Ly Son: Opportunities are few, but fragile

The opportunity for the name Ly Son (Quang Ngai) to be introduced on the world tourism map seems to be extinguished when the leader of this province asks the Department of Culture – Sports and Tourism to report to the Provincial People’s Committee to submit to the Standing Committee. Provincial Party Committee considered and decided to end the project of Ly Son – Sa Huynh Geopark.
The reason for the above decision, the provincial leaders stated many reasons, including the reasons for the unclear socio-economic efficiency.

Again, this project was started more than 5 years ago. Resolution of the XIXth Congress of the Party Committee of Quang Ngai province has identified the implementation of the project as one of the key tasks to promote socio-economic development, especially tourism. At the end of 2019, the Ly Son – Sa Huynh Geopark project was sent to UNESCO and passed the preliminary round, awaiting UNESCO’s recognition. But now, considering withdrawing the project, the opportunity for international tourists to know about this unique geological area is very fragile. Ly Son Island (Quang Ngai) – Photo: LE THI THU THANH Geopark is a unique natural area with high geological, historical and cultural value. Recognizing this geological area, the country will have specific regulations on planning and conservation to protect its unique value, while also introducing it to the world, especially tourists. For a province with few tourism products like Quang Ngai, this is an opportunity to promote the local image, revive the way of sustainable tourism. It is a pity to deny this opportunity while the revenue of the local tourism industry is still modest, only about 1,100 billion VND (in 2019). Ly Son island district in recent years is mentioned quite interestingly by many beautiful natural seascape. If only that, Ly Son is also difficult to compete with other destinations because our country has 28 provinces and cities bordering the sea with a length of more than 3,200 km and hundreds of islands near the shore. Beautiful scenery everywhere, but when it comes to geological parks recognized by UNESCO, there are only 3: Dong Van Rock Plateau (Ha Giang), Cao Bang Non-country and Dak Nong. Without perfect protection policy, soon Ly Son – Sa Huynh special geological area will be compromised. Look at Quang Nam’s “neighbor” doing tourism. An ancient town of Hoi An, quiet for hundreds of years, is suddenly a destination attracting tourists from all four directions. The idyllic, abandoned My Son in the forest has been awakened by great historical and cultural values ​​… Quang Nam’s “Heritage Road” brand is always in the tourist handbook of international tourists for decades. More specifically by numbers: in 2019, Quang Nam attracts more than 4.6 million international visitors, tourism revenue of more than 4,600 billion. This is cultural – historical – scientific tourism, so immediate effects cannot be expected. However, cultural tourism will have a stable source of income, creating sustainable jobs for local residents. Therefore, Quang Ngai province needs to consider carefully when making a decision on the Ly Son – Sa Huynh Geopark project.