Tuong Duong is considered one of the "fire pans of Nghe An" in the hot season. But on this occasion, when coming to the Southwest of Nghe An, stopping to enjoy the famous casuarina forest which has now become a heritage site, everyone is surprised by the beautiful scenery and cool air. The light gray casuarina trees are tall and large with wide canopies, filtering the bright sunlight from above.
To be more precise, in every season, Tuong Duong cajuput forest exudes a very unique beauty that always makes visitors excited and surprised when they visit. Because visitors not only immerse themselves in the peaceful, majestic nature, but also enjoy the clear sounds of the forest, the sound of streams, the sound of birds and feel the love of the forest, preserving the green color of the people here for generations. In the season of falling leaves, Tuong Duong cajuput forest creates a scene that is both brilliant and dreamy with yellow and red colors connecting the eyes like in a fairy tale...
A highlight of the Tuong Duong cassia forest is the poetic stilt house imbued with the Thai identity. Mr. Lo Thanh Long - Head of the Culture Department of Tuong Duong district said: This stilt house, along with a number of other auxiliary items, was built with a budget of nearly 2.2 billion VND, of which the GEF Project (Global Environment Facility in Vietnam supported 340 million VND, the remaining 1.7 billion VND was invested by Tuong Duong district). The purpose of the house is to serve as a stop for tourists to sightsee, from there, walk to admire the beautiful scenery inside the cassia forest. This is the highlight to stimulate tourism development in the district. Because, in addition to this cassia forest, Tuong Duong district also has many attractive destinations such as bathing in streams in Tam Quang, Tam Hop...; beautiful waterfalls in Nhon Mai, tourism in Ban Ve lake, Khe Bo lake, spiritual tourism at Van - Cua Rao temple where festivals are held every year.
Mr. Kha Van Mai - a resident of Tam Dinh commune said that since the construction of this stilt house, more and more travelers have stopped at the cajuput forest area. During their rest time, tourists can also choose to buy typical local products, displayed right at the booths next to the stilt house. There, tourists are also introduced to culinary products and brocades made by the skillful hands of Thai women.
Staying in the cajuput forest a little longer, especially after walking deep into the forest, visitors can hear the stories of the local people about the story of protecting the forest here, with specific people such as Mr. Vi Chinh Nghia - the former Secretary of the Tuong Duong District Party Committee, who had great merit in protecting the cajuput forest of more than 70 hectares without losing a single tree, even at a time when deforestation was rampant and the forest gate was not strictly controlled. The story of protecting the forest named "Chinh Nghia" has gradually become a legend of the Thai people in Quang Thinh village, Tam Dinh commune, Tuong Duong district.
In 2014, the People's Committee of Nghe An province put the Tam Dinh cajuput forest on the list of those in need of strict protection. Environmentalists assessed that the forest "carries intact a typical tropical rain ecosystem of the Western Nghe An region that is still intact, with a valuable gene source at risk of depletion"... The existence of this special forest not only creates a highlight for the tourism industry of Nghe An province, but also the awareness and spirit of protecting the forest, considering the forest as a "treasure" of the indigenous people, the pride of the people of Nghe An.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Secretary of Tuong Duong District Party Committee said that, along with the State's policies, from the model of protecting and caring for the special-use casuarina forest in Tam Dinh commune, over the past years, people in the district have fully recognized the value of the forest, and have preserved many other casuarina forests in the communes: Yen Hoa, Yen Tinh, Nga My, Tam Quang... More importantly, ethnic minorities in the district have recognized the value of the forest, in addition to protecting the ecological environment, they can also exploit tourism, grow medicinal plants under the forest canopy... People also enjoy the State's policies and policies on forest protection and environmental services, so currently, the work of forest protection, protection and regeneration in Tuong Duong district has developed strongly, from the restoration has created hundreds of hectares of regenerated forest. Therefore, the forest coverage rate in Tuong Duong district has reached 79.26%. From well-protected and protected forests, localities are interested in creating destinations associated with attractive eco-tourism spots, attracting a significant number of tourists every year.
It can be said that along National Highway 7 to the Southwest of Nghe An, from highlights such as Pha Lai dam eco-tourism, Khe Kem waterfall of Con Cuong district, Sang Le forest of Tuong Duong district have connected to Ky Son district, to the areas of Muong Long heaven gate, a Nam Non source area - My Ly ancient tower... to open up the potential for investment linkage to develop eco-tourism in the coming time.
More importantly, “green models” such as Tuong Duong cajuput forest, large timber plantations or medicinal plant cultivation under the forest canopy, along with the spirit and enthusiasm for protecting ecological nature… in Nghe An are increasingly contributing significantly to building an environmentally friendly lifestyle, using natural resources economically and effectively, and combating climate change according to global trends.
