Located next to the Hau River, the Dinh Yen mat village in Lap Vo district, which emerged in the 1920s, was famous for beautiful handmade mats.

It was also popular for the “ghost” market, which was held only two hours at night under the light of oil lamps and candles.

In the past, the market was a place for traders to pick up hundreds of mats and then transport them everywhere by boat. But today it no longer exists.

The sedge mat weaving of Dinh Yen commune was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2013.

Dong Thap and relevant authorities have tried for years to revive the night market to maintain and promote local cultural values and traditional crafts to local people and domestic and foreign visitors.

In September 2023, the Dinh Yen Community Tourism Management Board launched a pilot programme recreating the images of mat trading between traders and local sellers at the “ghost” market of Dinh Yen, which caught the attention of local people and visitors.

Since April, the programme has been officially launched every 14th and 17th day of lunar months during 2024.

According to the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the programme will be a part of a tour connecting Sa Dec Flower village in Sa Dec city, Dinh Yen Mat village, Tan Thuan Dong Countryside Market in Cao Lanh city, and the Oc Eo Culture Relic in Thap Muoi district.

The tour aims to promote local historical and cultural values and traditional crafts, contributing to tourism development.

In addition, when visiting the Dinh Yen mat village, visitors can learn about mat weaving with local people, enjoy the specialties of Lap Vo, and have a short tour of the outdoor studio for the movie Lat Mat: Tam Ve Dinh Menh (Face-off: The Ticket of Destiny) by film producer and director Ly Hai.

According to the management board, in the future, the district will set up more activities such as bai choi (a traditional game combining folklore singing and lottery picks), tai tu (amateur) music performances and folk games to serve audiences.

The district will invest in upgrading facilities and landscapes at the market, and strengthen the promotion of the destination via social media and the internet./.VNS