The 'multi-purpose' roses

Regardless of their position or role, the female officials and staff of the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board have always performed their duties excellently.

Báo Hải Phòng•18/10/2025

The beautiful and talented girls at the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board.

Highly skilled

During a bus ride from Con Son to Kiet Bac Temple during the Autumn Festival, Ms. Nguyen Hong Minh from Cau Giay ward ( Hanoi ) inquired about the Buddha statues often seated on lotus pedestals. Her question was answered by tour guide Dinh Thi Lien (from the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board): “Legend says that the lotus flower is not a flower of the earthly world but originates from heaven, a symbol of purity in the Buddhist realm. Buddhist teachings are solemn and miraculous, therefore the pure lotus pedestal is where the Buddha sits in tranquility…” After hearing this, Ms. Minh and the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Ms. Lien is also the winner of the First Prize and the Special Prize at the 2024 Hai Duong Provincial Tourist Guide Competition organized by the Hai Duong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Besides Ms. Lien, the tour guides at the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board are all dynamic and beautiful young women. Those fluent in foreign languages welcome foreign tourists, while those with experience are assigned to welcome heads of state.

"Not only with politicians, but even with ordinary guests, we always set discipline for ourselves, hone our skills and knowledge, and reinvent ourselves every day so that our service can be better," Ms. Lien said.

Besides the tour guides, the scientific researchers also constitute a strong team with in-depth professional knowledge. "This is the core force, carrying out important tasks and coordinating the preparation of the dossier for the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiet Bac complex of historical sites and scenic spots to be submitted to UNESCO for World Heritage recognition," affirmed Dr. Le Duy Manh, Deputy Head of the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board.

Ms. Ngo Thi Luong, Head of the Professional Affairs Department of the Management Board, said that for many years, the department has focused on supporting the preparation of the dossier: accompanying expert teams on field surveys, preparing documents, and revising dossiers... “Especially in 2023, it was a crucial time to complete the dossier. The workload was large because the complex includes 20 component relics, and the implementation required coordination between three provinces. In addition to contributing to the dossier preparation, we still had to ensure many other tasks of the agency: organizing ceremonies during the two festival seasons, promoting and publicizing the relics… At times, the department only had four people, all women, but they worked tirelessly to complete the work,” Ms. Luong said. Especially after taking over several other relics in the area, the workload increased significantly.

Skilled hands

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Dung, an employee of the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board, is proficient in the skill of brewing Kiet Bac lotus tea.

The Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board currently has 150 staff members, of whom over 50 are women. Besides tour guides and scientific researchers, they also work in various other departments: reception, ticket sales, etc. Due to the nature of their work, in addition to their professional duties, these female staff members also perform many other tasks. Driven by their love for their profession, they sometimes excel, becoming true chefs and artisans.

All the female staff here are skilled at preparing flowers for offerings to Buddha and the Saints.

During the Con Son vegetarian culinary experience and the Kiet Bac lotus experience, tourists are delighted to enjoy dozens of visually appealing and attractive dishes, including appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Ms. Bui Thi Cam Van (currently an employee in the Tourism and Service Department) is in charge of planning the menus, purchasing ingredients, and cooking over 500 vegetarian meals daily. Cooking is not simple; it requires finesse and constant effort, but that doesn't faze her. "I'm drawn to this work because it's something I love. Creating delicious dishes and receiving praise from diners is the joy of being a chef," Ms. Van shared.

One of the appealing dishes at the Con Son vegetarian food festivals is the Kiet Bac lotus experience, prepared by the female staff of the Management Board.

At the Con Son and Kiet Bac historical sites, the female staff members are all skilled, arranging elegant and beautiful offerings to Buddha and the saints. Most of them are proficient in the process and skillfully perform the steps of making lotus tea, chrysanthemum tea, and brewing tea for events. “If you use tap water, the whole pot of tea will be ruined. At the historical site, we usually use water from the Dragon's Eye well for brewing; the tea is fragrant, delicious, and pure. When pouring water into the teapot, you must pour clockwise or from a height so that the water flow is strong enough to make the tea leaves unfurl and release their aroma…”, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Dung, a tour guide at the historical site, revealed one of the many secrets to brewing delicious Kiet Bac lotus tea.

Taking a sip of Kiet Bac lotus tea (during a field assessment of the nomination dossier for the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiet Bac complex of historical sites and scenic spots), Mr. Ratish Nanda, an ICOMOS expert, exclaimed "wonderful" to express his feelings.

Ms. Bui Thi Cam Van checks the souvenir items provided by the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board for tourists.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Lien, Head of the Con Son - Kiet Bac Relic Management Board, said, "In the Relic Management Board, the number of female staff is not large, but the majority of women are dedicated and play an important role in developing tourism products and services."

THU HUONG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/nhung-bong-hong-da-zi-nang-523709.html