There has not been a study stating the time period when Quang products began to be exported to other countries, only that, as early as 1925, in the study on Quang Ngai, French Ambassador Laboord wrote that day: ” The wealth and abundance of this province also lies in the cultivation of sugarcane… The harvesting of sugarcane has found a regular exit from the Chinese in Thu Xa. They will export molasses to Hong Kong… They already export up to 12,000 tons of sugar a year.” The busy Phu Tho wharf is now just a peaceful and quiet residential area. Photo: Y THUY In the editorial Quang Ngai province, advocated by Nguyen Ba Trac, printed in Nam Phong magazine in 1933, it also helps us visualize the export of goods of the Quang Ngai people in the past as follows: “Quang Ngai has 3 gates. Big sea: Son Tra estuary in Binh Son, Co Luy estuary in Tu Nghia and Sa Huynh estuary in Duc Pho. Each gate has a Department of Commerce to tax export and import goods. Regarding goods exported through seaports, Quang Ngai province also stated that: “The most important export item of Quang Ngai province is sugar. The place to export the most is Co Luy estuary carried out by Thu Xa city. Ginseng and cinnamon are sold at Son Tra gate, salt is sold at Sa Huynh gate. Particularly for Quang Ngai sugar specialties exported through 3 seaports of Co Luy, Son Tra, Sa Huynh; Quang Ngai province also detailed that, in 3 years 1929 – 1931, Quang Ngai exported 24.1 tons of sugar. In addition to the above products, in the Quang Ngai Geography also mentioned more about the export of rice: “The number of rice exported through the seaports of Co Luy, Son Tra and Sa Huynh in 1931 was still over 80 tons. This is the amount of rice sold by landowners to private traders for export. From the above documents, it can be affirmed that the ownership of large seaports has helped trade and export goods from Quang Ngai to developed countries very early. The reason why Son Tra estuary (Sa Can) is the main export place of cinnamon products is because the source of cinnamon from Tra Bong is quite conveniently transported by traders along the Tra Bong river down to the sea estuary. In Sa Huynh (Duc Pho), because salt is produced by people right next to the sea mouth, salt becomes the main export product through this estuary. As for the Co Luy gate, according to cultural researcher Cao Van Chu, this is the gateway for sugar products from the Quang Ngai plain to other parts of the country and the world, not only through China, but also through China. and through Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore… There are no boats now At Co Luy, from ancient times, Chinese merchant ships, after entering this seaport, often anchored at Phu Tho wharf (in the territory of Nghia Phu commune, Quang Ngai city today). Here, goods transported from China such as silk, pottery, traditional medicine… will be unloaded on small boats and transported back to Vuc Hong wharf in Thu Xa (in Nghia Hoa commune, district). Tu Nghia today) delivered to the merchants there. After that, traders in Thu Xa again unloaded Quang Ngai products such as sugar, honey, and agarwood… and then transported them down to Phu Tho wharf and loaded them on Chinese merchant ships to take them back to China. Salt is the main export product through Sa Huynh gate, but for many years, the price has always dropped, making salt farmers less interested in keeping the job. Photo: Y THUY According to the documents in the book Co Luy in the stream of Vietnamese marine culture by author Cao Chu, in the documents of Quang Ngai Province recorded in 1906 by the French colonial government, maritime transportation in Co Luy was It is clearly shown as follows: “In: 330 merchant ships in Central Vietnam entered, 8 sailing ships from Cochinchina arrived, forming a total of 3,000 tons. Ra: 430 sailing ships of China, 27 sailing ships of Cochinchina, 20 sailing ships of Tonkin, combined to a tonnage of 13,000 tons. According to Nguyen Thi Mot, 88 years old, living in Nghia Phu, in the past, Phu Tho wharf was always crowded with boats. Seeing that merchant ships bought sugar in large quantities for export, many people in Nghia Phu also went to trade in sugar in the past. After finding sugar-making villages in Nghia Dung, Nghia Dung to buy spoon sugar, people went back to work to cut the sugar into small lumps, then use a mallet to rub the sugar into powder. Finished sugar is packed into bags to sell to Chinese merchant ships, or to boats going south and north. It used to be one of the busiest trading ports in the province. However, now, Co Luy estuary is just an alluvial estuary, with few ships and boats absent. Once the most important export of Quang Ngai, but now the sugar processing factory in Quang Ngai has also ceased operations. One commodity that used to be the main export product through Sa Huynh gate is salt, which has fallen into a state of “falling in price” for many years, making salt farmers no longer interested in keeping the job… I don’t know when. , those products have regained their “position” as before?

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.

Nguyen Ngoc Ga, a photographer living in Da Lat (Lam Dong) often spends once a year to visit his hometown of Quang Ngai. Leaving the busy streets of tourists in Da Lat, he felt a peaceful breath in his days back home. “I come from Quang Ngai but only come back once a year so I don’t know the point, I have to look it up online. In the morning, I often go for a walk and record the daily life of the people. very beautiful, “shared Ngoc Ga. In the photo, a resident is catching mussels in Sa Huynh. During her return to her hometown, Ngoc Ga spent her time traveling to many places such as My A Sea, Sa Huynh Sea, Sa Huynh salt field, Ly Son island, Ba To mountain area … “Quang Ngai is a pristine land, The weather is harsh, hot and often subject to natural disasters and floods, “he said. My A sea mouth (Duc Pho) has a vague color in the moment of harmony between light and darkness. This is not a tourist destination that is often interested by tourists. This place mainly concentrates fishing boats of fishermen. Walking around this area you will also find breakwaters covered with green moss. People mentioned a lot about the breakwater and moss season in Phu Yen. However, few people know that in Quang Ngai, there are also wave-breakers in this beautiful picture. “The scenery here is beautiful but the tourism has not made a breakthrough. I think Quang Ngai needs to invest heavily in island tourism, connecting tours, routes, expanding the convenient shuttle system to Ly Son”, he commented. During the day wandering at the estuary of My A sea, Ngoc Ga waited until night to record the moment of the galaxy on top of the shipyard. A place with little light and fresh air like Quang Ngai is a great destination for photographers looking for “milky way” hunting. A corner of the starry sky above the waves covered with green moss. The gentle and peaceful life of the local people makes Ngoc Ga want to go more and record the moments of everyday life. These green fishing nets are indispensable tools for livelihoods for marine fishermen. However, it also often appears in the photos of many photographers. They often refer to these nets as “the ribbon of the sea”. “There are lonely trees in my hometown, but no one mentioned them,” said the photographer. This photo was taken by Ngoc Ga on Be Island (Ly Son). Compared to many other regions in Quang Ngai, Ly Son is more popular with tourists. However, according to Ngoc Ga, Quang Ngai deserves to be known more, instead of just Ly Son as it is now. “My hometown has a favorable geographical position such as Da Nang – Quang Ngai expressway, Chu Lai airport, Dung Quat deep sea port. More than 100 km of beautiful coastline with Ly Son, Yen ganh, Sa Huynh. .. Quang Ngai’s topography is also diverse and many relics, cultural and historical sites “, Ngoc Ga said.