese tourism map, a choice for domestic and international tourists.