Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Vietnam Travel - Traditional Craft Villages Attract Tourists
With age-old cultural values and techniques that have been passed down from general to generation, handicraft villages have increasingly become appealing destinations for tourists.
According to the Viet Nam Crafts Association, the country is home to more than 2,000 craft villages each with their own traditional art practice. Villages range from specialising in lacquer painting, pottery and porcelain, embroidery and rattan knitting through to textiles, paper, folk print and many others.
Almost all craft villages are located near major transportation routes, making them accessible for tourists who want to visit craft villages.
Ha Tay province has the largest number of craft villages in the country and has an increasing tourist trade. Its success in handicrafts is further helped by its annual traditional crafts festivals that promote the villages and their local hand-made products.
A Ha Tay tourism official said many export contracts worth billion VND were signed right at these festivals.
Other provinces such as Bac Ninh, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang have built websites on local craft villages to showcase products and promote tours.
Meanwhile, Ha Noi's well-known Bat Trang pottery village has a unique marketing initiative – using rustic carts to carry visitors to pottery kilns.
Local craftsman Nguyen Van Hai, 65, said the carts have helped increase visitors to the village.
"Thanks to this kind of vehicle, the number of tourists at our village has increased three or four times," Hai said.
One of the most popular tours for foreigners is the "Be a resident of the ancient town for one day" program in Hoi An town, central Quang Nam province.
Here tourists have the chance to make lanterns, dig in gardens and plant vegetables, or prepare meals using farm produce from Tra Que village.
According to the Hoi An Tourist Services Company, the Tra Que vegetable-growing village has thousands of international and domestic visitors every year. They say it has been increasing exponentially since 2005.
However, while some traditional craft villages such as Van Phuc silk and Bat Trang pottery in Ha Noi, and Dong Ho folk print and Dong Ky carpentry in Bac Ninh province draw numerous tourists, experts say villages need to find more professional ways to boost tourism.
They recommended local authorities and tourist companies coordinate and cooperate, particularly in advertising, in order to tap the true potential of craft village tourism.
The Tourism Administration's Travel Department Head Vu The Binh, said there is also a need to revive traditional skills and encourage cooperation between craftsmen and vocational training schools to develop skills for young generations and create products that entice tourists to visit the villages.
According to the Viet Nam Crafts Association, the country is home to more than 2,000 craft villages each with their own traditional art practice. Villages range from specialising in lacquer painting, pottery and porcelain, embroidery and rattan knitting through to textiles, paper, folk print and many others.
Almost all craft villages are located near major transportation routes, making them accessible for tourists who want to visit craft villages.
Ha Tay province has the largest number of craft villages in the country and has an increasing tourist trade. Its success in handicrafts is further helped by its annual traditional crafts festivals that promote the villages and their local hand-made products.
A Ha Tay tourism official said many export contracts worth billion VND were signed right at these festivals.
Other provinces such as Bac Ninh, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang have built websites on local craft villages to showcase products and promote tours.
Meanwhile, Ha Noi's well-known Bat Trang pottery village has a unique marketing initiative – using rustic carts to carry visitors to pottery kilns.
Local craftsman Nguyen Van Hai, 65, said the carts have helped increase visitors to the village.
"Thanks to this kind of vehicle, the number of tourists at our village has increased three or four times," Hai said.
One of the most popular tours for foreigners is the "Be a resident of the ancient town for one day" program in Hoi An town, central Quang Nam province.
Here tourists have the chance to make lanterns, dig in gardens and plant vegetables, or prepare meals using farm produce from Tra Que village.
According to the Hoi An Tourist Services Company, the Tra Que vegetable-growing village has thousands of international and domestic visitors every year. They say it has been increasing exponentially since 2005.
However, while some traditional craft villages such as Van Phuc silk and Bat Trang pottery in Ha Noi, and Dong Ho folk print and Dong Ky carpentry in Bac Ninh province draw numerous tourists, experts say villages need to find more professional ways to boost tourism.
They recommended local authorities and tourist companies coordinate and cooperate, particularly in advertising, in order to tap the true potential of craft village tourism.
The Tourism Administration's Travel Department Head Vu The Binh, said there is also a need to revive traditional skills and encourage cooperation between craftsmen and vocational training schools to develop skills for young generations and create products that entice tourists to visit the villages.
Vietnam Travel - Exploring Minh Dam Base in Ba Ria-Vung Tau
During a two-day stay in the city of Vung Tau, my friend and I decided to journey by motorbike to Minh Dam base in Long Dat District along the beautiful coastal road from Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province to Binh Thuan Province.
Hiring a motorbike in Vung Tau is quite easy. As we disembarked the hydrofoil, a man offered to lend us his motorbike for two days for VND200,000. After some bargaining, the price dropped to VND120,000.
We started the journey early the following day. We left Vung Tau behind as we crossed the Cua Lap Bridge toward Phuoc Tinh Commune in Long Dien District. Previously, when tourists traveled from Vung Tau to Minh Dam base or Long Hai, they had to take a roundabout route through Ba Ria. However, the journey today was only half the distance due to newly built roads.
Riding along the coastal road to Minh Dam, we were thrilled by the beautiful scenery, especially the sections of road straddled by mountains and beaches. The road is planted with white and pink cherry blossoms. According to locals, the road is most beautiful in the springtime when the trees are in bloom.
Minh Dam is located in the Chau Long-Chau Vien Mountains on the southeast side of Long Dat District. Minh Dam reaches 355 meters and extends eight kilometers. The mountains were renamed in 1948 after Minh and Dam, two revolutionary martyrs in the liberation troops.
The mountain is bordered on three sides by the sea and has many natural caves and fresh spring water. The mountain served as the military base for the liberation troop against the French and the Americans.
The base is comprised of four main sections - Da Che (split rock), Gieng Gach Pagoda, Chau Vien and Da Giang. Da Che is where important troops were stationed during the war. Gieng Gach Pagoda is located on the north side of the mountain. It is named after an ancient pagoda that was completely destroyed. Chau Vien, the west side of the mountain provided shelter for the army medical corps and security units, while Da Giang is located on the foot of the mountain. Da Giang no longer exists today.
During the two wars, Minh Dam suffered from intense bombing. In fact, bullet holes still remain on the mountain.
We also visited Bach Van Cavern and Bach Van Temple, remnants of Cao Dai religion. We spent two hours exploring the base's caves and climbing to the cavern and the temple where we were able to see a view of the beaches of Long Hai and the coastal road. While we explored the sites, we caught glimpses of wild squirrels and monkeys.
Without enough time to visit near by sites like Monkey Pagoda, we left the base with regret. On our ride back to Vung Tau, we passed by temples, resorts, crescent-shaped beaches and the Co Temple.
Hiring a motorbike in Vung Tau is quite easy. As we disembarked the hydrofoil, a man offered to lend us his motorbike for two days for VND200,000. After some bargaining, the price dropped to VND120,000.
We started the journey early the following day. We left Vung Tau behind as we crossed the Cua Lap Bridge toward Phuoc Tinh Commune in Long Dien District. Previously, when tourists traveled from Vung Tau to Minh Dam base or Long Hai, they had to take a roundabout route through Ba Ria. However, the journey today was only half the distance due to newly built roads.
Riding along the coastal road to Minh Dam, we were thrilled by the beautiful scenery, especially the sections of road straddled by mountains and beaches. The road is planted with white and pink cherry blossoms. According to locals, the road is most beautiful in the springtime when the trees are in bloom.
Minh Dam is located in the Chau Long-Chau Vien Mountains on the southeast side of Long Dat District. Minh Dam reaches 355 meters and extends eight kilometers. The mountains were renamed in 1948 after Minh and Dam, two revolutionary martyrs in the liberation troops.
The mountain is bordered on three sides by the sea and has many natural caves and fresh spring water. The mountain served as the military base for the liberation troop against the French and the Americans.
The base is comprised of four main sections - Da Che (split rock), Gieng Gach Pagoda, Chau Vien and Da Giang. Da Che is where important troops were stationed during the war. Gieng Gach Pagoda is located on the north side of the mountain. It is named after an ancient pagoda that was completely destroyed. Chau Vien, the west side of the mountain provided shelter for the army medical corps and security units, while Da Giang is located on the foot of the mountain. Da Giang no longer exists today.
During the two wars, Minh Dam suffered from intense bombing. In fact, bullet holes still remain on the mountain.
We also visited Bach Van Cavern and Bach Van Temple, remnants of Cao Dai religion. We spent two hours exploring the base's caves and climbing to the cavern and the temple where we were able to see a view of the beaches of Long Hai and the coastal road. While we explored the sites, we caught glimpses of wild squirrels and monkeys.
Without enough time to visit near by sites like Monkey Pagoda, we left the base with regret. On our ride back to Vung Tau, we passed by temples, resorts, crescent-shaped beaches and the Co Temple.
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