One who is passionate about local tourism development

Born in an agricultural countryside but with the determination to get rich, Mr. Duong Cong Hanh, born in 1978, Hoan Trung village, Chien Thang commune, Bac Son district, has succeeded with a tourism development model on his homeland.

Mr. Hanh takes care of the flower garden at the tourist destination

Visiting the Mo Mam stream in Chien Thang commune, Bac Son district in early September, we had the opportunity to meet and talk with Mr. Hanh. While showing us the tourist spot, Mr. Hanh told us: “In 1998, I got married. At that time, my family made money from farming, so the income was unstable. In 2016 and early 2017, people inside and outside the commune often went camping in Mo Mam stream. Hence, there was an increasing need of using services for food and relaxation. Realizing that this place had potential for tourism development, I discussed with my wife and we invested in renovating this area into an eco-tourism destination.”

At first, he came to ecotourism destinations in the provinces and further studied on the internet to gain experience. Thereby, at the end of 2017, with some saved capital and that borrowed from his friends and relatives, Mr. Hanh started renovating this area, he made water fountains himself, invested in a  road leading to this tourist attraction, built a swimming pool, planted flowers and trees, built more stilt houses and developed food services… From 2017 until now, his family has invested over 12 billion VND to in the Mo Mam stream area with an area of over 3 hectares.

With poetic scenery and fresh air, Mo Mam stream tourist destination attracts a large number of tourists from inside and outside the province on weekends, holidays… they come to experience, relax and enjoy local dishes. Every year, this tourist destination attracts tens of thousands of visitors. In 2022, there were over 20,000 visitors, bringing in an income of over 850 million VND after deducting expenses.

In addition to tourism, Mr. Hanh also develops a model of making liquor from leaf yeast. From 2018 to now, on average, each year, his family produces and sells nearly 10,000 liters of liquor/year to the market, bringing in an income of over 250 million VND/year. In 2021, his family’s Mo Mam liquor from leaf yeast was certified by the provincial authorities as a 3-star OCOP (One Commune One Product) product at the provincial level. Annually, Mr. Hanh’s family invests 50% of their total income in the tourist attraction and their liquor from leaf yeast with the desire to develop a more professional and modern model, meeting the needs of visitors and consumers.

Mr. Duong Cong Vuong, Vice Chairman of Chien Thang Commune People’s Committee, said: “Mr. Hanh is a typical example and a pioneer in tourism development of the commune. Following Mr. Hanh, many people in the commune have the courage to invest in Hoan Trung community tourism site, contributing to the economic development of the commune. Along with doing good business, Mr. Hanh and his family always well comply with the Party’s guidelines, State’s policies and laws, participate in social and volunteer activities in the locality.”

With the will to constantly improve and many contributions to the development of tourism and local economy, Mr. Hanh was praised and rewarded by authorities at all levels. In 2019, he received a certificate of merit from the Chairman of the District People’s Committee for his achievements in production and business activities; in 2020, he received a certificate of merit from the Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for his many contributions to the development of tourism in Lang Son province. Recently, in April 2023, he was awarded a certificate of merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee for his achievements in implementing Directive No. 05 of the Politburo on studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style.