HỘI AN — Quảng Nam province officially debuted a new eco-tour site in Triêm Tây village during the on-going Quảng Nam Heritage Festival.

Vice chairman of Điện Bàn Town People’s Committee Nguyễn Xuân Hà told Việt Nam News that the village, which is included in the 2015-20 tourism development project supported by UNESCO and the International Labour Organisation, would attract tourists from Hội An across the Cẩm Kim Bridge over the Thu Bồn River.

He said the village would connect with craft villages including carpentry in Kim Bồng village, bronze casting in Phước Kiều, rice cakes in Phú Chiêm, sedge net weaving in Bàn Thạch, fish sauce in Hà Quảng, the fishing villages of Duy Hải and Duy Vinh and fine arts in Đông Khương.

The village is a favourite site for pedestrian and bicycle tourists along the river.

Villagers in Triêm Tây decorated the main road with green fences of tea and colourful flowers instead of concrete walls when they launched the eco-tourism service in 2014.

Visitors can explore farming, net fishing, rafting and bamboo boat paddling, as well as experience the rural lifestyle at a home-stay.

Old Palace

Điện Bàn Town also celebrated the 415^th anniversary of foundation of Thanh Chiêm Palace (1602-1883), which was a cradle of Vietnamese romanized script, in a ceremony on Monday night.

The site, recently recognised as a National Relic, is the home of the Vietnamese writing system introduced by western missionaries.

The defunct palace, believed to have been built in 1602 by Lord Nguyễn Hoàng, was where the priest Francisco de Pina (1585-1625) created the modern writing system of the Vietnamese language.

The province plans to restore the collapsed palace in Điện Phương Commune of Điện Bàn Town, 10km from Cửa Đại beach.

Researchers and archaeologists suspect that one of two ancient tombs at the church of Anre Phú Yên in Điện Phương Commune in Điện Bàn Town is the resting place of Francisco de Pina. — VNS