saddened by the relic
The Ninh Thanh Loi historical event relic was ranked as a Historical and Cultural Relic by the People's Committee of Bac Lieu province (old) in 2006. In 2021, the People's Committee of Bac Lieu province assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Lieu province to renovate the relic with many items. In 2024, this relic was ranked as a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. However, after recognition, this relic is still lying idle, many places are overgrown with grass and have not been restored and exploited.
Located on the quiet Cai Doi canal, Hai Yen - Binh Hung Border Guard Station is deserted. Recognized as a National Monument in 2000, Hai Yen - Binh Hung Border Guard Station (in Thanh Dam Hamlet, Tan Hai Commune, now Phu Tan Commune, Ca Mau Province) was renovated and restored by the Department in phase 1, with a total cost of more than 46 billion VND with 14 items. After that investment, it has been a quiet period... Mr. Nguyen Thanh Men, Tan Hai commune said: "My house is near this relic, I have not seen anything to do in the past few years. All the old works have degraded.
In addition to national relics, Ca Mau also has 84 provincial-level relics. These are heritages of typical historical, cultural and scientific values of the locality. Each relic is a historical story, part of which is preserved. However, many relics are at risk of no longer being relics.
For example, the Provisional Provincial Party Committee Headquarters in Bac Lieu Province in 1945 - 1946. This house is associated with the August 1945 Revolution of Bac Lieu Provincial Party Committee. The house was built by the French in the 20s of the 20th century; was listed as a typical ancient house of the province and was ranked as a provincial-level historical relic by the People's Committee of Bac Lieu province in 2013. Although located right in the center of Bac Lieu City (old), according to the report of the City People's Committee, the house was encroached upon by people and seriously degraded. By 2024, this relic was assessed as unable to be restored or embellished, so it had to be dismantled and a memorial stele was built in its place.
In another situation, it is a provincial-level historical relic of Uncle Ba Phi Memorial Site. On September 10, 2015, the People's Committee of Ca Mau province recognized the Nguyen Long Phi People's Artist Memorial Area (Uncle Ba Phi) as a Provincial-level Historical - Cultural Relic. However, after the recognition, this memorial site is almost gone, because there are not many artifacts left by Uncle Ba Phi. Currently, the only remaining relic is the old scaffolding used by Uncle Ba to hunt for wild boars and the unique boat that is kept and preserved by his family.
Relic exploitation faces difficulties
The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province said that some relics and heritages of great nature and value still retain artifacts, but have not been properly promoted, and have not turned them into tourism resources.
The difficulties and limitations are mainly seen as the fact that most of them are revolutionary historical relics, far from the provincial center, there are not many auxiliary services around the relic site, the road to the relic site is still difficult, so it is difficult to organize tours - tour routes with a large number of visitors from travel companies; technical facilities (parking lots, public toilets...) have not been invested in, limiting the development ability of the destination. In addition, many relics are in a state of disrepair, and the restoration, embellishment, and restoration of relics are still slow, so they have not been put into tourism development.
Even the 3 special national relics in Ca Mau have not really promoted their effectiveness after recognition. Vinh Hung Tower is currently flooded, sometimes at the foot of the tower. Although this relic has great archaeological value, it has not been promoted, so very few people know about it. Cai Chanh National Monument (Ninh Thanh Loi Commune) is valuable in terms of Vietnam's revolutionary history, but unfavorable transportation has caused few people to come to visit and enjoy.
The dream of "Taking relics to nurture relics"
A typical example of well- exploited relics that not only honor value but also bring significant revenue to tourism is the Cong Tu Bac Lieu Cluster. After being called for socialized investment, this place has become an attractive destination for the West and the whole country. Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet - Director of Cong Tu Bac Lieu Company Limited - said: "The brand of Cong Tu Bac Lieu; Cong Tu Bac Lieu House creates for businesses to invest and exploit tourism well".
Similarly, in Bac Lieu City (old), relics such as: Memorial Site of musician Cao Van Lau; Quan Am Phat Dai, Chua Xiem Can, Cao Van Lau Theater... are also exploited for tourism. Mr. Tran Van Thao - Director of Vietravel Tourism Joint Stock Company, Ca Mau Branch, Chairman of the Ca Mau Tourism Association - said that after the merger, the new Ca Mau province will open up great development opportunities for tourism businesses. Historical sites in Ca Mau are one of the destinations for tourists.
From these successes, Ca Mau province is realizing the dream of "Taking advantage of relics to nurture relics", combining the promotion of the value of historical and cultural relics (such as Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site, Vam Lung Wharf, Cai Chanh accommodation) and natural relics (Munds of Ca Mau, U Minh Ha National Park, Thi Tuong Lagoon) to develop sustainable tourism, educate tradition and improve local economy, turn Ca Mau into an attractive cultural and ecological destination, where visitors can experience unique history and nature.
To achieve this, Ca Mau province is investing in developing tourism infrastructure, improving the quality of accommodation, dining, and transportation services. Training a team of professional tour guides with extensive knowledge of relics as well as enhancing community participation in creating tourism products associated with local culture, helping visitors truly experience the lives of the people.
