Unique tourist attractions in the land of 'The Mat Seller's Love Story'

Ngã Bảy - nơi hội tụ những dòng sông, nhìn từ trên cao như hình một ngôi sao, thế nên người Pháp gọi là ngôi sao Phụng Hiệp - Ảnh: HIỆP VÕ — Nga Bay – where the rivers converge, looks like a star when viewed from above, which is why the French called it the Phung Hiep star – Photo: Hiep Vo

The unique features of the historical sites, the new characteristics, and the distinctive waterways of this region are being "upgraded" to attract domestic and international tourists.

Experience the waterways and traditional craft villages of Nga Bay.

Visiting Nga Bay city ( Hau Giang province) in early summer, you can still feel the cool, refreshing air and sweet, moist atmosphere at the confluence of seven poetic rivers, a fertile and peaceful land.

Du khách chụp ảnh lưu niệm tại Cầu tàu chợ nổi và cũng là bến sông ra đời bài vọng cổ Tình anh bán chiếu - Ảnh: HIỆP VÕ — Tourists take souvenir photos at the floating market pier, which is also the riverbank where the folk song "Tình anh bán chiếu" (The Mat Seller's Love) originated - Photo: HIỆP VÕ

Traveling from Can Tho along National Highway 1 for about 30 minutes, you'll reach the center of Nga Bay city, where Gia Lam Ancient Temple appears with its unique Indian architecture. The temple courtyard is highlighted by a statue of a strong, majestic horse, originally the Red Hare horse of Guan Yu; locals commonly call it the Horse Temple.

Già Lam Cổ Tự nhìn từ quốc lộ 1 - Ảnh: PHẠM DIỄM — Gia Lam Ancient Pagoda viewed from National Highway 1 - Photo: PHAM DIEM

At the same time, the pagoda was also given the nickname "The Only Pagoda with One Master" by tourists because it is large and has many unique features such as: being the only monk in charge, having the most statues in the Western region, the most unique Red Hare statue, the heaviest bronze bell... Sometimes, groups of pilgrims' vehicles lined up for kilometers along the national highway.

Mr. Le Hoang Xuyen - Chairman of the People's Committee of Nga Bay City:

This will "revive" tourism in Nga Bay.

A unique feature of Nga Bay is that it has several orchards with fruit trees that are rarely grown elsewhere, such as rambutan, strawberries, and mangosteen. Currently, some travel companies are exploiting river tours for tourism, and they bring groups of tourists to visit these areas every month.

From the beginning of the year until now, the city has welcomed over 27,000 tourists, an increase of more than 34%; revenue reached over 14 billion VND, an increase of 440% compared to the same period.

However, a weakness of tourism in Nga Bay is that tourists rarely stay overnight, resulting in low revenue. According to a report from the City's Department of Culture and Information, in the past, tourists in the city only spent between 100,000 and 200,000 VND.

Currently, each tourist spends nearly 500,000 VND, meaning they have stayed overnight. This shows the enormous tourism potential of Nga Bay. The local government is very keen to promote the city's tourism values.

Another weakness is that the local people don't yet know how to develop tourism. The city has traditional craft villages such as basket weaving, shipbuilding, and souvenir making (cups, mugs, etc.) that could be sold, but they haven't been exploited yet.

In June 2024, the city will hold a workshop to assess potential, hear more from experts, and help people understand how to develop tourism. In addition, this event will feature a boat company transporting tourists to garden tourism destinations.

The temple's predecessor was a small hermitage built in 1940, and it now houses 180 statues commissioned by local people as offerings. Each statue is a masterpiece, associated with a legend or a fascinating story that visitors could listen to the monks tell all day long.

We moved to the floating market pier, where many boats carrying agricultural products from the city's river branches were unloading their goods onto trucks for transport to Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces.

Here, visitors can take commemorative photos of the birthplace of the famous song "The Mat Seller's Love," or walk a few hundred steps to the traditional basket weaving village, or stop at this pier to sip coffee and watch the boats sailing back and forth, or rent a boat to begin exploring the seven mysterious branches of the river.

The tour boat driver took us to visit the Nga Bay floating market. The Mekong Delta has many floating markets, but it can be said that the Nga Bay floating market was once the best in terms of scale, prosperity, and the prestige it held.

In 2016, the market was relocated about 3km from its original site and is no longer as bustling as before. The Nga Bay city government is now restoring the floating market at this pier.

Sitting in gently swaying boats, we were taken by the boatman to the Tan Thoi Hoa, Chanh, and Cat sandbars, stretching over 1km, to explore traditional craft villages that once thrived, such as boatbuilding villages and charcoal-making villages. While cruising on the river, visitors can also enjoy banh xeo (Vietnamese savory pancake) with various garden vegetables, local specialties like freshwater fish and shellfish.

Captivated by the lush strawberry gardens laden with fruit.

Currently, Nga Bay has many homestay and garden tourism destinations and over 20 fruit-bearing garden tourism sites that bear fruit almost year-round (strawberries, rambutan, durian, mangosteen, etc.), enough for tourists to visit and enjoy the fruits of each season. These sites are concentrated near the center of Nga Bay city and Tan Thanh new rural commune.

Những vườn trái cây trĩu cành sẵn sàng phục vụ khách tham quan khi về Ngả Bảy - Ảnh: HIỆP VÕ — The orchards, laden with fruit, are ready to welcome visitors to Nga Bay - Photo: Hiep Vo

Just across a bridge from the traditional basket-making village, Thien An strawberry garden, spanning 5 hectares, is considered the largest fruit orchard in Hau Giang province, boasting a variety of fruits, but most notably Ha Chau strawberries and Siamese strawberries.

Những vườn trái cây trĩu cành sẵn sàng phục vụ khách tham quan khi về Ngã Bảy - Ảnh: HIỆP VÕ — The orchards, laden with fruit, are ready to welcome visitors to Nga Bay - Photo: Hiep Vo

Visitors will be amazed by the vast expanse of mulberry trees, with two-thirds of the trunk covered in a vibrant yellow carpet of ripe berries. Visitors can easily pick and enjoy the sweet, ripe berries. Ms. Le Thi Kim Thoi, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, said her family chose Nga Bay for their trip because of its convenient transportation and the possibility of combining it with a visit to Ca Mau Cape.

* Dr. Tran Huu Hiep - Vice President of the Mekong Delta Tourism Association:

The value of the floating market where seven rivers converge needs to be restored and promoted.

From a tourism perspective, in my opinion, Hau Giang province in general, and Nga Bay city in particular, need to do a few things to make Nga Bay tourism truly groundbreaking, showcasing the unique characteristics of the "mat seller's love" land to attract even more tourists.

Firstly, it is necessary to build and develop the Nga Bay brand by restoring and promoting the value of the floating market and the confluence of seven rivers. Secondly, it is necessary to form tourism routes connecting Lung Ngoc Hoang, waterway tourism with the Hau River, garden tourism, and traditional craft villages, creating unique tourism products. Thirdly, it is necessary to summarize the resolution of the Standing Committee of the Hau Giang Provincial Party Committee from the previous term on the orientation for building and developing Nga Bay city, in which tourism is selected as a breakthrough development area.

At the same time, the family wanted to visit the riverbank where the folk song "The Mat Seller's Love" originated and let their children learn about these seven unique branches.

"Moreover, here, my children can ride bikes, go fishing, catch fish, swim in the river to their heart's content, and enjoy delicious local dishes," said Ms. Thoi.

Besides its waterways and orchards, Nga Bay also attracts tourists with its traditional craft villages, offering unforgettable experiences. The basket weaving village, stretching along the Cai Con canal for about 2km, is a traditional craft village where hundreds of households in Zone 6, Nga Bay ward, weave their own baskets.

Upon arriving at this craft village, visitors will feel the authentic, rustic charm of the local people.

Despite being busy splitting bamboo, shaping strips, weaving, and making handles to complete products for the market, visitors will be welcomed with warm smiles by the locals, who are ready to help them try their hand at weaving.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ly, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hau Giang province, said that the province prioritizes the development of Nga Bay floating market tourism to build and develop a community tourism model.

"Investing in the construction and development of several key projects such as: an observation tower overlooking the seven river branches from above, restoring the Nga Bay floating market, and building a system of embankments along the sandbars in Nga Bay to serve the development of river tourism. Upgrading the pier, embankments, and model boats at the restored Nga Bay floating market site," Ms. Ly said.

* Places with many fascinating stories

Nga Bay - Phung Hiep, a place with many special features and a wealth of fascinating stories. At the beginning of the 20th century, to serve colonial exploitation, the French dug canals and built roads (canals below, roads above). Viewed from above, the seven canals clustered together resembled a seven-pointed star, with the names: Cai Con, Mang Ca, Lai Hieu, Bung Tau, Muong Lo, Xeo Vong, and Xeo Mon. Therefore, the French also called it the "Phung Hiep Star".