A region of "green mountains and blue water"

(Baonghean) - Not as magnificent and bustling as the major urban centers in the country and the world, nor yet prominent with high-class entertainment areas, but for tourists, Nghe An is still proud of its own special attraction. The charming river and mountain shapes; the sacredness of communal houses, pagodas, temples, and shrines; the resounding revolutionary spirit and the profoundness of many intangible cultural values, built up from the sediments and souls of the land and people for thousands of years... Simple and rustic like that, but containing the strong inner strength of the heart-centered countryside and the desire to spread and integrate...

Rich in potential

That desire to spread and integrate has been evident in every new look of the province, with many efforts to connect tours and tourist routes, so that many people know that this land of Nghe An is no longer known as "Lao wind, white sand", but has become an attractive tourist destination. As a province with over 1,000 historical and cultural relics, of which 131 have been ranked as national historical relics by the State, Nghe An has become one of the highlights in the long journey of Central Vietnam's heritage. It is no longer far away from Cua Lo, Thanh Vinh, Nam Dan, Pu Mat National Park; or to the farthest reaches of the Western region of Nghe An, with the vast ecology of Quy Chau - Que Phong, because now the gateways to Nghe An are open on all routes by air, road, and water...

Scene of the Nine-Room Temple Festival. Photo: Tran Canh Yen

For those who love Nghe An, they must be interested in the positive changes in the province's tourism sector in recent years, with the focus on investing and exploiting the Cua Lo coastal tourism center. Recalling the early 1990s, that small and remote fishing village still had a wild appearance. The livelihood of coastal residents mainly depended on coastal fishing, with limited fishing equipment and techniques, and there was no concept of tourism development. Meanwhile, the potential was available before our eyes, looking far away, the gently sloping shore, smooth white sand, and majestic Hon Ngu and Hon Mat as outposts towards the sea. After decades of hard work, building and building, from potential that has turned into a strong internal energy, the wild Cua Lo has taken on a modern and dynamic appearance. Coming to the coastal area today, spacious crossroads and wide paths welcome visitors from all over. Every year, investment in tourism projects alone has reached billions of VND, many of which have become highlights for Cua Lo tourism such as Binh Minh Square, Town Stadium, Song Ngu Island, 18-hole golf course project associated with high-class hotel and motel of Sea Golf Joint Stock Company, Van Xuan Private University of Technology, Trang An Confectionery Factory... From Cua Lo, many tours have formed routes connecting other attractive historical and cultural relics such as Cua Lo - Uncle Ho's hometown; Cua Lo - Lam River - Củi Temple; Cua Lo - Vinh - Kim Lien relic site - Pu Mat primeval forest; sightseeing cruise on Lan Chau island - Rua cave - Tien island... or Cua Lo - Cau Treo border gate - Lac Xao; Cua Lo - Bai Lu...

If the vast Cua Lo beach is not enough to satisfy your private pleasure, then you should boldly try this tour: go along the Lam River, breathe in the bustling city, the fresh and cool air of Nghe An, and then burst into passionate and peaceful emotions in front of the blue sea of ​​Cua Hoi. An eco-tourism area was established here in 2000 with a total area of ​​over 5 hectares, hidden under the immense pine forest, with a variety of seafood dining services, stilt house accommodation, freshwater lake fishing, swimming... Not far from here is a mangrove forest that locals often call the mangrove forest (in Hung Hoa, Vinh City). The mangrove forest, also known as Tram Chim of Nghe An, because in the leaf-falling season, visitors can see the vast forest with tens of thousands of birds and storks perched on the mangrove trees...

Surely, there was a time when even the residents of Nghe An could not have imagined that one day, the mountains, rivers, temples, pagodas, shrines, and shrines... closely associated with daily life could become attractive tourist destinations. That unexpected thing, just like someone once doubted, that the land of scorching sun and drought, the white-white Lao wind, the place where the burden of carrying the two ends of the country could become a red address in the geographical records of domestic and international tourism. Overcoming all those doubts, Nghe An people have boldly shown to visitors from near and far with their own vibrant beauty. That beauty is thick in historical and cultural stature, with a series of relics on the historical road of September 12, with the hometown of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong, and the "heart" of Nghe - Nam Dan, the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh. Who named this land of Ky Nam “Nam Dan Thanh Thanh”, so that in the past and present, there exist in the geography of the past and present glorious figures in the history of the nation: the homeland of King Mai, the homeland of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep, the homeland of Phan Boi Chau… Each character is associated with many legends about the glorious career of defending the country, immersed in the immense soul of the land and people.

Integration and development, Nghe An tourism has joined the new trend with the form of community tourism, promising to be a promising opening, attracting a large number of tourists not only domestically but also internationally. A whole area of ​​rich cultural sediments and lyrical natural scenery of Western Nghe An has created "capital" for that future. Anyone who has visited two community tourism centers in Western Nghe An, which are Pu Mat National Park Tourism Center and Quy Chau - Que Phong Cultural - Ecological Tourism Center, will surely want to visit many more times. The majesty of the waterfall, the greatness of the mother nature old forest and the tourism service facilities that are increasingly improved in quality and quantity ... attract more and more tourists.

Build a unique product

In addition to the tangible cultural heritage with more than 1,000 historical and cultural relics, famous landscapes and landscapes, our province also has more than 20 different large and small festivals along with intangible cultural heritages such as folk songs, folk dances, folk music, unique folk games and many other forms... considered the voice and soul of the Nghe people. The most prominent is the intangible cultural heritage of humanity - Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam folk songs. Vi and Giam are so beautiful, so sincere and profound, have been enduring and spreading for thousands of years, are the endogenous vitality of the heart-centered countryside, these things no one can deny. But how can the cultural heritage of our ancestors be expanded, become a tourist specialty, an indispensable spiritual food, not only for the Nghe people, but also for friends near and far? There have been many seminars such as Linking to build tourism products in the North Central provinces, Linking to develop tourism in Thanh - Nghe - Tinh, signing a joint development agreement between Nghe An - Ho Chi Minh City, Nghe An - Da Lat, Nghe An - Vientiane - Udon Thani... raising the question: how to make folk songs a typical tourism product of Nghe An?

Tourists visit Ngu Island by speedboat. Photo: Nguyen Son

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Director of the Provincial Tourism Promotion Center, said: “In 2010, during the Conference on building Lao - Thai - Vietnamese road tourism products in Thailand, the Tourism Promotion Center invited artists and actors from the Folk Song Theater to participate in introducing Nghe An folk songs, vi and giam in Thailand. On this occasion, the troupe also performed for Vietnamese people living in Bangkok and was warmly welcomed. Many international visitors in Thailand came to watch and were very excited, many tourists also expressed their desire to hear more folk songs, vi and giam. And on this occasion, we sold many VCDs about folk songs. This is the first time in our promotion activities that we invited the Folk Song Theater to join us, and I find this activity very effective in promoting and publicizing this precious heritage.”

Tangible and intangible heritages must blend together, only then will they have enough weight to create a unique feature in the journey of tourism in Nghe An. To make folk songs become a tourism product, it is necessary to have the coordination and attention of localities, especially localities with tourism potential such as Vinh City, Cua Lo, Nam Dan. Ms. Le Thi Hang, Vice Chairman of Nam Dan District People's Committee, said: In 2006, Nam Dan has developed a Project to Preserve and promote Vi Phuong Vai singing, building Vi Phuong Vai singing into a unique tourism product of Uncle Ho's hometown. With the idea of ​​establishing a Folk Song and Vi Phuong Vai team at Kim Lien Relic Site - currently an attractive destination, the most important tourist destination of Nghe An, in the coming time, after the final items of the Project "Preservation and restoration of Kim Lien historical and cultural relic site associated with tourism development" are completed, we will carry out this idea.

I think that the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, specifically the Center for Conservation and Development of Nghe An Folk Songs, should organize folk song performances and sell tickets to tourists on certain days, maybe every Saturday. Or combine with some large hotels and tourist areas to organize outdoor parties and weekend parties, selling tickets to enjoy Nghe cuisine while discovering the charming folk songs. A socialization method that heritages such as Don Ca Tai Tu, Ca Hue... are doing quite well is that the heritage conservation agency combines with businesses to create a specific model and space to promote and create tourism products. For example, we can cooperate with businesses to build and operate culinary cruises at Cua Lo tourist area in the summer, or Vinh City Festival Palace, or Cua Hoi area, Lam riverside road near Ben Thuy Port to enjoy cuisine, coffee, and listen to folk songs. This service cost is covered in the service price of each product that the tourist area sells to tourists. With this form, tourists, businesses, and conservation agencies all benefit. Through this, folk songs will be known and loved by more tourists…

Phuong Chi - Thanh Thuy