Hello, Ando!

At the end of the year, Ando Katsuhiro returned to Nua village (Yen Khe, Con Cuong). Wherever Ando passed, no matter how busy he was, the Thai people in the village would take a break. They smiled and said: Hello, Ando! Ando knew that this might be his last greeting to the people of Nghe An, Vietnam. Although full of nostalgia, in just a few days, he would board a flight back to his homeland, Japan, ending his many-year business trip in this land.

Ando Katsuhiro has been attached to Vietnam for 15 years. As an expert in cultural and tourism projects implemented by JICA (Japan), Ando has had the opportunity to travel to about 40 provinces and cities in Vietnam, and has been present in almost all provinces and cities with famous heritage and nature. Ando has come and directly participated in "reviving" "sleeping" heritages such as ancient houses in Hoi An (Quang Nam), Phuoc Tich (Hue), Cai Be (Tien Giang), Duong Lam (Hanoi)... In 2014, he was in Nghe An to implement the Project on Diversifying Livelihoods Based on Heritage Tourism in Nghe An Agricultural and Fishery Villages funded by JICA.

“Before coming to Nghe An, my friends noted some things about the customs and personalities of the people here, but my first and forever impression of Nghe An people was very good. They are friendly, sincere and kind” - Ando Katsuhiro said. At that time, Ando surveyed the tourism potential in many districts such as Que Phong, Quy Chau, Con Cuong... and finally, he chose Con Cuong. This is a locality that, according to Ando, ​​has very high tourism resource value, the local government's tourism development motivation is strong and the people have many surprising ideas. The geographical location and favorable traffic conditions are also factors that helped Con Cuong district “catch” the eye. “Finally, a little personal impression. I loved Con Cuong from the moment I set foot here. A beautiful land, beautiful people! From the first look, I believed in the future of tourism development of this locality” - Ando shared.