NGHỆ AN — Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ beat a drum to kick off the Cửa Lò tourism festival on Sunday, putting the first note for the tourism season in one of the most beautiful beaches in the central province of Nghệ An and the north central region. 
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Xuân Dương said Nghệ An is famous for its picturesque beauty, which has been depicted in poetry, music and painting. 
Cửa Lò Beach has a lot of legends and it is endowed with beautiful surrounding landscapes, Dương said. 
Through historical ups and downs,Cửa Lò Town - dubbed the green pearl of Nghệ An - has become a popular marine destination in the province and the country as well, he added. 
Cửa Lò is evaluated as one of the most beautiful beaches in Việt Nam by the World Tourism Organisation, he said. 
The beach has become a must-see place in the tourism map of numerous visitors thanks to modern infrastructure and hi-end hotels and entertainment parks, he added. 
On the opening night of the festival, a special art and cultural performance was held at the Bình Minh Square in Cửa Lò Town along with an eye-catching firework display. 
visitors should get up early to greet dawn in Cửa Lò Beach and admire the fanciful beauty of clouds, sky and sea, and watch returning to mainland of cuttlefish fishing boats and busy trade scenery of fishermen. 

They can enjoy a variety of local seafood specialties such as crab steamed with tamarind, oyster porridge, eel porridge, and flashing cuttlefishes as well as participate in sports activities of surfing, beach volleyball, and jet skiing. 
In 2018, Cửa Lò Town strives to greet over 2.7 million visitors, a year-on-year rise of 10 per cent, including 6,000 foreigners. The local tourism sector aims to rake in nearly VNĐ2.7 trillion (US$114.2 million) in revenue, up 18 per cent against the preceding year. — VNS