Coming from a distant country and having spent more than one year in this place, Katsuhiro Ando has practically memorizedeachandeveryoneoftheconcreteroadswindingthroughlinesofpoinsettiaflowersinMon Son.Theroadsareflankedbypicturesque, green rice paddies ononesideandbytheimposing forest on the other. When the time comes to harvest the crops, Katsuhiro Ando will wear a conical hat and get himself a sickle to join the local people during their harvest.

Only in Vietnam does Katsuhiro see water buffalos drawing wooden ploughs, ethnic Thai girls in their colorful dresses during ricetransplantationfestivals,and Dan Lai childrenimmersethemselvesinthewaters of the Giang River trying to catch the famous “mat” fish. The scenery of Con Cuong is astonishingly beautiful and pristine as KatsuhirotravelsonaboatupstreamtheGiangriver.Thegreenriverreflectstheforestandatsunset,astheboatstandsstillon the river,hefeelsheavenisjustwherehestands.“ThefeelingthatappearedishardtodescribeasIsteppedontotheboattostartthecruise,”Katsuhiro Ando said.“The river is like a silk ribbon crossing the mountains and its stream notonlyendowslocalpeoplewithfood but also gives themameansofreaching the externalworld.


The feeling followed me all through out the long journey, especially whenintheuppermostpartoftheriverwhereIfoundavillageoftheethnic Dan Laipeopletowhomtheconceptoftimedidnotexistent. Notraces of a modern life could be found there.The Giang River is extremely rare to me as it is so pristine

Travelling extensively to support tourism development for many communities, Katsuhiro Ando thinks the scenery of Con Cuong is unique, with its mountains surrounding villages-thoughoccasionaldisruptionscanbefound. Alookatthemapshowsalltheriversandstreamsstemfrom Pu Mat Mountain. As theriverplaysacentralroleinlocalpeople’slives,anyprojectthatistosucceedmusttakethisintoaccount.“This representsastrongbondbetweenhumansandnature.Thisisaverygoodecosystem,”KatsuhiroAndosaid.“I’vebeentoMaiChauofHoaBinh,whichiswellknownforhousesonstiltsamongimmenseforestsandmountains.ButthesceneryinConCuongisevenmorefascinatingbecauseinadditiontostilthousesitalsohascharminglandscapessuch as Khe Kem waterfall and Pu Mat primary forest. Iflocalpeoplecancapitalizeontheseresources,tourismwillbeaverygoodbusiness.Foreigners,forexample,lovetoseeobjectsmadefrombambooandrattan,especiallythoseusedforcookinganddiningsuchasbananaleavestocoverstickyrice,“epkhau”(sticky rice containers) andunhuskedricecontainersmadefromknittedbamboo.""Japanese experts have taughtNuavillagershowtouse‘natural’tools to cook. Assistancehasalsobeengiventotherestorationoftraditionalcrafts.Iflocalpeopleunderstandtheharmonybetweenhumansandnatureandutilizethatfortourismdevelopment,thenitwouldbebrilliant. My friends who came here all loved the experiences of a home-stay, sleeping in stilt houses, enjoying natural food, wakingtothecrow of roosters,hearingthesoundsofarunningstreamandbeholdingthesunrisingfromtheforest. Currently, the good thing is that local people are actively cooperating in the tourismbusinessandtravelcompanieshavebeguntobringin tourists,”Katsuhiro Ando said with a smile.

Those feelings of Katsuhiro Andoaresharedbymanytouristswhocomefromafar.AllofthemareeagertoexploreKheKemwaterfall,cruisetheGiang River and see Pha Lai dam floating in the clouds, and the pristinePuMatmountainwithnumerousbigtreesbloominginspring.LocatedinthecenterofthebufferzoneoftheWesternNghe An Biosphere Reserve which was recognized byUNESCO as a world biosphere reservei n2007,Con Cuong has plenty of potential to attract tourists, especially foreign visitors. Theareaisalsoanancientlandwithunexploredsites,friendly local people and well-preservedculturalcustoms.ConCuong,whichisabout330and130kilometersfromHanoiandVinhCity,respectively,issituatedbytheromanticLam Giang River.Thoughamountainousdistrict,itsterrainislevelwhilethesoilisfertileandthelandscapesarecharming.TravelersboundforKySonorLaosoftenmakeastopoverheretorestbeforeresumingtheirjourney.ConCuongisthereforewellknownforthespecialtiesofwesternNgheAnprovince,suchassaltedbambooshoots,“mat”fish,“lang”(Hemibagrus)fish,riverloach,youngrattanshootsoup,“dun”vegetableandmuchmore.RestaurantsinConCuongarewellestablishedwithmanydeliciousdishesfromthevibrantlocalcuisine.ConCuongiscravingforbusinessprojects.Approvalhasbeengrantedforthedistricttobecomeanecologicalhubandaneconomicandculturalcenterofsouth-western NgheAn. In particular, during the 2021-2025 period, Con Cuong strives to emerge as an ecological center, adrivingforceofthesouth-westernregionwithsignificantimpactsontheprovince’ssocio-economic development. It willalsoserveasahubfortradingandtransitofgoodsandcommercialservicesaswellasthepremierecologicaltouristattractionofthesouthwesternregion.Back to our friend Katsuhiro Ando; heandhiscolleagueswill continue toworktomakelifebetterforthelocalpeople of Con Cuong.They will contribute to the creation of ecological parks which are economically beneficial and help local people produce tourist products such as orange wine,orange jam, orange soap and other products. Secretary of Con Cuong District Party Committee said:“In addition to Pu Mat National Park and Pu Huong Natural Conservation Zone, Con Cuong will also work to attract investment into Pha Lai and Co Phat eco-toursites;TaBo,Thac Kem (YenKhe).Intra-district tours and sites will be connected to others in the province with attention being paid to community tourism destinations and spiritual,cultural and historical sites. Historical relics such as Ma Nhai Stele and the site where the Vietnamese Communist Party was first established in Western Nghe An are to be preserved and renovated. We will strive to make ConCuong one of the tourist hubs of Western Nghe An”