Awakening the 'fairy' of Ninh Van tourism

Ninh Van is known for the story of the Ho Chi Minh trail at sea, and the unnumbered ship C235. But not only that, this place is blessed by nature with a clear, white beach and a diverse marine ecosystem, which are ideal conditions for tourism development.

Natural beauty in Ninh Van fishing village. PHOTO: BA DUY

Awakening the "fairy" Ninh Van

Ninh Van is an island commune of Ninh Hoa Town ( Khanh Hoa ), with an area of over 4,520 hectares, surrounded by the sea on three sides. With a harmonious natural landscape between mountains and the sea, Ninh Van stands out like a hidden gem in the middle of the ocean.

Not only does it offer a rich and diverse natural picture, Ninh Van is also an ideal destination for those who love the wild, peaceful beauty of the ocean and enjoy exploring the peaceful life of coastal people.

Ninh Van has a population of more than 530 people with more than 2,000 residents. The main income of the people is fishing and traditional garlic and peanut farming. However, in recent years, people have begun to shift to tourism, with a series of homestays, motels, and restaurants put into operation, along with services such as coral viewing, night squid fishing, mountain climbing and bay viewing experiences...

Mr. Pham Ba Duy, residing in Nha Trang City, had a night experience in Ninh Van, saying that his family traveled by car for nearly 2 hours, a distance of 75 km to Ninh Van. The first impressive point is the road leading to Ninh Van commune with rows of green trees shading both sides of the road, making anyone think that they are walking in the middle of majestic mountains and forests. After traveling about 5 km, appearing before the eyes is a long white sand beach, gentle waves, green mountains and a beautiful picture of Ninh Van countryside.

A corner of Ninh Van commune residential area. PHOTO: BA DUY

Unlike other famous tourist destinations, Ninh Van is gentler, more peaceful and more pristine. A suitable place for those who seek tranquility, away from the noise of urban life, wanting to enjoy the pure natural beauty, not much affected by humans. This is the reason why tourists want to explore more about the land, people and beautiful scenery here.

According to Ms. Phan Hai Thoai, Vice Chairman of Ninh Hoa Town People's Committee, Ninh Van commune has changed, proactively caught up, followed and finished early, reaching the new rural standards before many other localities. However, the valuable thing is that the traditional culture, natural landscape, and the spirit of the land and people of Ninh Van are still preserved almost intact, and in some aspects, they have flourished and clearly promoted. That is the condition, the invaluable resource to form and develop community tourism, thereby creating more jobs and increasing income, contributing to poverty reduction and socio -economic development of the locality.

Tourists harvest garlic - Photo: B.K.H Tourists harvest garlic. PHOTO: BKH

Experience community tourism with the villagers

In Ninh Van, most of the homestay, motel and restaurant owners are local people, so the way of serving tourists is also different from other tourist destinations. Tourists coming here, not only swim, dive, eat seafood, visit the historical site of the C235 ship, but also directly participate in harvesting garlic and peanuts (if in season), participate in night fishing at sea, experience mountain climbing or cycling around Dong and Tay villages on coastal roads connecting with green fields on the hillsides to feel the energy of nature...

In particular, visitors cannot miss the most exciting time of the island commune every early morning when fishing boats dock. All kinds of fish, squid, and snails from small to large, fresh and jumping on the fishing boats, making visitors from far away "crave" to want to buy some as gifts for relatives or for their families to enjoy.

Training session on Ninh Van community tourism organized by Ninh Hoa Town People's Committee. PHOTO: BA DUY

At the announcement ceremony of Ninh Van's potential community tourism destination on July 19, 2024, Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Dinh Van Thieu affirmed: "Ninh Van has many products that are very suitable for the community tourism model such as fishing, garlic growing, and xa tam phan trees, especially preserving the cultural features of coastal people. These are extremely valuable resources for us to develop community tourism. In addition, Ninh Van also has a very famous tourist area called Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, so the two sides can support each other to develop. There may be many high-end customers, but they still want to come and experience the cultural features of local people."

With such beauty and tourism potential, Ninh Van is increasingly asserting its position as an attractive and sustainable community tourism destination. Efforts to protect and promote local cultural and natural values are contributing to creating a bright image for the development of Ninh Van community tourism.

Ninh Van garlic is chosen by many tourists as a gift when traveling here - Photo: Ba Duy