Duong Lam pilots harvest tours

Duong Lam, the picturesque landscape

The ancient village of Duong Lam in Son Tay Town is about 40km away from the center of Hanoi and has become one of the most attractive destinations for local people on weekend holidays.

Duong Lam still retains most of the basic characteristics of a traditional village of Vietnam with laterite walls, trees, courtyards, temples, wells and historical relics. Every October, the village put on an eye-catching new coat of yellow straws as a sign of a completed harvest.

In an effort to boost community tourism based on Duong Lam’s potential, the Scientific Union for Sustainable Tourism Development (STDe) has cooperated with local authorities and businesses to draft a project for post-harvest tourism promotion in Duong Lam, which has been completed for the first phase and received positive feedback from tourists.

According to STDe Chairwoman Nguyen Thu Hanh, rice farming in Duong Lam has failed to meet local people’s demand; so, harvest tours are designed with the intention of adding more to the village’s tourism chain value, helping local people develop tourism in a sustainable way based on the awareness of protection and promotion of the local relics.

Taking harvest tours to Duong Lam, tourists may be interested in the Rice Park model which is pided into three spaces for recall, love and discovery, which are expected to portray a beautiful Vietnamese rural picture, with yellow rice fields, rice aroma, flying storks and flute kites and rural dishes. Young couples may find it interesting taking pictures in the space of love while children may be interested in straw scarecrows and a variety of tricks with straws.

In addition, tourists may be also surprised at original straw-related activities like straw fashion shows and straw souvenir making.

According to Head of the Duong Lam Relic Management Board Pham Hung Son, the project as part of local community tourism development plan is smoothly deployed thanks to local potential and is expected to improve the local people’s incomes and awareness of protection and promotion of the local relics.

In mid-November, the STDe will coordinate with the Son Tay Town People’s Committee to officially launch harvest tours to Duong Lam, which is one of important events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Duong Lam’s recognition as a special national relic.

Thanh Tam