Briefing on a plan for the construction of the village, Park asked the Embassy of Vietnam in the RoK for support to the project which aims to mark the 30th anniversary ofthe bilateral diplomatic ties (December 22, 1992 – 2022), toexpand people-to-people exchange, and to promote Vietnam’s cultural experience inthe RoK.
According to Park, the village will be developed on a groundof 38,350sqm. It isexpected to attract around 100,000 visitors and generate some 3.7 billion won(2.8 million USD) in revenue annually. Local authorities also hope that projectwill create jobs for nearly half a million of local residents.
The Vietnamese village in Bonghwa forms part of a projectplanned to step up cultural exchange and accelerate cooperation between Bonghwaand Vietnam in tourism, culture and education.
The Korean province is home to a hall of the LyHoa Son (Lee Hwasan) clan, who are descendants of Ly Long Tuong, a princeof the Ly Dynasty ruling Vietnam between the 11th and 13th century.
After the dynasty collapsed in 1225, Ly Long Tuong fled to Goryeo, now the Korean Peninsular, where he and his followers received awarm welcome by King Kojong of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Goryeo was by then being threatened by the Mongol Empire.The Vietnamese prince allied with King Kojong in fighting the Mongolian aggression.
The defeat of the Mongolians earned him the king’s trust andrespect. Tuong lived in the RoK until the day he died and became the founder ofthe Ly Hoa Son clan there./.