To preserve the traditional Cam Thach rice noodle making craft.

QTO - Cam Thach Village, Hieu Giang Commune, is famous for its centuries-old traditional vermicelli-making craft, recognized as a traditional craft village by the Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee in 2014. However, along with the development of production, environmental pollution in the craft village is becoming increasingly serious. Even more worrying is the fact that the plan to relocate the craft village to a concentrated vermicelli production area far from residential areas to address the pollution problem is facing the risk of recurring pollution in the new residential area if the fundamental environmental treatment issue is not resolved.

When traditional craft villages become pollution hotspots.

On hot early summer days, passing through Cam Thach cultural village in Hieu Giang commune, one can easily sense the pungent sour smell from the rice soaking water and the foul odor of wastewater from flour milling rising from the residential area. A centuries-old craft village that has sustained generations is facing a heartbreaking paradox: the more production develops, the more cramped and suffocating the living environment becomes.

According to Nguyen Cong Tai, head of Cam Thach village, the Cam Thach cultural village currently has 125 households, and in the past, almost every household made vermicelli. Today, more than 70% of the households still practice the craft, with about 15 households investing in large-scale production machinery.

“Cam Thach vermicelli is famous for its white, chewy noodles with the fragrant aroma of local rice. The vermicelli-making profession provides a stable income for many families, contributing to preserving a distinctive traditional craft of the locality. However, as the scale of production increases, the amount of wastewater generated also exceeds the self-treatment capacity of the residential area. For many years, people in the village have had to live with the foul smell and stagnant wastewater causing pollution, directly affecting their daily lives,” Mr. Tai said.

A corner of the concentrated production area of ​​Cam Thach vermicelli village - Photo: NTH

Faced with environmental pollution, in 2018, the former Cam Lo district planned a concentrated production area for the vermicelli-making village in the area near Truc Kinh Lake, about 3.5km from Cam Thach village.

Accordingly, a concentrated vermicelli production area will be built on an area of ​​3.3 hectares, including: roads, wastewater treatment system, water supply and drainage system, electricity for domestic and industrial use... with a total investment of over 10.5 billion VND. It is expected to facilitate the relocation of approximately 40 vermicelli-making households out of residential areas, thereby thoroughly addressing environmental pollution issues and contributing to the development of new rural areas. This is considered a necessary approach to both preserve the traditional craft and reduce pollution pressure in residential areas.

It is impossible to develop traditional craft villages by "relocating pollution."

In 2022, Mr. Nguyen Van Tam was the first household in Cam Thach noodle village to sell his house and relocate to the concentrated noodle production area. Upon moving to the new location, Mr. Tam's family was allocated a 300m2 plot of land. In 2023, three more households, including Mr. Bui Minh Trien, Mr. Hoang Xuan Khuong, and Mr. Nguyen Quang Tri, followed suit. However, after only a short time in operation, the wastewater treatment system began to clog and malfunction. Some residents experienced wastewater backflow into their homes, creating a strong, foul odor, forcing them to return to their old village. The resulting stench caused complaints from residents in the new production area and the nearby Truc Khe village.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tam, the concentrated production area of ​​Cam Thach vermicelli village still faces many obstacles. Residents have not yet been granted land use rights certificates, preventing them from stabilizing their lives and obtaining bank loans for production. Furthermore, environmental pollution in the new residential area has not been thoroughly addressed, leading many households to feel that moving to the new location is no different from living in the old village.

According to Pham Viet Thanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hieu Giang commune, after the merger and implementation of the two-tiered local government model, Hieu Giang commune has included over 2 billion VND in its medium-term public investment plan to repair, upgrade, and build new and expand the environmental treatment reservoir for the vermicelli production area. The project is currently in the design phase. "Building infrastructure and environmental treatment facilities for the vermicelli village is difficult, but maintaining the effective operation of the wastewater treatment system is even more challenging due to the lack of a suitable management mechanism and stable funding," Mr. Thanh expressed his concern.

A centuries-old traditional craft village cannot continue to thrive by polluting its own living environment. Along with investing in a comprehensive wastewater treatment infrastructure, consideration should be given to operating under a cooperative model or a common management group; supporting residents in accessing cleaner production technologies; and establishing a suitable relocation plan to gain public consensus. Preserving traditional crafts is necessary, but preserving them in a cleaner, more civilized way is the path to the long-term development of the Cam Thach vermicelli brand.

Thanh Hai

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202605/de-giu-nghe-bun-cam-thach-6992f4d/