Located in the middle of Hau River, Con Son, Can Tho City is known as a typical community tourism model of the Southwest region. With the advantage of the garden-filled river, this place not only attracts a large number of tourists but also helps hundreds of households escape poverty and stabilize their lives through tourism activities and local services.
At the 2025 business and investor meeting conference organized by Can Tho City on July 23, Mr. Ly Van Bon, Deputy Director of Con Son Agricultural Tourism Cooperative, said: Thanks to tourism and on-site sales activities, Con Son has become an effective promotion channel for the image of the homeland, creating stable jobs for people. Wild dishes and rural cultural experiences have brought many practical benefits to the community.
However, according to Mr. Bon, despite the formation and development of tourism for more than 10 years, Con Son has not yet been officially recognized as a tourist destination.
It is a big disadvantage to not be recognized. If there is this title, people will feel secure investing, connect more easily with travel companies and be more convenient in promoting the local image, said Mr. Bon.
Mr. Bon also said that one of the major obstacles at present is the issue of land and infrastructure. Most of the riverside areas in Con Son are alluvial land managed by the state.
Due to lack of land lease documents, people could not build an official wharf to welcome guests. Fish cage farming households and sightseeing services also face difficulties when they are not licensed, even though they have lived and operated stably for many years.
According to Mr. Bon, the landslides at the head of Con Son are serious, especially during the high tide season. "There was a landslide hundreds of meters, threatening the entire power line dragged through Con Son. If there is a power outage, all activities and tourism here will be seriously affected, Mr. Bon worried.
Another situation that Mr. Bon also mentioned is the situation of fishing using electricity and thick nets, which reduces natural fish resources, affects fish cage farming and eco-tourism activities. He suggested that the authorities strengthen inspection and strict handling to protect aquatic resources and preserve the river landscape.
In addition, the issue of clean water here is also of concern, as the water supply system has not met the needs of daily life and production.
According to the representative of the Department of Industry and Trade of Can Tho City, the project " vong dien qua Con Son" was completed and put into use at the end of 2013 with a capacity of 1,600kVA, costing more than 8 billion VND. This is the first metro project to cross the river in the city, invested by socialized sources.
However, the current demand for electricity has far exceeded the initial time, so the industry has also coordinated with the city's electricity to have an upgrade plan to meet production and tourism needs.
Regarding water supply, a representative of the Department of Construction said that Con Son area is currently being supplied with water through a small-scale clean water supply station.
To ensure the living and production needs of the people, the Department has coordinated with relevant sectors and Can Tho 2 Water Supply Company to conduct a survey to develop a plan to invest in a synchronous clean water supply system to meet local actual needs.
Regarding the problems in Con Son, Secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee Do Thanh Binh has requested relevant departments and branches to review the development planning for this area.
"If there is a plan to develop tourism, it must be implemented quickly. If there are not yet, it should be urgently supplemented. At the same time, it is necessary to thoroughly resolve the issues of clean water, electricity, and anti-landslide so that people can live, work and develop tourism with peace of mind, Mr. Do Thanh Binh emphasized.
Information from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Can Tho City, the unit has received instructions from the city's leaders and is planning to survey and include the Con Son area in the city's landslide prevention and control project.
More than 10 years ago, Con Son (Can Tho City) was still a "four no's: no electricity, no water, no schools, no stations. Poor people surrounded by the garden have never thought about tourism. Thanks to the support and suggestions of journalists, people have begun to boldly welcome guests and open gardens for community tourism. Now, Con Son has become a famous ecological destination.
In 2024, Google announced the Google Year In Search 2024 List in Vietnam. In which Con Son Can Tho Tourism ranked 4th in the Top 10 keywords that Vietnamese people tend to search for about tourism.
