Nghi Son commune – bright spot of Thanh Hoa’s island tourism

Thanh Hoa (VNA) - Nghi Son island commune in Tinh Gia district, 50km to the south of Thanh Hoa city – the capital of the northern central coastal province of the same name, has all optimal conditions to develop tourism sustainably.

On more than 10km stretching from Hai Binh to Nghi Son island, there are white sandy beaches with crystal blue water and mild waves. A system of caves and natural landscapes are judged to be suitable for ecological, cultural and spiritual tourism.

Bordering Tinh Gia’s Hai Hoa beach and Nghe An’s Cua Lo beach makes it easier for Nghi Son to develop inter-regional cruise tourism products appealing to visitors at home and abroad.

From Nghi Son island, travellers could explore other attractions in Tinh Gia district, such as Truong Lam cave, Hao Hao lake, climb to Am Cac pagoda to enjoy leisure and serenity, or travel to Me island by vessels.

Arriving in Nghi Son, they could not resist the natural beauty of Lach Bang relic complex, Ba Lang worship house, temples dedicated to Le Dinh Chau and Dao Duy Tu, Hai Hoa beach and Do Xuyen fish sauce village.

An overview of Nghi Son economic zone – a multi-sectoral economic zone with a focus on basic and heavy industries such as an oil refinery complex, a thermal power centre, a deepwater port and cement plant, which is expected to become one of modern industrial centres of the north central region and the country, is worth seeing.

Tourist routes have been facilitated when inner areas are connected with Nghi Son peninsula – Truong Lam cave – Ba Lang craft village, Hai Hoa – Me island – Nghi Son and six district tourist routes.

Potential in local culture and landscapes could bring a big source of revenue to the tourism industry coming from those foreign workers and experts who are working in Nghi Son economic zone. Statistics showed that as of 2015, 35,000 foreign workers and experts worked in the zone and the figure is estimated at nearly 45,000 by 2018.

Thanks to strategic economic location and tourism potential, Nghi Son has lured a large number of investors to projects in Nghi Son economic zone, including those involving tourism. Currently, it records tens of projects worth trillions VND, including resorts and hotels of four stars and above such as Nghi Son tourism and resort complex, Anh Phat and Nghi Son hotels, Bella resort, which not only provide high-quality accommodation for experts working in Nghi Son economic zone but also attract more tourists to the province.

In order to form close liaison to effectively tap Nghi Son’s tourism potential, the provincial Tourism Association partnered with Tinh Gia district to establish the Nghi Son tourism chapter with 15 members, including business owners and tour operators in Nghi Son economic zone.

The establishment of the Nghi Son tourism chapter lays an important foundation for businesses to build a professional tourist environment, improve service quality and hospitality skills, contributing to attracting more domestic and foreign tourists to Nghi Son economic zone and Thanh Hoa in general.

A representative from Nghi Son communal authorities said tourism is a new profession here and defined it as a spearhead economy.

The commune also offers favourable conditions for investors in terms of procedures, mechanisms and call on individuals and collectives to work for tourism businesses.

Covering only 3.8 square kilometers, Nghi Son peninsula has five historical sites recognised as provincial cultural-historical relics.

On the island lie Don temple in the northeast, Huu temple in the southeast and Ngoc temple in the southwest. Fortresses on Bien Son island dating back to the Le dynasty were used by Tay Son soldiers during their stay. Most of them suffer serious downgrade due to time and limited awareness of relic preservation by local residents. Their vestiges still hold valuable historic messages and serve as a depository of live history to be handed down to younger generations.

In order to uphold the potential of tourism, local authorities are calling for the involvement of businesses, organisations, individuals and collectives to restore and upgrade debilitating relics and improve the scale of local traditional festivals such as fish worship and Quang Trung festivals, as well as provide all possible support for businesses to promote local tourism./.