Bat Trang is one of the most famous pottery villages in Vietnam. (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - As part of a newinitiative, smart tourism will be applied at the centuries-old Bat Trang communein Gia Lam district on the outskirts of Hanoi.
Now, old kilns, ancient houses and pottery workshops will be ready to receive anew wave of tourists.
The ceremony introducing Bat Trang commune as a tourist site will take place onOctober 9. A cultural festival will be held on October 9-13, with variousactivities to promote the tourism potential of the village. Art performanceswill also take place during the festival.
Bat Trang commune, comprising Bat Trang and Giang Cao villages, is anattractive destination for tourists, especially foreigners. People come to trymaking pottery and buying ceramics. However, there are many things about thevillage that visitors don’t know.
The Hanoi Department of Tourism, incollaboration with the Gia Lam district People’s Committee, plans to develop BatTrang commune as a tourist site.
Bat Trang commune is home to beautiful old houses, temples, pagodas and potterykilns. They are set along different routes for tourists to discover.
A tourist information centre is being established to introduce visitors to thesite and provide other services, including an audio tour in 12 languages.
The authorities are also offering tourism services on smart devices, free wifi,virtual reality experiences, electric cars, culinary tours and bicycle hire.
Ly Duy Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Gia Lam district People’s Committee, saidlocal authorities have tried to develop tourism in recent years. But now theservices are being deployed professionally to bring wonderful experiences totourists and develop sustainable tourism.
“We have brought a CNN film crew to Bat Trang commune tointroduce this tourist site to the world, we also connect travel companies andlocal people regularly to lure more tourists,” he said.
Ha Van Lam from Bat Trang village said all locals are willingto receive tourists.
“We try to preserve ancient houses and kilns to make thembeauty spots. Actually, all villagers use gas and electricity to make pottery.We no longer use charcoal to protect the environment and reduce smoke and dust.”
“We receive 2,000-3,000 guests each day including big groupsof students,” he said.
“People often visit the central market to buy ceramic itemsand learn to make pottery at some workshops, but they don’t know that Bat Tranghas many more things to discover. For example, Tieu Dao Pagoda and the MotherGoddess Temple still have many worship objects and statues dating from the 10thcentury.”
“Following the plan by the People’s Committee and Departmentof Tourism, we will establish some households to serve food and accommodationfor tourists. Previously, tourists just spent half a day at the site,” said Lam./.
VNA
