TAG : Dong Thap

New ecological village opens in Dong Thap

The People’s Committee of Cao Lanh city in the Mekong Delta’s Dong Thap province has opened the Tan Thuan Dong ecological village on the Tien River, with fruit trees such as oranges, mangoes, and longans. Visitors will have the chance to experience a long-distance bicycle tour or take a boat to discover the isle and enjoy regional food specialties. According to the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the province welcomed around 2.5 million domestic and foreign tourists in 2016 and recorded turnover of more than VND480 billion ($21 million).

Dong Thap promotes ecological tourism

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap views ecological tourism as a priority in its Tourism Development Plan for 2015-2020. Under the plan the provincial capital of Cao Lanh will feature lotus flowers and green architecture. This year it will start giving a facelift to most of its major tourist sites, such as the Nguyen Sinh Sac relic, the Xeo Quyt relic, Tram Chim National Park, the Gao Giong ecological tourist site, the Go Thap and Thap Muoi lotus fields, Sa Dec town, and Binh Thanh floating village. Sa Dec town, which is known for its flower fields, will become a land of flowers, with a flower street running from Sa Nhien to Ca Dao. Tram Chim National Park, which is home to dozen of bird species, is another area in Dong Thap where tourists can experience nature.

Tram Chim National Park to receive ecological tourism investment

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap will invest VND90 billion ($4 million) to develop sustainable ecological tourism in the Tram Chim National Park, developing ecological tourism in association with the protection, preservation and sustainable development of the park and the protection of rare bird species.

The park covers a total area of 7,313 hectares and boasts a diverse range of plants, with over 130 different species, and animals, with 129 fresh fish species and 198 water bird species. Established in 1985, the Tram Chim National Park, located in Tam Nong district, became a national park in 1988 and the world’s 2,000th Ramsar Site in 2012 and the fourth in Vietnam.

Dong Thap crafts revived

Traditional craft villages in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have revived their practices through innovative and adaptive thinking. After struggling with chronically unstable incomes from weaving bamboo traps only sold during the flood season, households in Hoa Long commune in Lai Vung district decided to make changes to their products to suit a new market. They began producing miniature fishing equipment, such as bamboo mice or fishing traps, to sell as decorative items or souvenirs. The miniatures are produced at lower cost due to fewer materials being required but sell at the same price as the standard-sized equivalent, bringing in a handy profit. Villagers eked out a living previously from selling plain bandanas, but their failure to compete against bandanas mass-produced in factories forced most families to close their business and switch to other livelihoods. The Dong Thap Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports said it plans to offer assistance to villagers to likewise modify and adapt their products to the modern market.