A memorable milestone
Sponsible travel is easy, but to retain customers, to create a sustainable brand, there needs to be connection, consensus and a methodical strategy - Ms. Le Thi Be Bay (Can Tho City) told us and emphasized that this awareness urged her and the people of Con Son to plan a long-term for the land of love and gratitude.
Accordingly, in 2017, opening the journey to community tourism, the people of Con Son established a self- Helping inter-generational club. In 2018, the club in Con Son belonged to the Can Tho City Tourism Association.
The important turning point is that in 2022, Con Son Agricultural Tourism Cooperative was officially established. This is not only an administrative decision, but also a revolution in the way of doing business of the people of the land.
Ms. Phan Kim Ngan (commonly known as Bay Muon) - Head of Con Son Agricultural Tourism Cooperative - admitted that before, although tourists had begun to know about Con Son, tourism activities were still fragmented and small. The situation of "all-in-all" also has problems. Every house wants to welcome guests, also wants to sell a lot of things to earn more, leading to overlapping products and uneven quality.
"I realized that if it did not change, Con Son would soon 'break the game' and lose the beautiful image it had just built. Therefore, we are unified and make efforts to carry out all procedures to establish a cooperative to manage and share benefits together," said Ms. Bay Muon.
Also from here, Con Son Agricultural Tourism Cooperative was established with the humanitarian operating philosophy "Sell with friends, sell with wards". Instead of competing with each other, each household will register their most typical product to serve tourists. Mr. Bay Bon's house specializes in fish, Mrs. Bay Muon's house specializes in folk cakes, Mrs. Nam Phuoc's house specializes in cuisine... This assignment creates a closed value chain, diverse experiences for tourists without any household left behind.
Thus, a group of visitors to Con Son will be able to take a tour around the houses according to the design or choose the places they like (depending on the permitted time). Currently, the easiest to see is the schedule: early in the morning go fishing on rafts, go ashore to see snakehead fish, frog circus, visit buffaloes, enjoy lunch, learn how to make cakes, visit fruit gardens, watch green rice explode in the afternoon, etc.
sightseeing and service tickets are shared fairly and transparently with households participating in tourism. Even the customers' meals are contributed by the whole group: grilled fish dishes of this house, fish sauce hotpot of that house, dessert dishes of the garden. This approach not only helps optimize resources but also strengthens the neighborhood bond.
Brand attraction
At the end of 2024, a good news came to the island nation when Google announced the Google Year In Search 2024 List in Vietnam and the keyword "Con Son Can Tho Tourism" was honored to be in 4th place in the Top 10 most searched keywords about tourism by Vietnamese people. This is a great recognition, affirming the strong attraction of the Con Son tourism brand on the national tourism map.
Being in the top search not only reflects the interest of tourists but also shows that the tourism trend is shifting towards cultural, ecological and community values - the absolute strengths of Con Son.
Con Son, which is searched for a lot on Google, is also proof that the right direction of the Can Tho tourism industry in developing community tourism is right. This is the result of the joint efforts and consensus between the government, people and media agencies.
"The professionalization in the way of doing tourism of the people of Con Son has created prestige and trust for tourists. This is also a great motivation for us to continue to invest and support the replication of the community tourism model," said Ms. Nam Phuoc - owner of Song Khanh garden.
According to members of Con Son Agricultural Tourism Cooperative, this recognition does not stop at the title, but also brings practical economic efficiency. The number of visitors to Con Son has skyrocketed, tours are booked fully, especially during holidays. People's income has increased, creating more jobs for local workers.
Receiving communication, receiving comments, ready to innovate
The change from spontaneous to self-consciousness is also clearly demonstrated in the awareness of improving the quality of services of tourism workers. With timely support and guidance from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, the People's Committee of Binh Thuy District (at that time) and media agencies, people in Con Son continuously participated in training courses. They learn how to communicate and behave civilly, learn "reporting" English to greet Western visitors, and learn how to use social networks to promote their images. From rural farmers, people are gradually becoming "agricultural entrepreneurs" with knowledge, understanding the market and customer needs.
Journalist Hoang Tuyen shared: "We also regularly analyze and suggest to help people see our own strength. The advice is that everyone should try to do whatever they are good at, just do it, don't do it the same."
Mr. Tran Van Minh (a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City) shared his surprise: "The second time I have returned to Con Son in 3 years, I was really surprised. Everything is much more organized but still retains its rustic features. What impressed me most was the way they connected, introducing each other in a very natural and sincere way. That is a rare thing in other tourist areas.
Thanks to receiving comments and positive changes, Con Son is today considered a " station" to promote Tay Do culture and cuisine in particular and the Mekong Delta in general. Above all, this place also often welcomes domestic and international famtrip groups to survey tourism products and interact with businesses.
Maintain active male actors
However, popularity comes with pressure. Con Son people understand that maintaining the title is more difficult than achieving it. They reminded each other to respect each customer, to maintain the beautiful image of their hometown, and absolutely not do fraudulent business for immediate profits.
"We do not sleep, we often organize meetings to listen to the situation of tourism every week and every month, especially to grasp the psychology and wishes of tourists. At that time, anyone who sees any problems will be presented and immediately propose solutions. We are determined to grasp the new tourism trend to integrate and serve the community, said Ms. Bay Muon - Director of Con Son Agricultural Tourism Cooperative.
It can be said that the transition from spontaneous to self- awareness, from disruption to cooperative linkage is like a historic transformation of Con Son tourism. It proves that farmers in the West can completely master the economic game if there is solidarity and the right direction.
With passion and hard work, Mrs. Bay Muon now also has many medals at the Southern folk cake festivals.
Dedicating his entire life to shrimp and fish, Mr. Ly Van Bon - owner of Bay Bon fish raft, has become a typical example of the country's aspiration to develop the economy according to the orientation of Resolution XIII of the Party. He was selected as one of 75 outstanding examples honored at the National Conference to honor and honor advanced models in 2023.
