Quy Hop - awakening the potential of the destination

Quy Hop district town with famous Thung May lake. Photo: TL

Aspiration and determination

We returned to Quy Hop when the atmosphere was bustling with excitement, awaiting the 60th anniversary of the district's founding. In the conversation with the leaders of the District Party Committee, there were many new and interesting things; for example, the locality is promoting the implementation of Resolution No. 15-NQ/HU, dated October 25, 2022 of the District Party Committee, term XXI, on strengthening leadership and direction to attract investment, develop tourism associated with preserving the cultural identity of ethnic minorities, period 2021-2025, vision to 2030 (hereinafter referred to as Resolution 15-PV).

Leaders of Quy Hop district visited a high-tech production model in the district. Photo: PV

For a long time, Thung May, Muong Choong, Ban Vi, Chau Quang,... have been attractive places when talking about Quy Hop - a land rich in cultural and historical values. And since 2001, Quy Hop has been chosen by the Ministry of Culture - Information (now the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism) and Nghe An province to build a key district of mountainous and ethnic minority culture in the country.

In the "guide" promoting the district's tourism potential, it was also stated: Quy Hop is an ideal place for tourists to rest, entertain, and conduct scientific research with its natural landscape and particularly attractive ecological environment. The landscape system with mountainous terrain, deep rivers, rapids and waterfalls is a good potential for exploiting tours and routes... Besides, Quy Hop's cool climate also makes it an attractive choice on hot days.

Quy Hop also attracts by heroic vestiges such as Bai Tap, recorded in history as a base of Lam Son insurgents; Cua Troong temple in Chung Lang village (now Yen Hop commune) worships Lam Son insurgents who sacrificed their lives in the ambush to destroy the Ming army after the "thunderous and lightning-filled" victory of Bo Dang; Lang Song temple in Van Loi commune worships a Tho general, Ban Le temple worships a Thai girl, all of which are examples of bravery who sacrificed their lives when fighting under the Lam Son flag to fight against foreign invaders, which are forever passed down among the people...

Awakening the tourism potential is for Quy Hop to be more confident in its efforts to become the most prosperous district in the Northwest of the province. With its inherent natural resources, Quy Hop can make a breakthrough to become "rich" in a specific period, but to be "beautiful" it must aim for sustainable development options. Tourism is therefore one of the chosen options!

Processing superfine stone powder in Quy Hop district. Photo: Hoang Vinh

There are still the potentials and strengths of white stone resources, sugar cane industry, Vinh orange products... which are all firmly in the "capital" category. But then, Quy Hop will gradually become an address that attracts visitors from afar with its vibrant and rich destinations, including the experience of making handicraft products from white stone, experiencing the ecology of orange gardens, visiting the sugar factory as an interesting contemplation of the largest industrial processing facility in the Western Nghe region of many decades ago.

That certainly cannot stop at "aspiration", but has gradually been realized through 1 year of implementing Resolution 15, concretized through plans and projects. Currently, there is a business applying for a license to build a tourism experience model for Cam Vinh eco-tourism village in Minh Hop commune. Another business is applying for a policy to build an eco-tourism area at Ban Bia waterfall in Chau Ly commune. The previous launches of these destinations, although still experimental, have welcomed thousands of visitors each year; including foreign visitors from the US, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore...

The model of growing high-quality oranges is being replicated in Quy Hop district. Photo: Hoang Vinh

The exchange of the district leaders added that Quy Hop has built plans to implement Resolution 15 such as planning and surveying some relics and scenic spots: Ban Vuc Cave in Chau Ly commune, Ban Mong dam in Yen Hop commune, tea hills in Minh Hop commune, and water springs in Nghia Xuan commune. And it is a joy to have formed a community tourism village (1 year ahead of schedule).

Along with that, there are efforts to mobilize resources to invest in infrastructure, create incentives to attract investment, promote tourism development in the district; coordinate to build OCOP products... to gradually form rich and diverse specialty products to serve tourism services.

OCOP products of Tinh Sang Duong Agricultural Cooperative (Quy Hop). Photo: Hoang Vinh

Looking back over the past 20 years since Quy Hop was chosen to build a key district for mountainous and ethnic minority culture in the country, up to now, besides the results achieved, the Party Committee and the government of Quy Hop may have "self-reflected" to realize that, at times, because of focusing on "hot" development of some economic sectors, they have not really taken advantage of that honor and responsibility.

Therefore, with the fundamental and proactive steps of issuing Resolution 15 and actively implementing the key task of tourism development associated with cultural identity preservation, as a "compensation" for certain limitations of the past development stages. That is, the District People's Committee has issued many documents to preserve historical relics, scenic spots and national cultural identity in the area, such as organizing workshops on the restoration of Dinh Temple, Tam Hop Commune; Le Temple, Chau Quang Commune; proposing the Department of Culture and Sports and the Provincial People's Committee to rank the historical relics of Mo Temple, Nghia Xuan Commune and Tao Noi Temple, Chau Cuong Commune.

Choong Bung Homestay

The four sides of Thung May - the famous lake in the heart of Quy Hop town is bustling with the atmosphere of upgrading the park to serve the upcoming big event of the district, making us follow the advice of the leaders of the District Party Committee, to wait until the day the items are completed, to join the fun with the district to enjoy the sparkling and poetic night of Thung May. To have fun, to remember Quy Hop, there are so many new things to come and experience!

Choong Temple - a famous spiritual destination in Chau Ly. Photo: Hoang Vinh

That is the district has directed the construction of a community tourism model in Choong Bung Cultural Village, Chau Ly commune with the first homestays in the district. The remote Chau Ly is a thing of the past, the traffic is developed with a wide asphalt road connecting the district town to Chau Ly, only taking about a few dozen minutes by car.

For many years now, Chau Ly with the Choong temple relic has been meticulously and majestically restored, along with the annual festival, has become a famous spiritual destination imbued with the legend of Nang Toc Thom (Nang Phom Hom). In the area, there are also famous landscapes such as Ban Vuc cave and Ban Bia waterfall which are being surveyed to invest in eco-tourism destinations; in order to create a rich experience for visitors when coming to Chau Ly - Muong Choong.

Homestay space in Choong Bung. Photo: Hoang Vinh

At dusk, we were led by Mr. Cao Duy Thai - Secretary of Chau Ly Commune Party Committee to Choong Bung Cultural Village. The village with ancient stilt houses of the gentle Thai people lies beside the Nam Choong River, which has been flowing for generations, telling the story of the Fragrant Hair Girl washing her hair and dropping her comb... Her hair is still there? We only know that in Choong Bung there is a wharf where women and mothers come to dry and wash their hair, carefully as a ritual to commemorate the beautiful Thai girl who was trusted by Lam Son insurgents to take on the mission of commanding the collection of food to feed the army in the western part of Nghe An in the old days.

A unique miniature landscape of a homestay in Choong Bung. Photo: Hoang Vinh

Next to the wharf is a large area of ​​land that has been leveled and invested in, intended to become an outdoor space for wine nights, bamboo dances, and performances of Thai folk songs; arranging stalls to sell souvenirs for tourists such as: dresses, Pieu scarves, silk scarves, brocade bags, sticky rice, fish baskets... and especially organizing a highland market.

The unique costumes of Thai women in Choong Bung and the warm kitchen space, imbued with the highland identity of the homestay. Photo: Hoang Vinh

All the work is just the beginning, but Choong Bung has taken shape and form as a community cultural tourism service area homestay thanks to the efforts of the people and the investment and support of the authorities at all levels, with 3 households selected as models. Waiting for dinner at Lo Van Hoang's homestay, we took the opportunity to "visit" a glass of aromatic wine at Lo Van Phong's homestay, and tasted the sour spring rolls with doi leaves at Vi Van Thanh's homestay.

The kitchen area of ​​a homestay in Choong Bung. Photo: Hoang Vinh

The story also seems to be fermenting with plans and confidence for future development with many positive signs when the homestays have "in time" welcomed thousands of visitors to experience the space of stilt houses and traditional items of the Thai people that have been collected and elaborately decorated; enjoy attractive culinary dishes such as grilled cool fish, giang meat, ho moc, canh ot and wild vegetables with fish sauce; blend in with the traditional brocade weaving and bamboo and rattan weaving of the locals...

Traditional items of the Thai people are collected, elaborately decorated and Certificates of Merit from all levels are awarded to households in Choong Bung. Photo: Hoang Vinh

The night at Choong Bung is cool, sleep gradually sinks deep into the imagination of the echoes of the wine party, the songs of Nhuon, Dieu Xao, Lam Vong... Homestay Choong Bung is a brief experience, but it has made us find ourselves again, which sometimes seems to be "lost" somewhere in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Epilogue

...The direction is clear, the path is open, and the destination is not outside the highest goal of creating jobs and improving the material and spiritual life of the people, especially ethnic minorities in remote and difficult areas; we believe that Quy Hop will soon be on the tourism map of Nghe An by concretizing the goals and determined to take action to implement Resolution 15 with a vision to 2030.

Sam Temple