Regional specialties contribute to building a tourism brand.

In Thanh Hoa province, every place boasts unique "specialties" reflecting the distinct culture of each region and ethnic group. These include Tu Tru sticky rice cake, rake-shaped leaf cake, Khuc Phu fish sauce, and Phu Quang sticky rice cake... These specialties have contributed to making the journey of discovery and experience more attractive for tourists, helping to shape the unique brand of Thanh Hoa tourism.

Traditional brocade products contribute to establishing the Pù Luông tourism brand.

Traveling to tourist destinations throughout the province, it's easy to see that each group of tourists, after their visit and experiences, brings back souvenirs from the places they've visited. Among these, food and drinks are the most common souvenirs.

Holding a bottle of wild honey – a specialty of the Pu Luong Nature Reserve – Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a tourist from Hanoi , shared: "We've been visiting Pu Luong for several days now, admiring the natural scenery. Today, as our group returns to Hanoi, everyone is eager to buy local specialties to take home as gifts."

It's no coincidence that Pu Luong has always attracted tourists, especially international visitors. This is because it not only boasts the pristine and majestic beauty of its mountains and forests, with winding terraced rice fields and crystal-clear streams, but also the allure of its local specialties, focusing on dishes that reflect the unique culinary traditions of the Thai and Muong ethnic groups, such as bitter soup, wild boar meat, free-range chicken, stream fish, various types of bamboo shoots, and upland sticky rice.

Ha Van Hieu, the owner of a homestay in Don village (Pu Luong commune), said: “Cuisine is not just about serving the need for food and drink; it has become the purpose for tourists on their journey to explore and enjoy distinctive traditional flavors. Therefore, in the process of running a homestay, in addition to focusing on improving service quality, my family always prioritizes culinary culture. Usually, the food we use is sourced from local people who grow and raise their own produce, combined with various spices to create visually appealing dishes… Thanks to this, the dishes here are always praised by tourists for their freshness and purity.”

It is evident that tourism plays a crucial role as a channel for promoting, exchanging culinary experiences, connecting, and consuming local specialties. At the same time, local specialties contribute to solving the problem of souvenirs for tourists and enrich the exploration and experience of Pu Luong for visitors. Therefore, in recent times, the commune has actively encouraged households to promote local specialties such as honey, tangerine tea, fermented rice wine, brocade weaving, etc. Simultaneously, these products have been showcased at trade and tourism fairs inside and outside the province, thereby contributing to expanding the market and creating a convenient and attractive shopping destination for locals and tourists.

In Thanh Hoa province, every region boasts unique local specialties that attract tourists. These include Luận Văn pomelo, Tứ Trụ sticky rice cake, Rung Bùa leaf-wrapped rice cake, Khúc Phụ fish sauce, Ba Làng fish sauce, Phủ Quảng sticky rice cake, and more. To promote and introduce these specialties to a wider audience, food and tourism businesses have focused on incorporating local products into restaurants, hotels, homestays, and tourist destinations. Simultaneously, they actively promote these products on e-commerce websites and other digital platforms. Furthermore, some localities with famous specialties and advantages in agricultural tourism have strengthened connections with tourism companies to bring visitors to explore and experience these products.

Thanh Hoa province has intensified its efforts to encourage businesses and establishments to focus on developing OCOP (One Commune One Product) products, closely linked to building strong brands and integrating them with tourism development. To implement this, the province is mobilizing resources from various programs and projects to support cooperatives, businesses, and production facilities in investing in the application of science and technology, innovating production and processing methods to improve the productivity and quality of OCOP products. Simultaneously, it encourages businesses to proactively produce souvenirs and gifts to serve tourists visiting Thanh Hoa.

Text and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/dac-san-vung-mien-gop-phan-lam-nen-thuong-hieu-du-lich-271603.htm