The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap has chosen six craft villages for preservation to develop tourism.

Local people take care of ornamental flowers in Sa Dec city, Dong Thap province

The villages include those of sedge mat weaving in Dinh An of Lap Vo district, the rice flour making in Sa Dec city and the boat building in Lai Vung district. 

Others are me bo (bamboo) weaving in Cao Lanh city, ornamental flower cultivation in Sa Dec city, and scarf weaving in Hong Ngu district.

Dong Thap is now home to 39 craft villages, including 18 traditional ones. Provincial craft products are mainly woven goods, processed food, ornamental flowers and handicrafts.

The crafts draw the participation of more than 5,000 families, with over 12,000 labourers.

Dong Thap is investing in infrastructure development to extend tourists’ stay as the villages are drawing more visitors to the province.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Thanh Dung said preservation of traditional crafts is necessary as the villages help generate jobs and raise people’s income, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction.

More than 2,500 households are members of the flower cultivation village in the province’s Sa Dec city. A hectare of flower creates over 200 million VND in profit per year. The city has devised measures to promote cooperation links in flower cultivation in a bid to raise product value and develop the city’s tourism.

Meanwhile, the rice flour making village of the same city produces around 50,000 tonnes of the product per year, becoming the main supplier for Ho Chi Minh City, the southern region and Southeast Asian nations.

Formed in the early years of the 20th century, the scarf weaving village in Long Khanh A commune of Hong Ngu district turns out about 4,000 high-quality products a day, creating jobs more than 200 workers.

The Ba Dai boat building village, established over 100 years ago, was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in April 2015.-VNA