ĐỒNG THÁP — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Đồng Tháp plans to expand the scale of six famous craft villages to serve tourism needs and preserve traditional crafts.

The villages specialise in rush-mat weaving in Lấp Vò District, boat-making in Lai Vung District, flower-growing and rice-flour making in Sa Đéc City, bamboo weaving in Cao Lãnh City, and scarf weaving in Hồng Ngự District.

Hồ Thanh Dũng, head of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the aim was to conserve and protect the locality’s cultural and traditional values.

The villages’ sustainable development will help create jobs for locals and increase their income, contributing to poverty reduction, he said.

The province has 39 craft villages, some of which use machines for production. As many as 18 of the total are traditional handicraft villages.

Around 12,000 craft workers from more than 5,000 households in the province are employed in the villages.

Expansion

Võ Thanh Tùng, chairman of the Sa Đéc City’s People’s Committee, said that flower growers and local businesses would work together to increase sales.

Covering 500ha area, Sa Đéc Flower Village is home to 2,300 households involved in flower cultivation and business.

Locals earn a stable income from growing flowers with annual profits of over VNĐ200 million (US$8,680) per hectare.

The village is also an attractive destination for both international and domestic tourists, especially during Tết (Lunar New Year).

Industrial rice flour production in the city employs  2,000 people, producing about 50,000 tonnes of rice flour per year.

The rice flour making village has become the main supplier of rice flour to markets in HCM City, as well as the southeastern and southwestern regions. It also exports its products to other Southeast Asian countries. 

The scarf-weaving village in Hồng Ngự District’s Long Khánh A Commune has 120 weaving machines producing about 4,000 scarves a day, employing more than 200 locals.

It is an ideal destination for visitors to experience and explore traditional Vietnamese values.

The boat-making trade in Lai Vung District’s Long Hậu Commune has existed for more than 100 years, and was recognised in 2015 as a national intangible heritage.

To meet tourism demand, Đồng Tháp has improved infrastructure and expanded the scale of traditional craft villages to ensure that tourists will extend their stay. — VNS