From the ornamental plant craft village...

Hong Van commune has 6 villages: Xam Thi, Xam Xuyen, Co Giao, Cam Co, La Thuong, and Van La; all of which have traditional crafts, with Xam Xuyen and Co Giao being recognized as Ornamental Plant Craft Villages in 2008. Leveraging its inherent strengths, since 2012, the commune has implemented land consolidation and exchange in conjunction with comprehensive planning in the construction of new rural areas, orienting the commune's economic development towards trade, tourism , and services. In 2014, the Hong Van Flower, Ornamental Plant and Service Cooperative was established, serving as a core organization working alongside the people of Hong Van to develop tourism.

Students visit the memorial stele of Doctor Nguyen Y. Photo: VAN CONG

Mr. Tran Quoc Bao, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hong Van commune, said that the Party Committee, the government, and the people of the commune have worked together to transform Hong Van from a purely agricultural commune into a commune developing commerce, services, and tourism; gradually making tourism a key economic sector of the locality. Officials and people have continuously learned and exchanged experiences in developing eco-tourism and community tourism. As a result, in 2018, Hong Van was recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee as a Traditional Craft Village Tourism Destination. In 2019, Hong Van was recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee as an advanced new rural commune, and has now been assessed as a model new rural commune.

Since being recognized as a tourist destination, Hong Van has welcomed approximately 70,000 domestic and international tourists annually. Many households have seized the opportunity to develop tourist service points and experiential areas to diversify tourism products. Typical examples include the experiential area at the Hong Van Flower, Ornamental Plant and Service Cooperative, and the Hoa Tien Island – Land of Pink Clouds, which have created eco-tourism spaces allowing visitors to immerse themselves in nature, experience farming, and discover traditional Vietnamese folk games.

In addition, Hong Van also organizes many large-scale activities annually such as: the Spring Flower Festival, the Chu Dong Tu - Tien Dung Festival, the Love Festival, the Lantern Festival... attracting thousands of tourists. In Hong Van, any local resident can become a tour guide, and every location offers beautiful scenery for taking記念 photos. The workforce in the commune engaged in trade, services, and tourism in general is 2,490 out of 3,265 people, reaching 76.26% (data from November 2022).

To preserve the environmental landscape, the entire political system and all levels of people in Hong Van have joined hands and contributed through specific and practical activities and movements such as: Volunteer Saturday; 5 No's and 3 Cleanliness; Green Sunday; self-managed roads adorned with flowers, clean from house to street... it is difficult to see litter scattered on the village roads and alleys in Hong Van.

...to unique community tourism destinations

After years of learning and gaining experience in the tourism industry, Hong Van is now confident in its professional tourism products and services. Specifically, Hong Van offers spiritual tourism services, event organizing services, ecotourism services, experiential tourism services, and shopping services for OCOP products, flowers, and ornamental plants…

Introducing tourism products of Hong Van commune to visitors. Photo: TO QUY

According to Mr. Ha Huy Thon, Chairman of the Elderly Association of Hong Van commune, the area is rich in tradition, culture, and history, closely associated with the legend of Chu Dong Tu and Tien Dung (one of the Four Immortals of the Vietnamese nation). Hong Van has a unique system of relics with great cultural value, connected to form spiritual tourism destinations in the commune, especially the traditional spiritual and cultural complex of Van La village with the Van La village communal house and pagoda, Ong Gia New Market, Quan Van stone mausoleum, Nguyen Y Doctor's stele... all of which have been recognized as historical relics at various levels.

Walking along the roads in Hong Van commune, you'll find more than 30 roads bearing poetic names that describe the flowers planted along them, such as: Bauhinia, Yellow Jasmine, Flame Tree, Crape Myrtle... captivating visitors and leading them to liken Hong Van to "a paradise of flowers".

In addition, Hong Van has three tea products that were recognized as 4-star OCOP products by Hanoi City in 2022: Moringa tea, Buffalo neck tea, and Honeysuckle tea. All tea products are grown and produced organically by Hong Van farmers. Besides that, visitors can also experience the production and processing of herbal teas, visit the area where over 100 types of traditional herbal wines are fermented; see seasonal agricultural production and harvesting models, and take photos in gardens with uniquely shaped flowers and ornamental plants...

Mr. Nguyen Van Tu, Director of the Hong Van Flower, Ornamental Plant and Service Cooperative, said: “Visitors to Hong Van are coming to nature and rustic countryside. Here, visitors can enjoy unique artistic bonsai creations and interact with artisans, experience the 'One Hour as an Ornamental Plant Artisan' service, or participate in agricultural experience activities for students to learn about Vietnamese culture. To facilitate transportation, the cooperative also has four electric vehicles to quickly and conveniently transport visitors to different locations. With its tourism potential and the concerted efforts of the people and the entire political system, we believe that Hong Van commune will continue to develop.”

NGUYEN VAN CONG