Visit Cu Lao Gieng

Cu Lao Gieng commune was established from the merger of three communes: Tan My, My Hiep and Binh Phuoc Xuan. Cu Lao Gieng was once called “the first island” by writer Nguyen Hung, because of its beautiful natural landscape, fertile land, fresh climate, and abundant and rich products.

Flood season tourism at Con En eco-tourism site. Photo: HANH CHAU

Located in the middle of Tien River, a branch of Mekong River, Cu Lao Gieng is 12km long and 7km wide. This place has long been known as a "green island", a land imbued with the cultural identity of the garden and spiritual beliefs of the people of the South, thanks to which tourism here is quite developed. The whole commune has 24 worship, religious and belief establishments, contributing to creating a harmonious and unique picture of cultural beliefs. That is the Catholic architectural complex: Cu Lao Gieng Church built in 1875, one of the oldest churches in the South; Providence Convent built in the 1970s in Romanesque style, with a campus of more than ^70,000m2 ; Phanxico Convent with a campus of ^71,000m2 , built in 1876, where priests are trained for many other regions.

Cu Lao Gieng is also famous for its historical and revolutionary relics such as: Tan My Communal House, ranked as a provincial-level architectural, artistic and historical revolutionary relic; Nguyen Clan's worshiping palace (also known as Quan Thuong Dang Palace) and Duong Cong Phu historical relic (Duong family's worshiping palace) ranked as a provincial-level historical relic. Many famous Buddhist pilgrimage sites attract tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists to worship such as: Thanh Hoa Tu (also known as Ong Dao Nam Pagoda) built in 1953; Phuoc Thanh Pagoda (Chim Pagoda) holds the Vietnamese record for the largest complex of Amitabha Buddha statues and 48 Bodhisattvas...

Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Cu Lao Gieng commune Vo Minh Nang shared: "The Party Committee and People of Cu Lao Gieng are proud of this land of outstanding people, heroic history, the homeland of many outstanding historical figures: Thu Ngoc Hau Nguyen Van Thu - a talented military general of the Nguyen Lords; the late Minister of Health Nguyen Van Huong (1906 - 1998) - a Professor, doctor of microbiology and oriental medicine, delegate of the 1st National Assembly, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 2nd and 3rd National Assembly, Hero of Labor, People's Physician, awarded the First Class Independence Medal and the Ho Chi Minh Prize, first term in 1996. This place is also the homeland of the late Minister of Foreign Affairs Ung Van Khiem (1910 - 1991), delegate of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd National Assembly...; Hero of the People's Armed Forces Huynh Van Trien (1921 - 1964); former Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Nguyen Van Giau - Chairman of the National Assembly Economic Committee; Professor, Doctor, scientist Nguyen Ngoc Tran, late musician Hoang Hiep…”.

Densely populated, production mainly based on agriculture , with 100% of the area specializing in mango, vegetables and fruit trees, Cu Lao Gieng is known as the "mango billionaire village", close together with garden houses, warehouses... the premise for developing eco-tourism, spiritual tourism associated with typical agriculture. Typical examples are the eco-tourism destination Con En, leaning against the gentle Tien River. "My family and friends love to come here because of the creativity and difference in the heart of the Mekong Delta. The children can freely check-in, bathe in the sand dunes, play water games; friends enjoy rustic Western dishes", said Mr. Huynh Thanh Phong, resident of Long Xuyen ward.

Comrade Vo Minh Nang proudly said: “Promoting tradition, potential, and advantages, in the 2020 - 2025 term, the Party Committee, government, and people of Cu Lao Gieng commune will build a three-color mango brand, develop a production and consumption chain associated with the application of science, technology, and digital transformation; promote the advantages of the island region, develop eco-tourism, spiritual tourism, community tourism models, and homestays. All three communes before the merger have met the advanced new rural standards, of which Binh Phuoc Xuan commune has achieved the model new rural standard.”

Coming to Cu Lao Gieng today, cars run smoothly around the fields, all the way to the garden houses, the flower roads are brilliant, the economic and social infrastructure is invested. People's lives are gradually improving, the average income per capita is more than 82 million VND/year; political security, order, and social safety are maintained... The above results are the premise and important foundation to build the new Cu Lao Gieng commune into a strong administrative unit, comprehensively developing in economy, culture, and tourism in the new period.

HANH CHAU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/tham-cu-lao-gieng-a461748.html