Co To woman rises from poverty

Once a poor household, with a difficult life and lacking in all aspects, but with a strong will, a spirit of overcoming difficulties and acumen in economic development, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut (45 years old, in Hong Hai village,

Co To area has risen up to become one of the typical examples of the poverty reduction movement and new rural construction in the locality.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut (Hong Hai village, Co To special zone) became a supplier of Co To seafood to tourists .

Originally from Thanh Hoa province, in 2001, Nguyen Thi Ut and her husband went to Co To island ( Quang Ninh ) to start a business. At that time, their luggage was only two empty hands, along with 3 small children. In the early days of staying on the remote island, Ut and her husband made a living by traditional fishing. However, due to harsh weather conditions, uncertain harvests, unstable family income, life was short all year round, sometimes full, sometimes hungry. All living expenses and children's education depended on unstable fishing catches and loans to make ends meet.

Despite numerous difficulties, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut still kept her faith and did not leave the island. In 2013, the national grid was extended to the island, opening up new opportunities for the people, especially in the service and tourism sectors. Realizing that the number of tourists coming to Co To was increasing, especially in the summer, Ms. Ut took advantage of the small plot of land in front of her house to open a simple breakfast restaurant, serving popular dishes such as seafood noodles, sticky rice, bread... suitable for tourists' tastes. Next to that, she opened a small grocery store providing drinks, dry goods, and essential items for tourists and local people. The modest but stable business model has helped her have a regular income and gradually reduce economic pressure.

When she had the opportunity to save up, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut expanded her business to seafood, a typical and potential product in the locality. Every morning, she directly went to buy fresh seafood from fishermen in the village, then processed and supplied it to tourists, and distributed it to restaurants and eateries on the mainland. Ms. Ut always kept her reputation, did not increase prices, did not sell poor quality products, so she was trusted by many customers, who returned regularly. Thanks to her diligence and acumen, the number of orders increased day by day, and her income became more and more stable.

In 2022, realizing the increasing demand for internal island travel of tourists, Ms. Ut and her husband decided to invest in buying an electric car to serve tourists around the island. This is a new step, marking a strong transformation of her family in the journey of developing the household economy, while contributing to building the image of Co To tourism as friendly, civilized, green, clean, and beautiful.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut cleans her family's electric car after serving tourists visiting Co To Island.

After nearly 10 years of shifting to tourism, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut's family has now escaped poverty and has a stable life. Each year, she earns about 500 million VND from business activities, enough to cover living expenses, raise children's education and build a decent house. In addition, she also enthusiastically shares her experiences, supports many households in the village to develop their economy, and together do community tourism, contributing to increasing income and building a new, rich and civilized countryside.

Vice President of the Co To Special Zone Farmers' Association Tran Thi Hoai commented: "Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut is one of the typical members. From extremely difficult circumstances, without a stable home, Ms. Ut did not accept her fate, always had the will to rise up. When the locality mobilized members to change direction in line with the tourism development trend, she was one of the first people to boldly change direction, dare to think, dare to do". Ms. Le Thi Tuyet, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Hong Hai village said: "Ms. Ut is a typical example of a woman in the village. Not accepting poverty, knowing how to seize opportunities to do business, gradually developing a prosperous economy".

Currently, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut is continuing to learn and expand services such as serving seafood on-site, accepting tour bookings, and linking with homestay households in the village to form a sustainable community tourism chain. She is a shining example spreading the spirit of innovative thinking, developing the economy from the potential of her hometown to escape poverty.

Ngoc Tram

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-vuon-len-tu-ngheo-kho-tren-dao-co-to-3380244.html