I often imagined an image of a small island, one of the islands most remote lands in the Gulf of Tonkin, is playing with sides between the vast waves. Places that I have repeatedly detected on the administrative map, had wished to visit even if just once. And today, he has a chance to take Halong bay tour to discover this place.
We're out in a quiet summer day silent sea. Halong bay cruise departs at 13h30.I can feel sunny bright, salty of the sea and the cool of the wind. The ship glide smoothly over the water in countless shining silhouetted cliffs heaving rocks in the bay. After the two-hour journey, the waves pass illustrious place in the league, holding onto the solid concrete block piers, I’ve actually set foot on land Coto.
Other than what I ever imagined, Coto town also is busy and crowded like a land where the town. Just across the street along with stretches of concrete road clean. It houses permanent closely and spacious. It has grown to several high-rise hotels with modern architecture style. There are other affordable only by the scenery that is placed very close to the coast, where the waves of the Tonkin Gulf rushing around in white socks shore. By exuberance and intimate hand held, the district leaders of Coto gave us the unforgettable first impression about a real welcome open, like the warm feeling of a relatives back home rather crestfallen feeling of the first guests to visit the island.
It is pure Vietnamese names, associated with daily activities of the people and said to form part of each island featured this place. They are scattered, curved bow under, over 60km from the mainland, near the International Maritime. Therefore, it is possible for Coto islands as solid walls keep the sea side town northeast of the country that the Creator has given us favor.
Conversely history, Coto ancient name is Mountain man, was a long time residence of fishermen boats Northeast. This place is really crowded inhabitants from 1832, when Nguyen Cong Tru in the position of General Director of Hai An (Hai Duong - An Quang) has applied to the Nguyen dynasty established villages, appointed the rule. This is the first village - Huong Hoa village. Shortly after, the tax collectors and the Nguyen Huong Hoa build forts guarding the sea invaders. Over the French colonial period, many times split into the districts of Quang Ninh, 1994, Coto district was founded. Once established, the district has only 2,050 people, up to now the number has increased to nearly 6,000 people, including five ethnic groups: Kinh, San Diu, Muong, Tay and Hoa.
On the first district split, stacked difficult difficulties that people dread another mouth saying “yellow flies, beetles dogs, Coto wind”. Yet also withstand and overcome, so now, these “trifle” was worth nothing. Perhaps he was easy to open up more to share with our concerns about the difficulties still ahead.
Along with the general difficulty as all the other islands of the country, Coto has fresh water resources. In this region, annual precipitation is less; saline aquifers unusable, the entire fresh water needs of people are looking into these reservoirs with little reserve. Therefore, solving this problem has been posed many challenges to the leadership and the people here. At the same time, electricity demand is also indispensable in modern life.
After meeting with district leaders, the first point we want to visit the ruins of Uncle Ho monument. This is the first monument of Physicians and is also the only monument erected Uncle allowed from when he was alive. Uncle stood, tall and eastern sea front, facing west and waved his hands held high. Does she want you to Uncle oriented view of the South China Sea? Or Uncle want people Coto always loving towards capital? This Doctor would say, we can not understand in overnight, but take a look at the content clearly anniversary plaque : 8 am on 9-5-1961, the helicopter landed where this included presidents visited Ho Chi Minh people's Co To Island ... Well, at that time , the North was sprawled in the reconstruction of the country, the South is still the hot days of struggle rated U.S. to pursue imperialist independence completely, then the person aside worries that much to come here untidy made us even more once again impressed by the vision of a genius leader.
The next day, the Head District Party Committee Propaganda Department took us on a tour around the island. Just go, he has presented to us thoroughly on the lives of her children. Taking advantage of the terrain located in offshore areas of the Gulf of Tonkin, between a large fishing with the country's focus on an area of 300km2, where people often say: “Step foot is off ", living all jobs weak people come here is the sea. Co Sea is blessed with many precious products such as pearls, spiny lobsters, sea urchins, abalone ... and nearly 1,000 species, including 60 species of high economic value, with large reserves, fishing is often the object, such as red snapper, but, grouper, collection, birds, smelt, herring, silver cheek or molluscs: abalone, clams, oysters, snails ... Especially lately, with jellyfish lasted for 3 months each year, fishermen were able to get rich on their home waters by the income from hundreds of millions to billions per season. Sea by clinging, harnessing the power of reason and its advantages, people have gradually Co out of poverty, building economic stability, stability. The model of the rural economy is gradually confirmed the success of the movement and the construction of new rural development.
Not only are blessed to produce, Coto also been given a unique wild beauty: green sea always in here, white sand beaches, smooth, gentle stretching untouched sight. Anyone coming here will not forget the feeling of euphoria float when immersed in water where the Red beach still, still running, in Van ... If the beautiful coral reef hidden away under the clear waters other far infatuated travelers make fun diving with the gentle slopes to the other people fascinated by the quiet beauty of primeval forests are preserved almost intact. Casuarina groves as green contours breaker compartment. And particularly we are impressed with trees play in Dong Tien. It's a familiar crop has just strange. Quen is because at first glance, it is identical to the banyan tree, also has a towering original, rough, also the father of interlaced as the giant snake wrapped around the main body. But a closer observation noticed the difference though is very small but it was enough to create its own special features.
This is its leaves, smaller leaves and rugged than most. He is the father of both interlaced as carved out from the stem, powerful plug deep underground, down the rocks, again just like the long arm reaching up from the ground, and then clustered together to produce a synergy, support for spreading canopy pride, soar. Is it only in Coto new broom, or it alive somewhere else, I do not know. Just know that, as he stood looking at it, the plant suddenly evokes in me the life, health cling fiercely on an island between the immense seas waves coincide. Suddenly I remembered the name of a mass movement to protect national security with the theme: “Keep peaceful island”, is a movement that has been done people Coto very positive and productive results. It turns out that in this place, peaceful aspirations and determination to defend the sovereignty of islands not only ingrained in the consciousness of every human being, but it also seems like the instincts of a species of plant in the world he seems to stand.
Three days in Coto, no more to be able to fully understand and deeply all, but enough to have an overview and more clarity on the remote islands of the country.
By Gray line Halong
