Centuries-old village turns to smart tourism
As part of a new initiative, smart tourism will be applied at the centuries-old Bat Trang commune in Gia Lam district on the outskirts of Hanoi.
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| Bat Trang is one of the most famous pottery villages in Vietnam. (Illustrative image. Source: VNA) |
Now, old kilns, ancient houses and pottery workshops will be ready to receive a new wave of tourists.
The ceremony introducing Bat Trang commune as a tourist site will take place on October 9. A cultural festival will be held on October 9-13, with various activities to promote the tourism potential of the village. Art performances will also take place during the festival.
Bat Trang commune, comprising Bat Trang and Giang Cao villages, is an attractive destination for tourists, especially foreigners. People come to try making pottery and buying ceramics. However, there are many things about the village that visitors don’t know.
The Hanoi Department of Tourism, in collaboration with the Gia Lam district People’s Committee, plans to develop Bat Trang commune as a tourist site.
Bat Trang commune is home to beautiful old houses, temples, pagodas and pottery kilns. They are set along different routes for tourists to discover.
A tourist information centre is being established to introduce visitors to the site 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, said local authorities have tried to develop tourism in recent years. But now the services are being deployed professionally to bring wonderful experiences to tourists and develop sustainable tourism.
“We have brought a CNN film crew to Bat Trang commune to introduce this tourist site to the world, we also connect travel companies and local people regularly to lure more tourists,” he said.
Ha Van Lam from Bat Trang village said all locals are willing to receive tourists.
“We try to preserve ancient houses and kilns to make them beauty 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 groups of students,” he said.
“People often visit the central market to buy ceramic items and learn to make pottery at some workshops, but they don’t know that Bat Trang has many more things to discover. For example, Tieu Dao Pagoda and the Mother Goddess Temple still have many worship objects and statues dating from the 10th century.”
“Following the plan by the People’s Committee and Department of Tourism, we will establish some households to serve food and accommodation for tourists. Previously, tourists just spent half a day at the site,” said Lam.