Reorganizing tourism development space: Final episode: Building a product line of cultural heritage and craft villages

Reorganizing the tourism development space is the basis for repositioning the direction and specific product lines in the coming time.

Red brick and ceramic craft village along Thay Cai canal during the first Red Brick and Ceramic Festival - Green Economy of Vinh Long province in 2024.

Mang Thit Cluster, Vung Liem - potential from cultural heritage project

Associated with the Mang Thit and Vung Liem clusters are important cultural heritage projects. Currently, the implementation of the Mekong Delta Agricultural Museum Project and the Mang Thit Contemporary Heritage Project is being focused on. Recently, at the opening ceremony of the 1st Red Brick and Ceramic Festival - Green Economy of Vinh Long province in 2024, the province organized an award ceremony for the competition of planning ideas and architectural plans for the Mekong Delta Agricultural Museum.

The Provincial Management Board of Investment and Construction of Civil and Industrial Works in coordination with relevant units and the winning consulting unit completed the plan according to the comments of the Competition Council to implement the next steps. Regarding the planning of the core area of the Mang Thit brick and pottery kiln area, the above unit is also focusing on implementation.

Somofarm tourist site was put into operation and recognized as a tourist site of the province in 2023 with many new activities and tourism products about agricultural experiences, learning about the wine production process, etc.

Recently, Somofarm, Tu Buoi Pottery House and CocoHome Coconut House, were recognized as 3 typical tourist destinations of Ho Chi Minh City and provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region in 2024. This is a highlight, connecting tours and tourist routes of the cluster.

Although Mang Thit brick and pottery kiln area is in the core planning phase, many tourist groups have come to visit, experience, rent boats on the river, visit the brick kiln, the brick and pottery production process, and exchange with locals about the story of the craft village.

Thereby, some households started to do tourism such as visiting fruit gardens (longan, durian, grapefruit, ...); check-in points; visiting basket weaving; adding 10 Tam accommodation; coffee spots, stopping at contemporary pottery houses.

In particular, the province successfully organized the first Red Brick and Ceramic Festival - Green Economy of Vinh Long province in 2024, thereby creating more excitement, some new households are also learning and investing in tourism development (households of Mr. Bay Trung, Mr. Tron, ...).

Continue to promote the value of famous relics to attract visitors. In particular, Vung Liem district has completed the construction of tours and tourist routes from the Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet Memorial Site as the central destination, then go to visit and learn about Hanh Phuc Tang Pagoda, the Mausoleum of the famous god Thoai Ngoc Hau, learn about mat making, visit homestay (Hai Cuong) and fruit gardens of Cu Lao Dai, connecting the tour with the Mang Thit heritage site.

This is a product that the tourism industry has introduced to travel companies inside and outside the province in tourism events organized by the province in recent times, highly appreciated by tourists, and included in tours and routes.

Promoting the values of relics, festivals and craft villages

The cluster of Binh Minh, Binh Tan, Tam Binh, Tra On towns continues to promote the values of local relics, festivals and craft villages. Every year, Tra On district coordinates with provincial departments and branches to organize the Lang Ong Festival, attracting a large number of tourists to participate; maintain the organization of festivals and contests making local folk cakes on an increasingly large scale; organize many surveys to introduce travel companies to the rice paper craft village in May Islet, and fruit gardens in the area to include in tours and tourism routes.

Through that, the locality is gradually forming typical products associated with tours and tourism routes in Cu Lao May. In addition to the existing tourism facilities, there are now newly formed tourism facilities (Tra On floating market tourism area, Cu Lao May homestay).

Localities in the cluster focus on promoting and developing tourism products to introduce to tourists, specifically: Tam Binh district maintains the organization and increases the scale every year with the vegetarian food festival; Binh Tan district coordinates with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organize the establishment of a Vietnamese record of 100 dishes made from Binh Tan sweet potatoes; Binh Minh town coordinates with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to establish a Vietnamese record of processing 102 dishes from bean curd and serving with bean curd for the first time in Vietnam, while promoting local specialties such as: pomelo, grapefruit, watercress. Through the above activities, local specialties are introduced to a large number of tourists.

In 2024, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism submitted to the Provincial People's Committee a unified policy to build a typical tourist destination for ethnic minorities and mountainous areas in Dong Binh and Dong Thanh communes (Binh Minh town). Thereby, the department will focus on implementing in 2025. This is a potential product, attracting tourists after completion, adding to the tours and tourist routes in the cluster.

Article and photos: NGOC TRANG

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/xa-hoi/du-lich/202501/to-chuc-lai-khong-gian-phat-trien-du-lich-ky-cuoixay-dung-dong-san-pham-di-san-van-hoa-lang-nghe-b206409/