Getting Rich from Sand Dunes

Concerning Quang Binh, there was once a poem wondering why annual disasters sweep away everything to the sea. However, the tough land has equipped local people with determination and the strength to change sand dunes in scorching sun into property. Mr Nguyen Van Sy, Director of Duc Thang Joint Stock Company is a pioneer here, credited with some remarkable successes.

 

Many people were surprised when Mr Nguyen Van Sy, an official, took a bold decision to invest into shrimp farming on sand dunes. Mr Sy said that, realizing the potential in the sand dunes of the peninsula commune Bao Ninh, which is near the sea, has a convenient water supply, and is separated from residential areas, he decided to set up his business on sand dunes.

 

Mr Nguyen Van Sy, Director of Duc Thang JSC Currently, Duc Thang Joint Stock Company is engaged in aquaculture in Quang Binh province. The company has managed to make significant progress by tapping advantages of local natural conditions and coastal dunes. However, to boost productivity, the provincial government needs to introduce policies to create more favourable conditions for the company to build tourist resorts in combination with culturing shrimps for export. At present, Duc Thang Joint Stock Company is building a combined resort in Bao Ninh commune, Dong Hoi city. The company has so far prepared for all necessary conditions for the project, but also it is encountering some difficulties in land clearance procedures. Hopefully, the government of Quang Binh province will take such a case into consideration and help companies like Duc Thang to develop and contribute more to the provincial budget and improve local social welfare.

Pursuing both short term profit and long-term sustainable development, Mr Sy decided to gradually expand aquatic farming. So far, the industrial shrimp raising farm on the sand dunes of Duc Thang Joint Stock Company has expanded to over 40 hectares of ponds and lakes with productivity of 15 tonnes of shrimp per hectare per season and 30 tonnes per hectare per year, bringing about high economic profit.

 

Developing the model of raising shrimp on sand dunes, Mr Sy recognized the potential of combining fishery and tourism. According to the proposed agenda Duc Thang Company is implementing, the sand dune area will include a resort and shrimp raising farm. Mr Sy expects this strategic direction to bring about sustainable development, with turnover from raising shrimp used to ensure the resort’s off-peak operation.

 

Being one of the pioneers in raising shrimp in Quang Binh sand dunes, Mr Sy faced certain difficulties. First was finding the capital for production. Mr Sy said that despite activeness in production plan, aiming at short term results, current escalating inflation caused many difficulties for the company. In addition, although the plan to expand production and establish an eco-tourism resort combined with raising shrimp on sand dune has been approved, land transfer activities have not taken place smoothly.

Mr Sy shared his expectations that in near future, Quang Binh’s sand dunes will have ponds for shrimp surrounded by casuarinas forests, which both makes an appropriate tourism landscape and yields economic efficiency. It is hoped that in Quang Binh one day, the plan of Mr Sy and the staff of Duc Thang Company will come true, from which the model of raising shrimp will be developed to improve the life of residents here.