Hung Yen (VNA) - Thr♏ough the ups and downs of time, the Red River Delta province of Hung Yen still keeps intact many old communal and ancient houses as well as the customs and traditions deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. These have turned into the province's trump card in tourism development.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Trung Can said rural tourism can offer visitors a blend of familiar and unique, novel experiences, such as trying out the life of a farmer, creating handcrafted goods, and visiting traditional craft villages. In Hung Yen, rural tourism primarily involves visiting craft villages and exploring historical and cultural relics, festivals, and more. Recently, some areas in the province have introduced models that combine farms with tourism, enabling visitors to go sightseeing and purchase farm produce. Notable examples include flower and ornamental tree villages in Xuan Quan, Phung Cong, Me So communes, Van Giang district; the Nam Nghia Trai medicinal herb village in Tan Quang commune, Van Lam district; and the Hong Nam longan cooperative in Hung Yen city, among other locations. Director of the provincial Tourism Promotion Centre Nguyen Thi Sen said although having no mountains and a coastline, Hung Yen boasts an extensive network of rivers, notably the Red River and the Luoc River, offering picturesque landscapes and connections to various tourist destinations. The local flat and fertile land is suitable for cultivating flowers, fruit trees, and herbal plants, hence many attractive scenes of life in the countryside. However, when looking at the overall picture, rural tourism is only available in a few locations in the province with standalone, locally-developed services. These services lack comprehensive linkage to form a quality chain that meets tourists' needs, hence limited revenue. According to Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Do Huu Nhan, in the overall development plans for tourism development in Vietnam and in the Red River delta by 2020 with a vision to 2030, the special national relic site Pho Hien in Hung Yen city has been identified as one of the eight national tourist destinations. Accordingly, the province needs to adopt a breakthrough mindset in developing distinctive tourism, imbued with its own character. It should identify the core, characteristic, and exemplary values to build a brand image for Pho Hien as a tourist destination. Pham Van Hieu, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, noted that in its overall tourism development plan until 2025, with a vision to 2030, Hung Yen aims to create a system of high-quality, distinctive products with high added value, which caters to tourists' demands. The focus is on developing green products, particularly involving rural and community-based tourism, as well as eco-tourism. To reach the goals, the province needs to prioritise resource allocation for organising tourist sites and areas, and harmonising infrastructure and improving facilities to serve the industry. It is necessary to construct exhibition centres and outlets to showcase and sell agricultural, traditional craft products, and souvenirs of high quality; pay attention to human resource training; and connect tour routes and attractions within the province./.