People devoted to the sea

Students enjoy visiting and creating their own products from seashells at Thien Dinh cafe.

We came to Ha Loc fishing village, Tam Tien commune at the invitation of the Center for Marine Conservation and Community Development (MCD) in the hot summer sun of August. But when we arrived, all the stress and fatigue suddenly disappeared because of the cool green space, highlighted by the brilliant red, white, pink bougainvillea trellis along with rows of green coconut trees and rows of casuarinas rustling in the sea breeze. We were greeted by a young man with dark skin, bare head, bare feet and a radiant smile. He was Vo Hong Ron - born in 1992 - the initiator of the community tourism model that has been bringing positive results.

Talking to Ron, I learned that after many years of working for hire in Vung Tau, in 2019, he returned home to contribute capital with friends to build a boat to exploit coastal fisheries. However, seeing that aquatic resources were increasingly depleted due to unselective exploitation by humans, he decided to quit his job and switch to tourism.

Ron has cleverly utilized and promoted local cultural values, advantages of natural conditions such as Tam Tien fish market, poetic beaches, gentle and hospitable people with coastal village culture... to do tourism. However, Ron did not do it alone but helped the people do it together. In addition to the first facility - "Blue Whale", Ron has mobilized people with unused vacant houses to renovate and repair them into homestays for guests to stay. Currently, there are 5 such homestays that Ron manages and operates, and the profits are divided equally among the people.

Talking about Ron, the locals here all have a friendly feeling for him. Mr. Tran Van Sau - a local fisherman said: “In Tam Tien, Ron is a very reputable person. If he discovers fishermen catching mother lobsters carrying eggs or sea turtles caught in nets, he will buy them to release them back into the wild. He regularly organizes garbage collection on the beach, mobilizing people to join hands to protect the environment. Visitors to Ron's SUP tour to collect garbage will experience the service for free. Everyone here trusts and loves Ron.”

Visiting the simple, rustic homestays in the fishing village, we found it extremely interesting. The house's door and simple swing chairs were made from the wreck of a trawler; The fence made of bamboo, rope... washed up from the sea was decorated with small, pretty colorful bird cages and a ship model made from wooden pallets.

Pointing to the house made entirely from recycled waste (wood packaging bought cheaply from Truong Hai Automobile Company), Mr. Vu Thanh Vien - the owner of these creative models said that this idea has been around for a long time, around 1997, he studied in Hanoi and went to Hai Phong port to work part-time, saw many types of wooden pallets, wooden packaging... so he came up with the idea that later, if he had the conditions, he would collect and recycle these types of packaging into useful items. Later, when working with Coca-Cola, Truong Thanh Wood, Khai Vy Wood... these companies paid great attention to the issue of recycling and environmental protection, so he was determined to do it.

In 2019, Mr. Vien returned to his hometown to set up a wooden furniture factory, using only recycled wood and wood from planted forests with the desire to spread the message of preserving forests through recycling to organizations, tourists, and young people, minimizing wood waste into the environment. When consulting investors, he always advises on recycled products, which was initially difficult, but now many units have responded. In the future, he will build houses, entertainment areas, and resorts without deeply interfering with nature, giving top priority to using products made from recycled materials.

From one surprise to another, Ron took us to Thien Dinh Coffee Shop. Unlike regular coffee shops, here there are many unique products assembled from seashells and snail shells. Mr. Vo Cao Dinh - the owner of the coffee shop and the author of the above products - made drinks for everyone while chatting happily. At first, he and his children collected seashells on the beach to protect the marine environment, and at the same time created animal-shaped products for his children to play with. Gradually, he became passionate about collecting seashells and snail shells without realizing it. Visitors coming here can enjoy coffee, admire the works made from seashells and snails, and can also buy them as gifts for relatives.

Thien Dinh Coffee Shop also connects witheducational centers, bringing students to visit and make their own works from seashells and snail shells. This activity not only creates a useful playground for children, but also educates them about environmental protection, appreciation, creativity, and the use of discarded things to create meaningful and valuable products.

All three young people are well-educated, dynamic, and seek directions and ways to return and develop in their homeland... Homestay accommodation services are still in their infancy but are always full of guests; Coffee shops to experience marine life; Wooden houses, eco-friendly homestays, the common point of these models is that they are all led by young members - lighthouses of the community with initiatives to protect more than 64 hectares of Ba Dau coral reef, which has just been assigned to the community group to implement a management plan in the spirit of the 2017 Fisheries Law.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Uy - Vice Chairman of Tam Tien Commune People's Committee, Head of the Community Group's Representative Board, said that with the support of MCD, the Ba Dau Reef Aquatic Resources Protection Community Group (Tam Tien Commune) was established at the end of October 2022. Currently, the Group has 42 members with the goal of conserving coral reefs and developing livelihoods for the local fishing community. In the past time, the Group has done a good job of propagating to raise community awareness of environmental protection and aquatic resources, patrolling and monitoring assigned sea areas, monitoring and evaluating coral reefs, releasing fish to regenerate aquatic resources... In particular, community tourism is a suitable direction that the Community Group is aiming for, both creating more income for people and contributing to preserving aquatic resources, protecting the environment, and preserving the natural beauty of Ha Loc fishing village, Tam Tien.

Currently, there are 2-4 foreign tourist groups from Hoi An traveling to Tam Tien every week. Coming to the fishing village, tourists can not only enjoy fresh seafood, experience sleeping in tents on the beach, but also feel the beauty in the daily working life of fishermen, watch the fish market gather in the early morning, the scene of fishing, pulling nets, weaving baskets, making fish sauce, processing dried seafood... along with the love and efforts of young people to start a business to develop their hometown. Ms. Nguyen Thu Hue - a tourist from Hanoi who was also on the tour with us happily shared: "For me, this is a wonderful place to heal the wounds of the hustle and bustle of the city".

Nguyen Thi Ai Trinh - Address: 110 Tran Hung Dao, Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province

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