Hai Duong promotes tourism at recognised heritage sites

The nine-storey lotus tower symbolising nirvana at Giam Pagoda. Photo: VNS/Kieu Duong

Hai Duong province will promote tourism based on national cultural heritage and historical relics, according to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Pham Thi Kim Nhung.

In the coming years, the provincial tourism administration will focus on recognised sites such as Van Mieu Mao Dien, a Confucian temple located in Cam Giang District and the second largest Confucian temple in Viet Nam after the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi. It will also highlight Con Son Kiep Bac Complex, the serene Buddhist and historical site listed as a national relic in 1962 and as a special national relic in 2012, and Giam Pagoda with its nine-storey lotus tower symbolising nirvana, the state of enlightenment that Amitabha inhabits.

The 300-year-old lotus tower, made from wood, was recognised as a national treasure in 2015. The eight-metre tower was built to rotate. Buddhists pray and rotate the tower at the same time with the hope that their prayers will be heard by the Buddha and the gods though they are far from the heavens.

The provincial authorities have targeted developing tourism to contribute to the national budget and develop the local economy.

Nhung said there are 160 accommodations in the province.

“Despite the huge tourism potential, including beautiful landscapes, rich culture and heritage, local tourism has not fully developed,” Nhung said. “The leadership planned a strategy to develop tourism in the next year and agreed to focus on remarkable tourist sites including national relics which have been recognised.”

A trip gathering travel agents and press was organised on November 29, taking delegates to significant destinations in the province. A seminar was held at the end of the trip to gather suggestions to promote the local tourism industry and solve its problems.

In 2017, Hai Duong received 3.7 million tourists. In the first half of this year, the province welcomed two million.

Hai Duong is located in the Red River Delta, 57km west of Ha Noi.

Vietnamnews