Why Tam Coc Tourist Area?

The boatman didn't want to sign the contract.

On July 8th, Trang An Investment - Trade - Service Co., Ltd. (the unit managing and operating the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area) issued a notice regarding the temporary suspension of operations at the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area for repairs and upgrades to facilities and items within the tourist area.

Tam Coc - Bich Dong has been closed for nearly two months, leaving the boats exposed to the elements.

However, according to our investigation, the main reason for the temporary suspension of operations is the inability of the company and the boatmen to agree on labor contracts.

According to a boatman with many years of experience in Van Lam village, since the 1990s, the people of Van Lam village have been rowing boats to take tourists to visit scenic spots along the Ngo Dong River. Gradually, Tam Coc - Bich Dong became known to many domestic and international tourists, attracting them to the area and turning it into a famous tourist destination.

"Previously, the people of Van Lam village saw that many people wanted to visit, so they built boats to row and ferry people around, charging a fee. For over 30 years, rowing boats has become one of the regular sources of income for hundreds of local people. Besides transporting tourists, people in Ninh Hai commune also row boats along the Ngo Dong River, going deep inside to plant and harvest rice. Now that a business has taken over management, they're asking us to sign labor contracts, but we find it unreasonable and haven't agreed yet," said a resident of Van Lam village.

Hundreds of boatmen have been unemployed for nearly two months.

Over 10 years ago, Xuan Truong Construction Company was granted the right to manage and operate the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area. Since then, tourists wishing to visit by boat along the Ngo Dong River have had to purchase tickets. A portion of the ticket revenue was used to pay the boatmen, while the rest was retained by the company. Currently, the management and operation of the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area is handled by Trang An Investment - Trade - Service Company Limited.

Mr. Dinh Van Dap (72 years old, residing in Van Lam village) said: "I am 72 years old this year but I am still rowing a boat. Most of the boat drivers are elderly, the youngest are over 60, the oldest are nearly 80. The Tam Coc ferry terminal has been around for over 40 years. We haven't signed the contract because we don't find it reasonable. As for the temporary suspension of the tourist area's operations, it's because the business stopped it. We've had to stop the ferry service for almost two months now, and we're very upset about it."

According to Mr. Dap, currently, on average, each family only makes 4-5 boat trips per month, earning 150,000 VND per trip. Therefore, in reality, people only row boats for 5 days a month, using the remaining days for other work to make ends meet. "Now the company requires us to sign a contract for 24 days a month, 8 hours a day. In reality, we only row boats for 5 days, so what do we do for the remaining 20 days? We can't go and dig the land or plant trees for them. That's why we haven't agreed to sign the labor contract," Mr. Dap said.

Many people also believe that the environment and the river are natural resources, national resources, and since the people pay for the ferry themselves, why should they have to sign a contract and be bound by a time-based agreement?

The impact will be significant if operations do not resume soon.

On August 30th, in an interview with Thanh Nien newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Cao Tan, Deputy Director of the Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, stated that as of August 30th, boat rowing activities in the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area had not yet resumed normal operations, despite the company having announced that they would resume operations from August 21st.

Many foreign tourists arrived but had to turn back because Tam Coc - Bich Dong was paralyzed.

"After the business announced a temporary suspension of operations on July 8th, we requested that they resume operations. They announced reopening on August 21st, but still couldn't serve tourists because they hadn't yet been able to resume boat services," Mr. Tan said.

According to Mr. Tan, local authorities and relevant agencies have repeatedly visited, campaigned, and held dialogues with the people, but have yet to reach an agreement with the boatmen. Most boatmen are still unwilling to sign contracts due to fear of being bound by time constraints, the fact that the contracts only last one year, and other reasons.

"We also studied the village's customs and regulations, and found some very humane points, such as prioritizing single people, disabled people, and disadvantaged families in receiving boat numbers (numbers for boat rowing - PV) to help them earn a living, have work, and income. However, to aim for a quality tourism industry that complies with regulations, there must be regulations on mutual responsibility to avoid uncivilized and uncultured incidents in the tourist area. Therefore, a contract is needed to ensure accountability and commitment to each other, working together towards a better tourism environment," Mr. Tan said.

The implementation of labor contracts between businesses and boatmen in the Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area is not a new initiative; it has been attempted many times before but failed to gain the consent of the local people, so it had to be stopped.

Hundreds of local boats have been left exposed to the sun on the river for nearly two months.

According to Mr. Tan, the recent disruption to tourism in Tam Coc - Bich Dong has significantly impacted the image of tourism in Ninh Binh in general and the area in particular. Especially, Tam Coc - Bich Dong is located within the Trang An heritage complex, a tourist route that has made a strong impression on both domestic and international visitors.

The Tam Coc - Bich Dong tourist area is located within the Trang An heritage complex. Currently, there are over 600 boats in this area, privately owned and operated by local people to transport tourists. Tourists visiting by boat must purchase tickets sold by Trang An Investment - Trade - Service Co., Ltd. The current ticket price for Vietnamese tourists is 630,000 VND per trip (carrying 4 tourists); of which 150,000 VND goes to the boat operator, and the remaining 480,000 VND is collected by the company. For foreign tourists, the price is 390,000 VND per trip (carrying 2 tourists), of which 150,000 VND goes to the boat operator, and the company collects 240,000 VND.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-khu-du-lich-tam-coc-bich-dong-bi-te-liet-185230831094007401.htm