(Photo/Video): The southernmost tip of Ca Mau is no longer far away.

Báo Tin Tức•27/06/2023

"They say Ca Mau is very far away, at the very end of the map of Vietnam..." is the opening line of the song "New Clothes of Ca Mau" by composer Thanh Son... About 5-6 years ago, traveling to Ca Mau, the southernmost point of the country, especially for tourists from the northern provinces, was quite difficult and limited by road, water, and air. But with the first direct flight connecting Hanoi and Ca Mau by Bamboo Airways, tourism in Ca Mau has become much closer.

Prior to April 2023, only the national airline Vietnam Airlines operated the Ho Chi Minh City - Ca Mau route, with a frequency of one flight per day, departing from Tan Son Nhat Airport (2:30 PM) to Ca Mau Airport (3:25 PM). Therefore, tourists from northern provinces wishing to visit Ca Mau previously had to take two flights. Traveling by road from Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau also took approximately 6-7 hours, covering a distance of nearly 300 km.

Photo caption — Bamboo Airways' recent launch of direct flights between Hanoi and Ca Mau using Embraer jets in April 2023 has shortened travel time for the nearly 2,000 km journey to just over 2 hours, allowing visitors to explore the "Fragrance and Beauty of Ca Mau".

The opportunities for developing Ca Mau's tourism industry are expanding as the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with Bamboo Airways, is launching a weekly "Cà Mau Flavors and Colors" tour to attract tourists from all over the country to visit impressive destinations, comfortable resorts, garden culture, and unique Southwestern Vietnamese cuisine in Ca Mau.

Landing at Ca Mau airport at 9:15 AM, the reporter began an exciting journey to explore the "Fragrance and Beauty of Ca Mau". Located about 110 km from the center of Ca Mau city, Dat Mui commune in Ngoc Hien district has long been an attractive destination for tourists visiting Ca Mau. Along National Highway 1A, visitors can not only immerse themselves in the lush, rich, and diverse mangrove forest ecosystem but also touch the national coordinate marker and admire the symbol of Ca Mau Cape, the southernmost point of the country... The Ho Chi Minh Highway section from Nam Can to Dat Mui, opened in 2017, has also made it easier for tourists to reach the area by road. Beginning their exploration from Binh Minh Eco-tourism Area, visitors embark on a journey through the mangrove forests of Mui Ca Mau National Park (one of the destinations with unique natural geography and geomorphology, creating a characteristic estuarine and coastal ecosystem) by canoe, navigating through the mangrove forest, participating in clam harvesting and processing on the beach, and watching the sunset. Afterwards, visitors will experience the rustic life of the people of Mui Ca Mau at night, with activities such as catching clams, searching for mud crabs, and joining locals in rowing boats to set crab traps and cast nets to catch fish in shrimp ponds… Unlike many other destinations, perhaps because it hasn't been overcrowded with tourists or because the locals themselves are conscious of and cherish nature, the mangroves here are incredibly clean. Visitors will hardly see any used bottles or plastic bags floating on the river or washed up on the banks like in many other tourist spots. Only the vast expanse of deep yellow mangrove water and the endless stretches of lush green mangrove forest. One of the must-see destinations for tourists visiting Ca Mau Cape is the Ca Mau Cape Cultural and Tourism Park, located within the Ca Mau Cape World Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO in May 2009. This park also houses the national GPS coordinate marker 0001 (kilometer 0) – one of the four extreme points marking Vietnam's sacred sovereignty on land. The northernmost point is the Lung Cu flagpole (Ha Giang), the westernmost point is Apa Chai commune (Muong Nha, Dien Bien), the easternmost point is Mui Doi (Van Ninh, Khanh Hoa), and the southernmost point is the national GPS coordinate marker 0001. Continuing the journey, visitors will arrive at the ship-shaped landmark within the Ca Mau Cape Cultural and Tourism Park, an interesting highlight featuring a boat with sails full of wind always facing the open sea. The sail bearing the inscription "Cape Ca Mau," located at coordinates 8°37'30'' North latitude and 104°43' East longitude, is a familiar landmark that every visitor to Ca Mau cannot miss for taking souvenir photos and capturing moments marking their journey through the "Fragrance and Beauty of Ca Mau." The Ho Chi Minh Trail milestone at Km 2436, marking the "final point" on the journey stretching from Pac Bo - Cao Bang (starting point) to Ca Mau (ending point), traversing 28 provinces and cities with a length of 3,183 km, is a tourist destination. With its suitable scale and simple design, visitors can visit the Ho Chi Minh Trail milestone to record their memorable experience on their trip to Ca Mau.

Visiting Ca Mau Cape, a place often described as "land that blossoms, forests that move, and transformations that flourish," with its strip of land jutting out into the sea in the shape of a boat's bow, visitors can immerse themselves in the verdant space of vast mangrove forests. This is also the only place in the country where you can watch the sunrise over the East Sea and the sunset over the West Sea. From the 21-meter-high lighthouse, visitors can gaze out at the vast ocean and Hon Khoai Island appearing in the distance. The blend of forest and sea creates a poetic scene rarely found elsewhere... In addition, the "Cà Mau Charm" exploration journey also allows visitors to "check in" at the Lac Long Quan Temple and Mother Statue; the Hanoi Flagpole; the Southern Special Printing Office (a famous structure containing important historical values of the locality); the Provincial Party Committee Base at Xeo Duoc (a site recording and marking the resistance journey of the Party Committee, army, and people of Ca Mau province); and the CM-12 Victory Monument. The monument to the protection of national security; the Ho Chi Minh Memorial House; the Nam Hai Mausoleum; the naturally formed stone hand in front of the sea at Hon Da Bac tourist spot; and community tourism experiences in U Minh Ha National Park (a place for preserving and restoring the value of natural landscapes, ecological environment, biodiversity, and developing rare native plant and animal genetic resources); Thi Tuong Lagoon (the largest natural lagoon in Ca Mau, also the most beautiful lake in the Mekong Delta) associated with the livelihoods of local people…

The friendliness and genuineness of the land and people of Ca Mau, as explored in the "Fragrance and Beauty of Ca Mau" journey, are reflected in its simplicity, generosity, and naturalness, from the fresh air and waterways to unforgettable memories. As the southernmost province of Vietnam, Ca Mau currently boasts two National Parks (Mui Ca Mau and U Minh Ha) recognized as Biosphere Reserves and World Ramsar sites. The forest ecosystems, along with the unique local culture, give Ca Mau significant potential for experiential and exploratory tourism. Furthermore, Ca Mau possesses 12 national and 32 provincial-level historical sites, and over 40 recognized intangible cultural heritage items. Among these, three intangible cultural heritage items have been included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list: Southern Vietnamese folk music (Don Ca Tai Tu), the traditional craft of beekeeping (Gac Keo Ong), and the traditional craft of making Ba Khia salt. According to Mr. Tieu Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province, one of the reasons attracting a large number of tourists from all over the country to Ca Mau currently is the launch of Bamboo Airways' direct flight connecting Hanoi with Ca Mau and vice versa. After more than a month of operation, in addition to meeting the needs of the people, the new flight service on the Hanoi - Ca Mau route by Bamboo Airways is also expected to contribute to supporting the locality in increasing regional connectivity, promoting socio-economic development of the province and the aviation industry as a whole. “The Ca Mau province tourism development plan for 2023 anticipates attracting 1.75 million tourists. To achieve and surpass this target, retain and satisfy tourists, and build a reputable tourism brand, the locality is focusing on implementing tourism stimulus programs; emphasizing promotion and advertising, coupled with strengthening inspection and supervision of the quality of tourism businesses and services, ensuring the safety of tourists… The province aims to welcome approximately 2.8 million tourists by 2025, achieving total tourism revenue of about 8,460 billion VND. By 2030, it aims to welcome 4.7 million tourists, achieving total tourism revenue of about 16,000 billion VND…”, Mr. Tieu Minh Tien shared.