As part of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Hoa Binh Province Da River Fish and Shrimp Festival, the auction of specialty fish from the Hoa Binh reservoir attracted significant attention.
Specialty fish at the ceremony of the 2024 Hoa Binh Province Da River Fish and Shrimp Festival.
Thousands of attendees cheered as bidders
competed for prized catches. A commercial sturgeon weighing over 45 kg from Hai
Dang Aquaculture Co., Ltd. fetched a final price of 150 million VND (60 USD),
while a 25-kg black carp from Cuong Thinh Aquaculture and Services Co., Ltd.
was sold for 105 million VND. Both fish were raised in the Hoa Binh reservoir,
known for its high-quality aquatic products that meet the standards of even the
most discerning consumers.
This marks the second year the festival has been
held at a provincial level, aiming to enhance the value of aquaculture and
develop signature tourism products for Hoa Binh. The opening night drew
thousands of residents and tourists to the province's Exhibition and Trade
Center for shopping, entertainment, and experiences.
Hai Dang Aquaculture Co., Ltd., with over 20
years of aquaculture experience in the Hoa Binh reservoir, showcased its live
specialty fish and shrimp, alongside a variety of processed products. Many of
these items meet 3-star and 4-star OCOP standards.
Recognising the potential of integrating cage
fish farming with tourism, the company has expanded its hands into eco-tourism
services, offering restaurants, accommodations, and professional guided boat
tours. Their efforts aim to attract both domestic and international visitors to
the region, often referred to as the "Halong Bay of the mountains".
The Hoa Binh reservoir area has significant
potential for developing aquaculture alongside eco-tourism, community tourism,
and leisure activities, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development. The province currently maintains 2,695 hectares of fish farming in
reservoirs and 4,987 fish cages, with an estimated 2024 aquaculture production
of 12,500 tonnes. Fish cage farming on the Da River has become a major
contributor to the agricultural sector's growth.
Efforts to align aquaculture with eco-tourism
are part of a broader initiative to establish the Hoa Binh reservoir as a
National Tourism Area, per Resolution 14-NQ/TU. Presently, the area boasts over
100 lodging facilities employing 1,200 workers, and approximately 300 tourist
transport vehicles. An interconnected network of restaurants, tourist sites,
and lake experiences has created a diverse tourism ecosystem, increasingly
appealing to visitors.
These developments highlight promising
opportunities for local authorities and communities to expand cage fish farming
and tourism, positioning the Hoa Binh reservoir as a leading economic and
tourism hub in Vietnam’s ethnic minority regions.
No success is easy, especially for a mountainous province like Hoa Binh, which still faces many difficulties. In the process of economic restructuring, the locality encounters various challenges, ranging from weak infrastructure, ineffective investment attraction, to barriers in awareness. However, it has taken effective solutions to overcome obstacles hindering economic development.
A revolution is unfolding in Hoa Binh province, with broad roads stretching across the terrain, industrial zones humming with machinery, organic vegetable fields rolling out in vibrant green expanses, and tourism destinations emerging, rich with cultural identity.
The Youth Union of Hoa Binh city has launched a series of initiatives to foster entrepreneurship, providing members with opportunities to showcase their potential and contribute to local development.
In recent years, the cooperative economy in Hoa Binh province has made significant progress, particularly in the agricultural sector. This development has contributed not only to local economic growth but also to improving livelihoods, promoting rural development, and protecting the environment.