Cửa Lò (kɨ̰ə˧˩˧:lɔ̤˨˩) is a former
district-level town
A district-level town () is a type of second tier subdivision of Vietnam. District-level towns along with urban districts, districts, municipal cities, and provincial cites have equal status. Also by virtue of Decree No. 42/2009/ND-CP, towns a ...
of
Nghệ An province and also the most important
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...
of
Vinh
Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...
, in the
North Central Coast region of
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
.
History
By texts from
Thiều Chửu, Dr.
Lê Chí Quế and
Trần Chí Dõi, its name Cửa-lùa (before) or Cửa-lò (in present) was a classical Annamese pronunciation of
Malayo-Polynesian
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. The Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by the Austronesian peoples outside of Taiwan, in the island nations of Southeast ...
word ''keluar'', or ''kuala'', or simply ''k'la'' (kẻ-la, what is similar ''
cổ-loa'') which means the point where two rivers join or an estuary. It is often signed as Cualo in international phonetic documents.
As of 2018 the Cửa Lò Town (thị xã Cửa Lò) had a population of 75,260.
The Cửa Lò urban district (quận Cửa Lò) covers an area of 28 km
2 and it is located 290 km south of
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, 1400 km north of
Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
. In 4th of June 2024, Cửa Lò with four communes of
Nghi Lộc district has merged into
Vinh
Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...
.

On October 24, 2024, the
National Assembly Standing Committee issued Resolution No. 1243/NQ-UBTVQH15 on the arrangement of administrative units at district and commune levels of
Nghệ An province in the period of 2023–2025 and in effect from December 1, 2024 to present, merging all 29,09 km2 of natural area and population size of 11,884 people of Cửa Lò Town into
Vinh
Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...
city as Cửa Lò Autonomous Port of Vinh City (Cảng tự trị Cửa Lò trực thuộc Thành phố Vinh).
Culture
Under the aid of the
SEV block in the 1980s, Cửa Lò went from a poor
fishing village
A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...
to become the leading
eco-tourism and
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...
area in
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. There are many beautiful scenes
landscape
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...
s this district.
Since the beginning of the 2020s, the Cửa Lò government has directed and developed the "night economic" model (hình-mẫu kinh-tế đêm) according to experience drawn from the success of
Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
.
Tourism
;Vạn Lộc Village
The festival of Vạn Lộc Village takes place every year very well to honour the fishing profession and celebrate the harvest of bumper
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
.
;Song Ngư Island
Song Ngư Island ("two fish") is located in the sea, more than 4 km from the shore. The island consists of two small islands. The higher island is 133 m above sea level at its highest, with the lower island being 88 m above sea level at its highest. It has an area of 2.5 km
2, convenient for sightseeing. On the island there is the so-called Bai Pagoda, built in the 13th century with pagodas and temples; the temple has an upper pagoda and a lower pagoda, and each pagoda has 3 roofs with
yin and yang
Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...
; the beams are carved with sacred objects (dragons, unicorns, turtles and phoenixes), while the garden has many natural green trees such as porcelain trees,
fish poison trees, duoi trees and a fresh water well called Jade Gem. The temple has two
fish poison trees, both about 700 years old. Currently, there is a project to build a cable car that will connect the island to the mainland.
;Cửa Hội
Located 5 km from Cửa Lò along the beach, Cửa Hội is the place where the Lam River flows into the sea. From here, Hòn Ngư Island can be seen directly. This area is full of casuarina, and the sea here is still uncontaminated and quiet different from the busier atmosphere in Cửa Lò from Cửa Hội. It is possible to follow the Lam river bank through the Cham forest (where there is rich vegetation and animal species such as birds and reptiles).
;Bãi Lữ
Bãi Lữ is a resort that contains sea, mountains and a forest.
Besides : Cửa Lò Beach, Lan Châu Isle (or Toad Mountain), Cấm River, Temple of Duke
Nguyễn Xí...
The most attracted addresses of Cửa-lò
/ref>
Traffic
There are five roads connecting Cửa Lò and the center of Vinh
Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...
, the capital of Nghệ An. Tourists can take the bus (Number 1) to the center square of the city.
Besides, Vinh International Airport is located 14 km from Cửa Lò, and is the fifth busiest airport in Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. From this airport there are flights to and from Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
, Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, Nha Trang
Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh District. The city had ...
, Da Nang
Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...
, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku and a few international flights connecting Vientiane
Vientiane (, ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Laos. Situated on the banks of the Mekong, Mekong River at the Thailand, Thai border, it comprises the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture and had a population of 840,000 ...
and Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
.
See also
*Diễn Châu
Diễn Châu is a township () and capital of Diễn Châu District, Nghệ An Province, Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of a ...
* Quỳnh Lưu
Notes and references
Further reading
Cửa-lò - Come to love and remember
The 2024 Cửa-lò tourism has many new highlights
Announced the establishment of new Vinh City
Cửa Lò bổ sung điểm tắm tráng, phòng thay đồ sau phản ánh của du khách
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cua Lo ward
Populated places in Nghệ An province
Districts of Nghệ An province
County-level towns in Vietnam
Former districts of Vietnam