A local businesswoman introduces her flavoured tea products scented with pomelo flowers. — VNS Photos Tuyết Vân

HÀ NỘI — On a quiet morning just outside Hà Nội, the scent of duck dishes, pomelo blossoms and freshly brewed tea hints at a place slowly rediscovering its own appeal. Vân Đình Commune, long known for its cuisine and rural charm, is now being gently “awakened” as a potential destination for food tours and community-based tourism.

The Hà Nội Department of Tourism and the communal People's Committee (local administration) have organised a trial tour called Đánh Thức Vân Đình (Awakening Vân Đình) for a group of tourism agencies and journalists.

It took place ahead of the conference, titlled Solutions for Developing Tourism Destinations Linked to the Cultural Industry in Vân Đình Commune on December 28.

Home to delicious dishes

Delegates enjoyed a breakfast of steamed rice rolls with grilled pork, fish soup, crab noodle soup and pork offal porridge, all of which are the most popular local specialty dishes.

They then tasted pomelo flower-infused tea and pomelo peel jam, which were handcrafted and processed using locally sourced ingredients at one of the best restaurants in Vân Đình.

A bike tour was organised to take visitors to the "pomelo village", where they learned how farmers grow and care for the trees, harvesting the fruits for sale and for processed products.

Participants said the most fun part of the tour was tasting pomelo fruit while listening to a chèo (traditional opera) singing performance by local villagers.

The tour ended with a lunchtime feast featuring different dishes made from Vân Đình duck, which has been renowned for centuries nationwide for its delicious flavour.

Potential to be awoken

Vân Đình has an advantageous geographical location in the central southern region of Hà Nội. It lies along the spiritual tourism route from the capital to its famous Hương (Perfume) Pagoda, the Tam Chúc scenic area in Ninh Bình Province and other heritage destinations in Phú Thọ Province.

The commune is also rich in historical and cultural traditions, possessing a wealth of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Its agricultural and rural landscapes still retain the distinctive features of the northern Delta region. Vân Đình's dishes, especially duck, are famously tasty.

Vân Đình duck dishes are considered the commune’s most iconic culinary specialty.

However, experts said these strengths, which they think will help Vân Đình gradually develop into a cultural, experiential and culinary tourism destination, have been neglected for many years.

Local authorities are making plans to change this situation. Their plans include organising numerous cultural events, with entertainment activities during the day as well as at night, developing experiential tourism space; and building an OCOP product for each village. But the locality still needs a little help.

According to Trần Trung Hiếu, deputy director of the Hà Nội Department of Tourism, Vân Đình's low-quality tourism products and inadequate infrastructure and services are a major issue. Promotion and marketing both need to be improved, while links with travel businesses should be strengthened.

"We propose several tasks: reviewing and systematising tangible and intangible cultural value ​​to serve as a basis for building a destination narrative and positioning distinctive tourism products for Vân Đình," said Hiếu.

The official went on to add that requirements will include "developing pilot projects for several typical tourism product models, raising awareness among the people about the role of tourism in conjunction with the cultural industry and focusing on training and developing tourism skills for the community".

Nguyễn Viết Cường, deputy director of the Department of Heritage under the culture ministry, assessed the potential of Vân Đình's cultural heritage, historical sites and cuisine, noting that these have been very well preserved for many years.

Vân Đình should learn from other localities in Hà Nội to develop its heritage, including its cuisine, into an intangible cultural heritage, he said. This title could be an opportunity to promote and awaken the inherent potential of the commune.

Pomelos grown in Vân Đình are prized for their aroma and flavour, though they remain little known to wider markets.

He suggested connecting Vân Đình with surrounding cities and provinces to build a day-long tour, noting that Vân Đình could serve as a culinary tourist destination.

Director of Tràng An Travel Nguyễn Văn Cường said: "Vân Đình is also famous for its pomelos. Many households make a living from growing pomelos, which is a very good model for community tourism and experiential tourism.

"However, despite their nice taste, pomelos are sold at a cheap price. With the same products, pomelos from the Diễn area are much better known nationwide, thanks to their good brand building strategy. This is a good case study for Vân Đình to learn from." — VNS