Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) The move is thanksto the area's strong tradition of craft villages converging from generation togeneration as well as its proximity to the beautiful landscapes along the Hong (Red)River and Duong River.
Nguyen Xuan Hung,Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hiep Thu Agricultural Development andCommercial Service Cooperative, said that while following the National TargetProgramme on building new-style rural areas in the district, the cooperativehas also deployed tourism services in agricultural production andenvironment by investing in the construction of Phu Dong Green Park - anecological zone with a scale of 15.6 ha in Phu Dong commune.
Initially, thecooperative only wanted to deploy a project to treat wastefrom cows by raising earthworms to protect the environment, he said.
"The cooperativerealised the area has many advantages to develop models of agricultural tourismand provide experiences for students, so we built Phu Dong GreenPark," he said.
Tran Xuan Tinh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Dong commune,said the project on developing agricultural production under specialisedagricultural areas in the commune has led to it converting dozens ofhectares of inefficient rice fields to planting fruit trees, flowers,ornamental plants, gardens and ponds.
The commune has also grown an eggplant garden associatedwith the legend of Saint Gióng and a vegetable production area in Dong Vienvillage, he said.
Saint Giong, one of Vietnam's four 'immortal heroes,' wasa little boy from Hanoi's Phu Dong village who helped bring peace to thecountry by defeating the An invaders in the 6th Hung King Dynasty. According tolegend, Saint Giong's mother put her feet on God's footsteps in an eggplantgarden and then gave birth to Saint Giong.
In Bat Trang commune, already famous for its ceramic village,the Chairman of the People's Committee said since 2020, they have operatedtourism products such as a cycling tour from the inner city to the commune anda tour connecting it several destinations from Hung Yen province.
Cycling tours have voice narration in Vietnamese andEnglish for tourists. The tour is very popular among foreign touristscurrently, he said.
In addition, the commune has continued to decorate local streets,calling on households to design beautiful shops with flowers creating agreen and clean landscape for tourists, he added.
It is estimated that the commune welcomes about 3,000-5,000tourists every weekend thanks to the development of activities in the area, hesaid.
Phung Thi Hoai Huong, Head of the district’s Culture andInformation Office, said it has great potential to develop moreagriculture and craft villages which will subsequently further boost tourism.
The district will continue to develop key tourism products, whichwill focus on three key areas, she said.
The three areas consist of the Hong (Red)River area with tourist attractions including Kim Lan Ceramic Village, Bat TrangCeramic Village and Van Duc agricultural experience; the area around the Duong River with spiritual and culturaltourism at Nguyen Phi Y Lan Temple, and the home of the poet Cao Ba Quatin Phu Thi commune. There's also a manmade beach in the Ocean Park gatedcommunity, riverside experiences in Kim Son commune; and the Saint GiongTemple and Ninh Hiep traditional medicine village.
Ta Van Tuong, Deputy Director of the city’s Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Department, said that the growth of agriculture and craft villagesis a new direction that is improving the income of people in rural areas,as well as developing the rural economy.
Nguyen Van Chi, Deputy Chief of the New Rural DevelopmentProgramme’s Coordination Office in Hanoi, said that developing agriculture andcraft villages in association with tourism is now popular with manylocalities, including Gia Lam district.
The operation of agricultural tourism, craft villages, andeducational experiences boosts the cultural value of eachlocality has gradually created more jobs and brought stable incomes for peoplein rural areas, he said.
In Gia Lam district, preserving and promoting the value oftraditional craft villages is given significant attention by localadministration, he said.
Traditional craft villages such as Kieu Kỵ Gold Laminating andGilding Craft Village, Kim Lan Ceramic Village, and Bat Trang Ceramic Villagehave generated value and ensured sustainable tourism development, he said.
From positive innovations in the development of agriculture andcraft villages, the district is expected to become an attractive destinationfor domestic and foreign tourists./.
VNA
