HẢI DƯƠNG — The northern province of Hải Dương will promote tourism based on national cultural heritage and historical relics, according to deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Phạm Thị Kim Nhung.

In the coming years, the provincial tourism administration will focus on recognised sites such as Văn Miếu Mao Điền, a Confucian temple located in Cẩm Giàng District and the second largest Confucian temple in Việt Nam after the Temple of Literature in Hà Nội. It will also highlight Côn Sơn Kiếp Bạc Complex, the serene Buddhist and historical site listed as a national relic in 1962 and as a special national relic in 2012, and Giám Pagoda with its nine-storey lotus tower symbolising nirvana, the state of enlightenment that Amitabha inhabits.

The 300-year-old lotus tower, made from wood, was recognised as a National Treasure in 2015. The eight-metre tower was built to rotate. Buddhists pray and rotate the tower at the same time with the hope that their prayers will be heard by the Buddha and the gods though they are far from the heavens.

The provincial authorities have targeted developing tourism to contribute to the national budget and develop the local economy.

Nhung said there are 160 accommodations in the province.

“Despite the huge tourism potential, including beautiful landscapes, rich culture and heritage, local tourism has not fully developed,” Nhung said. “The leadership planned a strategy to develop tourism in the next year and agreed to focus on remarkable tourist sites including national relics which have been recognised.”

A trip gathering travel agents and press was organised on November 29, taking delegates to significant destinations in the province. A seminar will be held at the end of the trip to gather suggestions to promote the local tourism industry and solve its problems.

In 2017, Hải Dương received 3.7 million tourists. In the first half of this year, the province welcomed two million.

Hải Dương is located in the Red River Delta, 57km west of Hà Nội. — VNS