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Ninh Binh: 100% of boat drivers in eco-tourism areas are unemployed

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Tourist spots in Ninh Binh province have been temporarily closed, causing thousands of boatmen to find other jobs to earn a living.

Illustration. From the beginning of May 2021 up to now, due to the large-scale outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, Ninh Binh province has announced to suspend the reception of guests at tourist sites and attractions in the province to prevent the epidemic. So 100% of boat drivers here become unemployed. Since the return of the Covid-19 epidemic, foreign tourists have not come to Vietnam for tourism, and domestic visitors have decreased. Most of the laborers working as boat drivers at Trang An eco-tourism area and Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist area (Ninh Binh) sometimes only get one trip a month. That situation made the boatmen “cry” because their income decreased due to the absence of passengers. A boatman at Trang An boat station said that since the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex came into operation, it has brought jobs and stable income for thousands of locals living around the heritage area. Trang An has long been a famous tourist destination of Ninh Binh, recognized by Unesco as a natural heritage and a world cultural heritage. The scenery here is made up of winding rivers flowing through limestone mountains, creating countless magical and mysterious natural caves that attract visitors. To explore Trang An, visitors will be sitting on a boat to admire the surrounding mountain nature. If in the past, there were cases in this tourist area, the whole family worked as a boat driver. Average income is 400,000-600,000 VND/day. Although the work is hard, in return for the high income, the family’s economy is getting better and better. Employees feel more secure, more attached to the job. But in the past two years, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, tourists have dropped sharply, so income is not enough to cover life. In particular, from the beginning of May, the resort temporarily stopped accepting guests, making the life of the already difficult ferrymen even more difficult. They have to find another job to earn their daily income. Similar to Trang An eco-tourism area, Tam Coc – Bich Dong is a familiar destination that tourists definitely cannot ignore when coming to Ninh Binh. Visiting Tam Coc, visitors will be sitting on a boat, down the poetic Ngo Dong river watching the overlapping mountains and iridescent golden rice fields. Ms. Chu Thi Mo, who works as a ferry driver in Tam Coc, confided: Before, there were 6 to 8 trips a month with many tourists, 200,000 VND each. On holidays and Tet, the number of trips increases much more. But since the Covid-19 epidemic, the absence of customers is considered a loss of revenue. Strictly following the direction of the province, to temporarily close to carry out epidemic prevention work, it is estimated that at Trang An eco-tourism area and Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist area (Ninh Binh), thousands of boatmen have to quit. Without customers, these people have to turn to other occupations to earn a living. According to statistics, at Trang An eco-tourism area and Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist area, there are more than 3,000 people working as boat drivers. Most of them are locals. The boatmen here range in age from 18 to 60 years old. A longtime boat driver shared: “Without guests, many people are not interested in boating. They will look for jobs in garment companies, leather shoes, stone handicrafts, etc. to earn extra income. However, these companies only hire young people, and older people will not be recruited.” Thus, there will be a large number of people working as boatmen who “don’t know where to go”. According to a representative of Xuan Truong construction company, which invests and manages the two tourist resorts above, in order to reduce difficulties for workers, in 2020, the business has supported more than 3,000 ferry workers here every year. person 3 months salary. Currently, the enterprise is planning to continue to support these workers to help them overcome the immediate difficulties.