From pioneering projects to new tourism development thinking
More than 10 years ago, Lan Chau Island was just a pristine green patch north of Cua Lo beach, where fishermen's boats anchored to shelter from storms, occasionally visited by drug addicts. Few people thought that, from that abandoned island, a large-scale eco-tourism - resort project would be born, opening the journey of sustainable transformation of Cua Lo beach tourism.
In 2019, when the Song Ngu Son eco-tourism complex on Lanzhou Island officially "started" for the tourist season, modern speedboats fenced off the waves to Ngu Island.
And in the 2025 tourist season, 5-star hotels have opened, and sea-river-spiritual tours have simultaneously formed, becoming an important milestone.
From an island almost isolated from urban space, the investor, Song Ngu Son Joint Stock Company, has gradually turned this place into a high-class resort destination, laying the foundation for methodical and long-term tourism thinking in Cua Lo.
Mr. Tran Quoc Lam - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Song Ngu Son Joint Stock Company - said that right from the start of the project, the enterprise determined not to do tourism in a short-term, profitable way, but to build a sustainable tourism ecosystem, linking modern resorts with cultural, historical and natural landscape values.
Song Ngu Son is not only a place for tourists to rest, but also a space to feel the depth of Nghe culture, from the sea and islands to the Lam River, from spiritual to community life. We hope that each investment project will contribute to changing the face of Cua Lo tourism in a civilized and classy direction while still retaining its own identity," Mr. Tran Quoc Lam emphasized.
The investment in a high-speed yacht system, connecting Lan Chau island - Ngu island, expanding the waterway tourism route from Cua Lo to Ben Thuy bridge, Quyet mountain, Cui temple, Nam Dan has helped Cua Lo tourism escape the simple "bathing in the sea - eating seafood" model.
Sea tourism has expanded its space, associated with Nghe land's culture, history, and spirituality, creating a foundation for in-depth tourism products. This is considered one of the pioneering projects contributing to elevating the image of Cua Lo on the tourism map of the Central region.
Leading expectations
According to the assessment of the United Nations Tourism Organization, Cua Lo is one of the most ideal beaches in Vietnam, with a length of over 10 km, steep slopes, clear blue sea water, moderate waves, and suitable salinity. The beach is surrounded by two rivers at both ends, creating harmonious natural conditions that not every destination has. From a pristine beach, Cua Lo has now become a modern and high-class beach tourist area.
Currently, the Cua Lo area has about 300 accommodation establishments with nearly 12,500 rooms, capable of serving over 30,000 guests per day and night. Many high-class hotels and resorts are qualified to organize large-scale international events such as Vinpearl Meliá Cua Hoi, Muong Thanh Grand Cua Lo, Saigon - Kim Lien, Summer, Lan Chau Luxury. A system of more than 200 seafood restaurants, VinWonders Cua Hoi entertainment area and cable cars to Ngu Island create a diverse and attractive tourism product chain.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Cua Lo tourism recovered quickly and developed strongly. Each year, the locality welcomes over 4 million visitors, revenue from tourism activities reaches over 4,000 billion VND, becoming one of the bright spots of Nghe An tourism.
In 2014, Cua Lo was honored to be recognized by the Prime Minister as a coastal tourist city - the first coastal tourist city in the country. This title is both a source of pride and poses an requirement to develop commensurate with its potential and position.
In the period 2025–2030, the locality determines to focus on building projects and planning for systematic tourism development; promulgating regulations on beach management, water motorbikes, electric vehicles, squares, hotels, restaurants; and at the same time promoting investment in renovating forest parks and beaches in a modern, multi-purpose, and nature-friendly direction, creating a unique feature for Cua Lo.
From mainly living on the sea or small-scale trading, many households have boldly invested in restaurants, hotels, accommodation services, transportation, gradually getting rich legitimately from tourism.
Commenting on the future development of local tourism, Mr. Ngo Duc Kien - Provincial Party Committee member, Secretary of the Party Committee of Cua Lo ward - said that the merger of Cua Lo into Vinh city opens up a new development space, creating conditions for sea tourism to be more closely linked with urban areas, services and culture.
Cua Lo identifies tourism development in a sustainable, civilized direction, taking tourists as the center, taking the environment and identity as the foundation. With rare natural advantages, increasingly synchronous infrastructure and the consensus of the people, we believe that Cua Lo will continue to affirm its position as the leading sea tourism destination of the country, worthy of the title of the first sea tourism city of Vietnam," Mr. Ngo Duc Kien emphasized.
