PHU YEN – Visiting traditional craft villages, and enjoying lobster, oysters, and mussels on floating aquaculture rafts in the middle of Cu Mong lagoon are experiences for visitors to explore Song Cau town.
Phu Yen is famous for its pristine scenery and the most beautiful coastal roads in Vietnam. Located in the north of Phu Yen province, bordering Quy Nhon city, Binh Dinh province, Song Cau town was established in 2009, and is the locality with the longest coastline in the province. Song Cau owns many scenic spots such as Xuan Dai bay, Cu Mong lagoon, many beautiful beaches such as Vinh Hoa, Bai Tram, Bai Bau, Nhat Tu Son island, according to the Tourism Information page of Song Cau Town, Phu Yen province .
Known as a place with many beautiful scenes, the tourism potential of Song Cau town does not stop there. Coming here on December 6, Do Quynh Mai, 27 years old, Hai Phong, had the opportunity to learn about the unique cultural features hidden behind the daily activities of the people of Nau.
The first place Mai visited was Hoa Thanh village, Xuan Canh commune, Cau River town. This is a traditional craft village that has existed for more than 100 years and was recognized by the Provincial People’s Committee as a traditional craft village in 2009.
“Ball” is a tool for catching fish, shrimp, and crabs that resembles a hook, that of the Northerners. It’s called Mo O ball because this tool is made from Mo O tree, similar to bamboo but smaller in size, often growing on high mountains in Xuan Lanh and Da Loc communes, Dong Xuan district, Phu Yen province.
Coming here, Mai learned about the steps of making Mo Mo balls skillfully performed by middle-aged women sitting on the ground. From splitting spokes, sharpening orchids, weaving orchids into shape. The fish are not only released to catch fish along Cu Mong lagoon but sold in Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, and Vung Tau.
According to local people, not many self-sufficient tourists come here to explore, only a few foreign tourists and guests of some hotels in Song Cau town go on tours.
Leaving the Mo o ball weaving village, Mai continued to visit the coconut rice paper making facility of Ms. Tran Thi Dao’s family with more than 30 years of making rice paper in Xuan Tho commune, Song Cau town. The production place is a small house divided into three areas: a fire stove for drying cakes, a kitchen for coating cakes, and a place to prepare ingredients and place a rice mill. This is the place where about 600 handmade rice paper rolls are produced every day to supply traders in Phu Yen.
Although not as famous as Ben Tre coconut trees, coconut trees have long been associated with the people of Phu Yen in general and the people of Song Cau town in particular. In local culinary specialties, Phu Yen coconut rice paper is also considered one of the specialties. In 2022, Phu Yen rice paper craft village will be recognized as a national intangible heritage in 2022, according to the website of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phu Yen province.
Phu Yen coconut rice paper is also made from pureed rice, mixed with coconut milk and squeezed coconut meat. People here use a clay stove and a built-in pot, covered with a thin layer of cloth to cover the cake. The special feature of Phu Yen rice paper is that the cake will be coated in two layers, the next layer is about 5 – 10 seconds apart from the previous layer. Therefore, Phu Yen rice paper will be thicker, and when baked, it will be puffier and crispier. Finished rice paper is placed on sun-dried platforms or over an open fire on cloudy days.
Visitors coming here will be guided and experience the cake-making process.
After baking, rice paper is crispy, browned on both sides, has the aroma and taste of coconut milk, and the mild sweetness of rice. The owner of the establishment said that many tourists who came to visit bought rice paper as gifts.
Visitors can buy rice paper and bake it to enjoy directly at establishments in Xuan Tho commune, Song Cau town or further away communes such as Hoa Da village, An My commune, Tuy An district, Dong Binh village, Dong Binh commune. Hoa An, Phu Hoa district.
The final destination of the trip is Cu Mong lagoon, commonly known as Vung Moi, in Xuan Loc commune, Song Cau town. Cu Mong Lagoon is located next to the starting point of Phu Yen province, Cu Mong Pass, which was also the boundary between Dai Viet and Champa in the past. Going from North to South, across Cu Mong pass is Cu Mong lagoon.
Cu Mong lagoon is long and narrow because it is surrounded by the Cu Mong mountain range reaching out to the sea. This is the largest commercial lobster farming area in Phu Yen province and a number of other high-value seafood species such as seahorses and rock clams. Since ancient times, people here have had a saying: “Delicious fish is Cu Mong fish. Delicious rice is rice from Phu Duong field”, emphasizing the quality of fish and seafood in Cu Mong lagoon.
Coming to Cu Mong lagoon, Mai had the experience of riding a basket boat and setting a net to catch fish with the fishermen at the lagoon. After rowing the boat around to spread the net, the fishermen will use the rowing pole to hit the water surface to chase away fish that swim quickly, get caught in the net, and then collect the net. Types of fish that can be easily caught here are pompano, rabbitfish, fish, and grouper.
The fish will be processed and enjoyed right on the raft by grilling without spices or cooking sour soup with giang vegetable, a typical vegetable of the Central region, creating natural acidity.
The raft house is also an area where people raise mussels and oysters. Oysters are raised on platforms in the lagoon using natural methods. Fishermen build platforms and stakes in the lagoon, tying ropes for oysters to cling to and grow. When harvesting, just cut the rope and slowly pull the oyster rope to the surface of the water.
Visitors can experience oyster harvesting on bamboo trellises built in the middle of the lagoon. The freshly pulled strings of oysters and mussels are steamed and enjoyed by diners at the raft house. After being cooked, oyster meat turns milky white, slightly sweet, succulent, and has the fresh flavor of seafood. Dieu Thanh, 28 years old, Ho Chi Minh City, accompanying Quynh Anh commented that these were the best oysters she had ever eaten.
Talking about cuisine, Mai cannot forget the taste of lobster dish in Song Cau town, which is known as the “lobster capital of Phu Yen province”. In 2023, the World Records Union (WorldKings) will recognize Phu Yen as the locality with the most unique dishes made from lobster in the world, according to the Tourism Information Page of Song Cau Town, Phu Province. Yen.
Lobster in Song Cau town is not too big, about 20 – 30 cm in length and about 10 cm in width. “Fresh lobster meat is very firm and chewy. You need to chew it carefully, but when you chew, you will gradually feel the sweetness of the meat,” Mai said. Lobster is processed into many dishes such as salad, salad, rolls, soup or simply grilled lobster (photo).
Paul, a British tourist, said he was “surprised because even in daily activities there are hidden long-standing cultural features, preserved by the people in a very natural and simple way”.
“Not only is the scenery wild and beautiful, the food here is delicious, cheap and the people are very friendly and hospitable,” Paul said.
He was also impressed with how the hotels in Song Cau town are inspired by Vietnamese culture, traditions, and architecture, built in an environmentally friendly way, bringing the feeling of “healing in the midst of nature”. “like Zannier Hotels Bai San Ho”.
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)