Vinh City Tourism Identification

(Baonghean) - The reason we use the phrase "Vinh City tourism identification" is because, for a long time, Vinh has had all the necessary conditions and factors to become a tourism center, thereby opening up job opportunities for workers as well as increasing revenue for the state budget. However, for many reasons, the tourism - service sector in the central city of the North Central region has not yet promoted its potential and advantages to turn the smokeless industry into a spearhead sector in the economic balance.

Painting of historical and cultural relics

The first works that must be mentioned when referring to Vinh City tourism are Ho Chi Minh Square and Uncle Ho Monument. Completed on the occasion of the 113th anniversary of Uncle Ho's birthday, May 19, 2003, the work has become a very proud cultural and spiritual symbol for the people of Nghe An in general and Vinh City in particular. Every year, millions of people come to Ho Chi Minh Square and Uncle Ho Monument to offer incense, pay tribute to his great contributions and at the same time educate the next generation to follow the example of the beloved father of the nation.

In the "upper Cau Ram" area in the west of Vinh City, there is Can Linh Pagoda, or more familiarly known as "Su Nu Pagoda". Not everywhere in the city has a large pagoda for female Buddhists to take refuge, leaving the mundane world to reach the Buddha realm of "color, color, emptiness". Can Linh Pagoda was built during the Le Trung Hung Dynasty. Generation after generation, the pagoda has not only become a place for Buddhist monks and nuns to practice but has also truly become a destination for city residents and visitors from near and far when they need moments of vegetarianism with Zen to calm their minds. On January 21, 1992, Can Linh Pagoda was ranked as a National Historical Relic by the Ministry of Culture and has increasingly attracted a large number of people to visit and worship on holidays and Tet.

Another historical relic built during the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty is Nghe An Citadel or later called Vinh Citadel. The citadel was built in 1804, under the reign of King Gia Long, and was renovated and reinforced by many subsequent kings. The citadel has 3 gates, including the front gate, the left gate and the right gate. Nghe An Citadel was built with the goal of creating a political center, while also having strategic defense significance during a historical period. Today, after many renovations, Vinh Citadel has become a unique highlight in the cultural and historical space of Vinh city, an important source of data in studying and researching the development history of Nghe An and Vietnam.

Interestingly, right in the Vinh Citadel area, there are two museum centers: the Soviet Nghe - Tinh Museum and the Nghe An Museum. With large-scale construction works, thousands of artifacts of important historical value are currently preserved here, demonstrating the indomitable spirit of the people of the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh in the years 1930 - 1931. Less than 1km from the Soviet Nghe - Tinh Museum, to the north on Quang Trung Street is the Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Memorial House - one of the outstanding children of Vinh City who made many contributions to the struggle for national independence. The Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Memorial House was built majestically and spaciously right in the area of ​​the old foundation of her family. Preserved here are many artifacts that were associated with the female revolutionary soldier during her activities from 1930 until her death in 1941. Notably, this place is preserving the handwriting of General Vo Nguyen Giap sent to the Vinh City Party Committee and People's Committee about re-determining the location of the house of Mr. Han Binh - Nguyen Huy Binh, father of Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Nguyen Thi Quang Thai (the first wife of General Vo Nguyen Giap). Visiting the Memorial House, people will understand more about the qualities of the female revolutionary soldier and the great contributions to the country of a patriotic family.

Down to the Trung Do - Ben Thuy area, Vinh City is also known for the relic of the Phoenix Citadel built by Emperor Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue in 1789 after defeating 290,000 invading Qing troops. Currently, the temple has become an indispensable destination in the cultural and spiritual life of the people in the region.

Ideas and projects that fall into oblivion

It can be said that Vinh City, with an area of ​​only 104.96 km2, has a fairly high density of works, architectural art, beliefs and spirituality. Within the framework of an article, it is difficult to list all the number of works, historical and cultural relics as well as the values ​​they bring. In fact, for a long time, Vinh City has not exploited its inherent potential advantages to promote tourism services, improve the efficiency of a key economic sector. Vinh has many relics and scenic spots, but the number of tourists to Vinh is still modest. Many works and architectural beliefs and spirituality have not been invested in and restored.

Asking for prayers at Ong Temple (Hong Son). Photo: Tran Hai

Mr. Nguyen Trung Chau - Vice Chairman of Vinh City People's Committee was concerned: In Vinh, there are 2 historical and cultural relics, 2 important tourist attractions but they have not been renovated or restored yet. They are Hong Son Temple and Van Thanh Temple. For Hong Son Temple, due to its narrow area, over the years, the temple grounds have been increasingly encroached upon, the place to worship Saint Tran Hung Dao is sandwiched in the Vinh market area, which is both polluted and noisy. In 2010, Vinh City allocated a budget to expand the temple area but could not do so because the cost was too high and site clearance was difficult. Van Thanh Temple, also known as Vinh Temple of Literature, was built in 1803 under the reign of King Gia Long, a typical work of Nghe An Confucianism. Although it has profound value in terms of tangible and intangible values, Vinh Temple of Literature has long been a ruin. The old foundation of the work has been requisitioned by Nghe An Printing Company and encroached upon and used by many residents. The sacrificial objects and stone steles must also be moved to other places for storage. Regarding the unfortunate fate of Van Thanh, Mr. Nguyen Trung Chau - Vice Chairman of Vinh City People's Committee said that the province has assigned the city to restore and renovate this project. A few years ago, the project was estimated to cost 58 billion VND, of which 2/3 was spent on site clearance. "It is beyond the city's capacity, we really need the support of the province as well as businesses to hope to do it" - Mr. Nguyen Trung Chau said.

Vinh City also has many other works of historical and cultural value such as Tria Temple - Hoang Family Temple in Hung Loc Commune; Thermal Power Plant - Con Mo Relic Complex - Victory Monument in Ben Thuy Ward; Truong Thi Railway Factory Relic, Match Factory, Sawmill in Ben Thuy Ward.... All of the above areas and relics have not made any mark in the picture of relics - history - culture of Vinh City in recent times.

There are many addresses, relics, and scenic spots to develop the smokeless industry in Vinh, but many projects and plans for tourism are falling into oblivion. For a long time, many people have "blamed" it on the needs of tourists, but the reality is not entirely like that. Not everything that is bestowed by nature or left by history can make tourists want to come and be satisfied to come back next time, no matter how rare it is. Tourists themselves do not know what they will need, where to go, and what quality of service they will enjoy when coming to a land, if they are not guided. On the other hand, currently, tourism services in Vinh City are still very low. Previously, the state management agencies for tourism in Vinh City have begun to form an eco-tourism route along the Lam River, down to the Hung Hoa - Cua Hoi mangrove forest to see the bird tram. This is not unrealistic romance but is completely grounded. Not every modern city is lucky enough to be blessed with a gentle river in the middle of a mangrove forest. That is the reason why tourists can immerse themselves in the space of sky and water while listening to folk songs. To carry out this interesting tourist route, Vinh City leaders also researched and asked for support for boats, but everything failed and fell into oblivion.

In the tourism space of Vinh, if the city is the center, there are also extremely favorable advantages to expand attractive destinations for tourists. Less than 20 km to the west is the Kim Lien Relic Site, Uncle Ho's paternal and maternal hometowns, the relics of patriot Phan Boi Chau, the tomb of King Mai Hac De, the memorial site of the late General Secretary Le Hong Phong. To the south of Vinh is Tien Dien village (Nghi Xuan) with the relic site of the great poet Nguyen Du. To the east is the famous Cua Lo beach... However, Vinh City has not yet promoted its advantages and is waiting for the attention of the authorities.

Dao Tuan