Sea tourism opens a way out of poverty for fishermen

No longer just people who depend on the sea for a living, Vietnamese fishermen today are opening a new path with tourism. Tours of trawling, fishing, enjoying fresh seafood and listening to fishing village stories have become attractive products for tourists. Since then, many coastal areas are changing, finding a way out of poverty from the taste and breath of the sea.

Create conditions for people to change business models

Located about 15 nautical miles from the mainland, Ly Son special zone (Quang Ngai province) is known as a poor land, where people live by fishing and growing onions and garlic. However, in recent years, many households in Ly Son have boldly switched to tourism services, with active support from local poverty reduction programs.

Since the beginning of 2025, the total production value of the entire special zone has reached more than 1,300 billion VND, an increase of nearly 7% over the same period last year, of which trade and services account for more than 570 billion VND. Tourism currently accounts for about 50% of the socio- economic development structure in Ly Son.

This is thanks to the Ly Son special zone implementing Sub-project 1 - Project 4 on vocational education development under the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the period 2021 - 2025. The People's Committee of Ly Son district coordinated to organize tourism training courses for workers from poor households, near-poor households, newly escaped poverty households and low-income people in the area. In addition to theoretical training, people can also directly visit and learn about practical models in localities with developed community tourism.

Like Ly Son special zone, Cu Lao Cham (Tan Hiep commune, Da Nang) was originally a poor island, many years ago, the islanders only lived by fishing. However, in the 2025 tourist season, the island cluster near the coast of Da Nang city, Cu Lao Cham, welcomed more than 269 thousand tourists. Compared to 2024 and previous years, this number shows growth and is an affirmation of the strong tourism potential of the "rough gem" of Quang Nam which is gradually being materialized, exploited effectively and in the right direction.

Sharing with the media, Mr. Le Moi, Secretary of the Tan Hiep Commune Party Committee, said that community tourism is the core model in Cu Lao Cham, built on the foundation of people being the masters, accompanying and benefiting from tourism. To make the community truly the center, the leaders of Tan Hiep island commune said that they have increased training, tourism skills training, capital and legal support, market information provision and connection with professional tourism businesses.

Green tourism development - the key to sustainable poverty eradication

According to data released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2022, sea and island tourism accounts for 70% of Vietnam's tourism industry activities. The Government issued Resolution No. 37/NQ-CP on the Plan for implementing the National Marine Spatial Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050. The key task of the Plan is to develop coastal, marine and island infrastructure to serve the development of marine economic sectors. Moving towards a green economy based on the conservation and promotion of "natural marine capital". In particular, renewable sources of wind energy, ecotourism... are considered key economic sectors, in a professional, modern and sustainable direction, creating long-term livelihoods for coastal people doing tourism.

For example, in the Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area, since 2009, the marine conservation management program has worked closely with the government, fishermen and NGOs to protect more than 16,000 hectares of marine area. The reserve has successfully restored natural coral reefs, raised public awareness of environmental protection and limited overfishing. Every year, the area welcomes over 200,000 tourists, generating about 30 million USD in revenue, while preserving its long-term natural value.

Or in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa province), the Bich Dam area is being planned to develop a green and sustainable tourism community. The fishing village and coastal residents are invited to welcome guests and experience the natural sea. According to the Nha Trang City People's Committee, Bich Dam becoming a community tourism destination will contribute to creating new tourism products, creating sustainable livelihoods for local people, contributing to the conservation and development of marine biodiversity, maintaining security and order, environmental sanitation, and protecting the sovereignty of Nha Trang City's sea and islands.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/du-lich-bien-mo-loi-thoat-ngheo-cho-ngu-dan.html