The attraction of Thien Cam tourism: Sea lutes

At four o'clock in the morning, on the road along Thien Cam beach (Ha Tinh province), Ms. Thanh Xuan, a local tour guide, quietly rode an old motorbike to take a long-distance visitor to visit Cam Nhuong fish market.

Dawn at Cam Nhuong fishing port (Thien Cam commune, Ha Tinh province).

The simple ride costs only 30,000 VND, but every morning during the low tourist season, two trips help her and her sick child at home have enough money to spend for the day.

Dawn gradually broke over the distant sea, the sun reddened the horizon. The sea was calm and then violent. The scenery of Thien Cam was so beautiful, but it was also easily destroyed by the two recent storms No. 5 and No. 10, enough to show the harshness of the ocean. However, people never stopped fighting, trying to master their difficult lives.

The beauty of Thien Cam

Thien Cam commune today was established after merging three old administrative units: Thien Cam town, Nam Phuc Thang commune and Cam Nhuong commune. Thien Cam, meaning "heavenly harp", is a coastline located entirely within the coastal arc formed by two mountain ranges, like a giant pipa. This terrain not only creates a majestic natural landscape, but also shapes the challenge in developing the marine-agricultural-tourism economy and ensuring the welfare of the new community after the merger.

Ms. Thanh Xuan said: “My hometown only does tourism in the three summer months, which is also the most beautiful and peaceful season for the sea. After that comes the devastating storm season, then the bitterly cold winter.” While nature only favors the landscape for a short time, the beauty of human labor day after day to cope with the weather creates its own appeal for the tourist destination of Thien Cam.

As dawn breaks, Cam Nhuong fish market is bustling. The market opens at 4am, right on the beach. The sound of bargaining, the sound of pulling nets, and the sound of waves blend together, creating a vibrant symphony of labor, where seafood is the freshest and most reasonably priced. This bustle is proof of the persistence of traditional fishing. Thanks to that, families like Mr. and Mrs. Tran Kim Hoa (Hai Bac village) - the husband is a fisherman who goes to sea every day, the wife buys fish at the wholesale market and sells them retail, have raised three children to go to university.

Uncle Hoa said while cleaning the basket of squid that were still jumping under the sea water: “We have been involved in fishing for many years, originally only locals bought and sold. Recently, there have been customers from far away coming to buy. Since then, other service industries have also developed.”

Ms. Thanh Xuan is a resident of Chua village (old Thien Cam town), all her youth she took care of her husband who got sick and died early, and her only child who is also disabled. Life was difficult. But since Thien Cam tourism has flourished, she started learning to be a tour guide, then drove an electric car, drove a motorbike taxi to take tourists to visit the Ancient Pagoda, Muoi Field, fishing village, Cam Nhuong fishing port... It is worth mentioning that she only took the transportation fee, and used her knowledge to build her brand. However, many shops selling local specialties "homemade" are also known to tourists thanks to Ms. Xuan.

The Binh Lan candy kiln in Chua village has been on fire since early morning. The owners of the kiln are two ladies, Bui Thi Binh and Le Xuan Lan, both over 60 years old. The candy is made from molasses and peanuts, using their experience and traditional recipes to create two types of candy: regular rice paper and sesame rice paper. “We have been making candy since the 1990s, but there was a period when we could not continue the profession because of low economic efficiency.

By 2004, Thien Cam had many customers, Binh Lan candy kiln was red hot again and has been well maintained until now," Mr. Binh shared. During peak season, the two of them cook 15 pans of candy every day, earning 200,000 VND/pan. During these low months, they only cook 1-2 pans each day, but that is enough to keep the kitchen from getting cold, and customers from near and far still come.

Not far away, also inheriting the family tradition (from his grandfather in 1937), Mr. Nguyen Thanh Sang has strongly developed Thanh Sang Cooperative with dozens of local specialties such as fish sauce, dried shrimp... for a revenue of billions of VND/year. "My family has been in the business for three generations but has always been constantly innovating.

The general philosophy is to stick to the sea and maintain quality. At the same time, we have recently approached new sales methods such as livestreaming, e-commerce platforms, serving tourists... to bring the products further," said Mr. Sang. Thanh Sang Cooperative currently provides jobs for 12 local workers with a salary of about 8-10 million VND/person/month - a desirable income in this coastal area.

Community vitality

Thien Cam's inner strength is not only in tourism and services, but also in the warm humanity, where symbiosis and mutual support have created a "safety net" stronger than any seawall.

Ms. Thanh Xuan often brings customers to Thanh Sang Cooperative, but not because she receives any benefits, but because: "Knowing that my family is in a difficult situation, Mr. Sang and his wife often give me bottles of fish sauce, spice packages... to help. When I take customers home from the fish market, I also stop by to ask him to pack seafood in ice boxes, and at the same time let them know about the local brand. Customers are happy when they can buy things and it also adds a destination to the local tour."

This way of operating community tourism is really special in today's bustling life, where the gap between rich and poor is shortened by human values.

The Cam Nhuong fish market is bustling with buying and selling. Uncle Hai is a poor household, in poor health, and not strong enough to do heavy work. However, every morning, he is not empty-handed. His neighbors, all fishermen, give him a fish of their choice from their fishing boats after each trip. Then the frail old woman sits quietly selling a basket of all kinds of fish for only 100,000 VND - an amount enough for two meals a day, even saving up. The sincere and meaningful support really touches visitors from afar, contributing to proving that: The hearts of people in Thien Cam are the most steadfast support.

Thien Cam's inner strength is not only in tourism and services, but also in the warm humanity, where symbiosis and mutual support have created a "safety net" stronger than any seawall.

The resilience of the coastal community here is also seen in the preservation of traditional culture. Mrs. Bui Thi Binh said: "Despite many difficulties, local people still maintain the fishing festival and rowing song. This is the source of spiritual strength, helping the people of Thien Cam maintain optimism in the face of all storms." Mrs. Bui Thi Binh and her husband Le Xuan Lan are party members for 40 and 50 years, respectively. Mrs. Lan is a 4th-class disabled veteran, 62% sick soldier, but was the village Party Cell Secretary for two terms until her health declined, so she stayed home with her wife to maintain the traditional candy making profession.

Over the past few months, two big storms have taken turns raging, many old houses in Chua village could not hold on, but thanks to the joint efforts of the government and the solidarity of the community, life has returned to normal. These days, the most beautiful image of Thien Cam's vitality is when cadres and people of Chua village and many other villages in the commune gathered at the beach to clean up the "mountain" of trash left by the storm. They cleaned up not because they were instructed or asked, but because this land is their life. That solidarity and resilience seems to have made the sea's zither resound forever.

Article and photos: PHONG CHUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/suc-hap-dan-cua-du-lich-thien-cam-nhung-cung-dan-bien-post914701.html