A view of Ngau Pagoda in Thanh Tri district. (Photo sgtiepthi.vn)The Hanoi Department of Tourism has recently brought a group of tour agencymanagers and journalists to three villages as part of a special tour Con Duong DiSan Nam Thang Long (Exploring the Heritage Road in South Thang Long, formername of Hanoi). The exciting new tour is expected to bring in tourists fromhome and abroad to stay longer in the city.
Hidden beauties
About 15km from the city centre, Ngau village in Tam Hiep commune of Thanh Tridistrict is home to Ngau Pagoda. It was built in 1130 and is believed to be thefirst pagoda where local people worshipped the Buddha and the Ngau Goddess.
However, it was destroyed and abandoned during the war before being rebuilt in1995. The new pagoda remains true to the original architecture and shows highartistic value. The beauty of the pagoda lies in harmony with the rurallandscape and surrounding environment.
Ngau village is also famed for its daisy-scented rice wine, which is said tohave been first made around the 14th century. It was praised as one of the twobest wines of the capital by illustrious Vietnamese Confucian scholar-statesmanNguyen Trai (1380-1442) in his Geographical Notes.
Ngau villagers still produce the flavoursome wine following their ancestors'secret recipe.
According to Do Thi Kim Chi, a local brewer, to make good wine, it takes nearlya year to prepare the ingredients, and bury the wine in the garden to balancethe yin and yang elements in the wine before serving. Its long-lasting andunique floral flavour has made it much loved at home, and even abroad. Brewersin the village have established the Cooperative of Ngau Wine Production andTrade Services to promote the ancient craft.
Nearly 10km from Ngau, people can visit Phuc Am Village, which specialises inmaking votive offerings. The products made here, including colourful paperclothing, horses, elephants, and figures of various kinds of deities, areusually burnt at funerals and other ceremonies.
In recent years, especially because of the pandemic, business has beennegatively affected, but many households still retain the craft which is notonly their main income but a tradition.
"Our village was previously known for weaving bamboo baskets. But ourproduction declined rapidly due to the cheap plastic items, and the villagersbegan to switch to making votive offerings," said a local resident, NguyenVan Thanh.
Under his family members' skilful hands, bamboo and paper are shaped intobeautiful figures that serve traditional and religious rituals.
It takes much time and many steps for Thanh to complete a product. He has tobuild the bamboo frame of a figure and cover it with layers of colourful paperand glue, and then finish the outside details to make the product look soulful.
Cuu village, nearly 40km from Hanoi centre, is the last destination of thetour. Here, you can see dozens of old houses with Vietnamese and Frencharchitecture in the middle of a rustic and peaceful hamlet in Van Tu commune, PhuXuyen district.
From 1920-45, dozens of villas were built with arched architecture, flowingroofs and ironwood. Small delicate details on these buildings includebas-reliefs of flowers, cranes and phoenixes.
The 500-year-old village has been a tailoring hub since the early 20th century,and was recently used as a location in a popular television series.
Many families still have sewing jobs here, showcasing their hard work andingenuity.
"Cuu village has been well-known since Vietnam was a French colony. Thesewing and embroidery skills of our villagers were trusted by the French andwealthy people throughout the country," said villager Nguyen Thien Tu.
"Cash earned from tailoring changed the village. Many of the residentsbuilt beautiful villas, which made us known as the 'village of the rich'."
Despite the development of society, the villas were preserved by villagers whotried to keep the original architecture.
“We hope Cuu becomes an attractive tourist destination, attracting tourists toexplore. With the help of the local authorities, community tourism will help usimprove our lives and show the heritage here," Tu said.
Plans needed
Phan Huy Cuong, head of the Planning Office at the Hanoi Department of Tourism,said that the inspection tour would provide a basis for forming more tours tothe city's southern outskirts in the near future.
He said he hoped that the new tour would enrich tourists' experience, bringinga "new breeze" to the tourism business in the capital this year.
Duong Xuan Trang, director of Mai Viet Travel, said the tour would help attractinbound visitors, especially Europeans who would love Ngau Village with itsbeautiful pagoda and unique wine.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association Phung Quang Thang said:"Connecting inter-regional routes aims to diversify tourism productslinking localities together, promoting tourism in the region. This route willhelp enhance the image of all three localities while helping promote servicesand develop infrastructure."
"It will also lead to cultural exchange, and protect the environment andlocal ecosystems."/.
VNA
