Looking at the "green gem" in the middle of the vast wilderness, few people know that in the past, Thung Nham was a swampy land, with no road, reeds and wild grass growing wildly, terrifyingly desolate. At that time, Pham Cong Chat was just over 20 years old, had no family and had just returned from the army. His only assets were the soldier's determination and the will to not accept poverty of a young man with great aspirations. The story of soldier and businessman Pham Cong Chat has inspired young people today to dream and face difficulties and challenges to be worthy of the mission that the country places on their shoulders.
In the footsteps of soldiers
Following the small winding road around the vertical mountainside, hidden among the vast forest trees leading us to Thung Nham Eco- tourism Area, a "beautiful landscape" painting appeared before our eyes, dispelling the sweltering heat of summer.
The rain had just passed, and the new sunshine had risen, making the sky high and unusually clear, making the scenery of Thung Nham even more splendid and sparkling. Rows of trees reflected on the surface of the lake, creating gentle ripples, and the sound of birds chirping in the air made all the fatigue and worries of everyday life suddenly disappear.
The soft little road named "Heritage" surrounding Thung Nham is connected by bridges that are both primitive and modern, enough to satisfy nature lovers. Hidden among the green of the trees are small, pretty "houses" with thatched roofs for visitors to stop and admire the majestic and poetic nature.
We were greeted by a middle-aged man with a resolute face and tanned skin. He introduced himself as Pham Cong Chat, General Director of Doanh Sinh Trading, Service and Tourism Company, the investor of Thung Nham Eco-tourism Area. Leading us into the reception area, while brewing a cup of "Son Kim Cuc" tea with a sweet and fragrant aroma, he introduced that this was a 4-star OCOP product recognized by Ninh Binh province, produced by Thung Nham itself using a completely manual process.
Son Kim Cuc is only available in Thung Nham mountain area, however, the tea products are not widely sold in the market but only to serve the "gods" who come to Thung Nham. The story of Son Kim Cuc tea, meaning chrysanthemums growing on rare rocks like gold, in the past, only used to present to the King... warmed the hearts of visitors from afar and brought us closer together.
Through the story of "reviewing the past and learning the present", we learned that Mr. Pham Cong Chat was born and raised in Khanh Thien commune, Yen Khanh district. But through the way he talked, I understood that Thung Nham was closely attached to him, that this was truly his home, the place he chose to love and be attached to for the rest of his life.
Thung Nham came to Mr. Pham Cong Chat as a "strange fate" because "on a chance visit here, I felt my destiny with this land, felt the potential of the valley. From that day on, there was a dream, an aspiration that always urged me to stick with this land. I decided to build an "Eco- Economic Farm" with the desire to get rich on my homeland", Mr. Chat shared. However, when he decided to reclaim and start a business on this land, many people thought he was "crazy" because this remote land was considered a "deep and desolate" place, dark and desolate, where no one had bothered to set foot for a long time, but some people dreamed of "building a castle".
"There is no path to success that is paved with roses", right from the first job of clearing bushes, building dams, embankments, making roads, and creating lakes was a harsh challenge. Then when the farm started producing products, there was no access road. During stormy weather, Thung Nham was almost isolated from the outside world. The gardens and rice fields were flooded, causing crop failure. In years of good harvests, the products could not be sold because there was no road, they had to be transported by boat, so they wilted and rotted a lot... while the capital source was increasingly exhausted.
"Many nights I lay alone in the middle of a deep, deserted valley, overwhelmed by the sounds of frogs, insects, birds and wild animals, and was bitten by mosquitoes and had a high fever. I was so discouraged that I thought I could not overcome it," Mr. Chat recalled. However, it was the years in the army that shaped Pham Cong Chat's ability to endure hardship and the steadfast, indomitable character of Uncle Ho's soldier that helped him overcome all difficulties to reach the shore of success.
The difference of veteran businessman Pham Cong Chat is the combination of reality and romance in him. That is why he soon formed the idea of developing an eco-tourism area. At that time, this idea was quite new, but what he thought of, he had to be determined to do. The image of a beautiful natural Thung Nham filled with light, containing a strong vitality, always anchored in his mind.
In 2003, Thung Nham Eco-tourism Area was born. This is the result of a group of workers who have shared the hardships and encouraged each other to overcome difficulties with a strong belief in a bright future. Perhaps, it is the passion and iron determination of the captain that has spread, encouraged and motivated the farmers who are only familiar with hard work in the fields. Appreciating those sacrifices, now in Thung Nham there are still preserved the mementos that he calls "heroes" such as "plow", "buffalo"...
20 year old aspiration
After 20 years of "opening the land", the once pristine valley has become a "red address" on the Ninh Binh tourism map, contributing significantly to protecting and preserving the environment and creating stable jobs for local people. In 2019, Thung Nham Eco-tourism Paradise welcomed 207,000 visitors. During more than two years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company still ensured jobs, social security and income for workers.
In particular, Thung Nham has made efforts to mobilize investment capital to upgrade facilities and infrastructure to meet the increasing demands of tourists. Among them, the largest outdoor swimming pool in Ninh Binh with an area of about 5,000m2 has been put into operation, the four-season flower island has been renovated, and the outdoor event space has been completed with a capacity of up to 1,000 guests.
After a long period of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, the activity of welcoming guests at Thung Nham is considered the peak of development with the number of visitors doubling that of 2019. In the first 4 months of 2023 alone, the number of visitors accounted for 65% of that of 2022. From having less than 20 workers, the tourist area is now creating jobs for nearly 300 workers with an average salary of 8-15 million VND, senior managers from 20-25 million VND/person/month, contributing to the positive shift of the local economic structure, increasing the proportion of the service industry, improving the quality of life and being a "right-hand man" contributing to protecting the ecological environment of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex.
Mrs. Le Thi Truong, while humming a poem inviting tourists to Thung Nham, rowed the boat to take us to But Cave, one of the famous places of Thung Nham, she said: The boatmen in the tourist area are mostly from Thung Nham, in the past they worked hard in agriculture, now rowing boats brings a more stable income, every house in the village has at least one person working here. My family has 3 children who all work for the company, so life has changed, much more prosperous. Life has changed, we are very happy and want to stay more attached to this tourist area.
At the age of 20, full of vitality and passion, Thung Nham is a model of green tourism development associated with sustainable environmental protection. Coming here, you will hear the pure sounds of pristine nature from the heart of mother earth. You will bring nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints.
Looking at the distant eyes of veteran businessman Pham Cong Chat when saying goodbye, I understood that the former soldier of Uncle Ho's army is still on the journey to fulfill the mission of a pioneer, turning Thung Nham land into a "green gem" in the heart of the heritage because Thung Nham chose him and this place is the homeland, the love, the aspiration, the passion of the soldier.
Nguyen Thom - Anh Tuan
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