The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is striving to preserve its trade villages serving the purpose of developing tourism as a major driver of its economy.

This year, it will focus on building new waste treatment systems at trade villages with a high risk of pollution and upgrading infrastructure in rural areas.

It will enable production facilities to boost goods exchanges with other localities nationwide in order to solve unemployment and increase the income of locals.

In its long-term strategy, Tien Giang will organise training courses to raise the capacity of managing officials and labourers, and apply technologies to production.

In 2016-2020, it will spend nearly 300 billion VND (14.1 million USD) preserving and developing trade villages and another 200 billion VND (9.4 million USD) on management training courses and the teaching of vocational skills for labourers.

The province has 14 trade villages, including five traditional ones, mainly in Chau Thanh, Cai Be, Cho Gao, Cai Lay and Go Cong Tay districts. The trades, including carving, knitting and girdle cake making (banh trang), now create job for nearly 5,400 locals.-VNA