The model of cage fish farming is supported by the SODI project in Ngu My Thanh village.

Leading us around Ngu My Thanh village, Mr. Ha Binh, a cultural official from Quang Loi commune shared: Thanks to the investments of the SODI project in roads, bridges, mangroves, the environment here has been improved.

"In the past, we had to wade for a while to reach the shore. There was no place to anchor boats in the typhoon season, now it is much more convenient. We have a pier, concrete roads, lavatories ... People's lives have changed thanks to the project to develop the model of cage fish farming, with each cage yielding  a gain of 30 million VND per year; each fish pond yielding a gain of 15 million VND/harvest/3 months," Mr. Dao Van, a Ngu My Thanh villager said joyfully.

The small boat moved along the Ngu My Thanh aquaculture and conservation area, and then ran along the green lagoon covered with cork oaks and water coconut tree... The mangrove forest of over 40 hectares is supported by the SODI project and the Provincial Forest Protection Department. After more than a year of development, the mangrove system has grown well, attracting many bird species.

Mr. Ho Quang Minh, Secretary of Quang Dien District Party Committee expected: "This will be home to many aquatic species; it will also be a destination for visitors to enjoy and relax, fishing with traditional fishing gears. The district is continuing to survey and expand the area of mangrove forest along the lagoon in association with planning aquaculture, developing ecotourism and services.

After the investment in the infrastructure system and the mangrove forest, the Ngu My Thanh community tour has also been improved with the participation of tourism companies in the province. The exploring tour of Ngu My Thanh will start early in the morning by bringing visitors to explore the life and seafood trading activities in the local floating market.

Next, the boat will take visitors to the mangroves mudflats, then to the marine conservation area. When the housing complexes of Dai Bang Tourism Joint Stock Company become available, there will be more interesting experiences for visitors: fishing with traditional local fishing gear such as netting, trapping,  ..., stopping at the Con Toc wharf to enjoy local specialties.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh -Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Dien District, Director of the SODI project Management Board in Quang Dien - shared: After the completion of the “Community development in the sandy area of Quang Vinh commune” project, with a budget of more than 1.3 billion VND, since 2015, SODI has provided support in economic development in Quang Loi. The support is concentrated on Ngu My Thanh village with a total budget of 230.252 EUR, equivalent to over 5 billion VND; over 545 million VND from local counterpart funding.

In order to create a comprehensive change in Quang Loi tourism development, the project management board is proposing a second phase of support for Quang Loi. The proposal includes: lighting, construction of a green vegetable supply network for restaurants to serve tourists, training on public awareness, construction of 3 lakes for fishery tools cleaning in order to avoid negative impacts on the lagoon environment ... with an expense of about 3.5 billion VND.

If these items are accepted and invested, Quang Loi will become an attractive tourist destination for tourists and investors," said Mr Nguyen Tuan Anh.

By Hoang Loan