"Countryside market" - rich in countryside flavor in Dong Thap

Updated date: 10/24/2023 16:45:50

DTO - Some of us come from the countryside, some live in the city. From childhood until now, everyone has set foot in the countryside market at least a few times, then one day when we don't see the countryside market, we suddenly miss it. Those who have never seen the countryside market also wish they had the opportunity to visit.

Countryside market in Long Thuan commune, Hong Ngu district

Perhaps because of this, 3 communes in Cao Lanh City, Thap Muoi District and Hong Ngu District ( Dong Thap Province) have launched 3 "Countryside Markets" to meet the needs of eating, shopping and sightseeing of tourists. The longest locality has been operating for more than 9 months, the earliest place for nearly 4 months. The countryside markets are always crowded with tourists.

On the weekend, we went to Hong Ngu city and then crossed the Muong Lon ferry to go to the Long Thuan village market, Hong Ngu district. On the ferry across the river, everyone was excited. It had been a long time since we had had the chance to return to the village market, to find the rustic dishes that the farmers themselves made, and then brought them to the village market to sell. Arriving at the village market, old memories suddenly came back. There were shaved ice syrup, snails, mussels, banh xeo, grilled corn, fish sauce, banh bo, banh tet, banh it, banh canh, vegetarian food... Each dish was beautifully decorated, rich in the flavor of the homeland of the island.

The Long Thuan rural market is located on Ong Thang branch road (Long Hoa hamlet), operating from 3pm to 9pm every Saturday. The market is a rural market model that recreates the old scene with almost all the "homegrown" dishes, especially rustic and traditional dishes. The self-produced and self-consumed area with vegetables, freshwater fish, dried fruits of all kinds and fruits grown and harvested by the people. The Long Thuan rural market initially has 3 trading areas for the people with a scale of more than 65 trading points.

All food and beverage items ensure food hygiene and safety, and sellers must be trained in food safety knowledge. In addition, visitors can also experience taking photos and checking in, and admiring the countryside scenery with organic vegetable gardens. Mr. Duong Minh Sang - Director of the Long Thuan Safe Vegetable Production and Consumption Cooperative said: "The Long Thuan rural market is organized by the Commune People's Committee in coordination with the Cooperative. In the near future, the Organizing Committee will continue to invest in facilities to ensure that activities take place regularly and smoothly. Build auxiliary landscapes so that visitors can take photos, check in, and create a highlight to attract tourists . Arrange parking for visitors, coordinate with the garbage collection unit and arrange the frequency of garbage collection in accordance with the market's activities".

Tan Thuan Dong Islet Market (Cao Lanh City) in Tan Phat Hamlet has 24 households participating in displaying and trading local specialties such as: traditional cakes, fruits, vegetables, shrimp, fish... At the same time, it organizes exchanges, performances of Don ca tai tu - Ho Dong Thap, folk games and joyful cultural and artistic activities. Operating hours are from 10:00 a.m. to before 7:00 p.m. every Saturday. Depending on the actual situation, the time and number of operating days will be adjusted accordingly. Market participants are members of cooperatives, guilds, people and businesses. The items for sale are local products, OCOP products... According to Cao Lanh City People's Committee, Tan Thuan Dong Islet Market has welcomed more than 60,000 visitors to visit, play and shop, with total revenue reaching nearly 4 billion VND. Currently, there are 66 households participating in trading, creating jobs for hundreds of workers and generating income for local people, attracting a large number of tourists from all over to visit and experience.

“The market shows that the demand for experience of tourists is very large. This is also the potential and condition for developing other types of services in Tan Thuan Dong commune and some other localities of Cao Lanh city. However, in the implementation process, some difficulties and limitations have been revealed such as: service personnel, decoration, the arrangement of pick-up and drop-off stations is not reasonable and scientific ... it needs to be rearranged and reorganized to become an attractive destination, a place for visitors to remember and return", said Vice Chairman of Cao Lanh City People's Committee Le Thi Mai Trinh.

The Go Thap rural market in Thap Muoi district also has its own unique features when it is organized in the form of an old rural market associated with the lotus space at the Go Thap National Monument. The market is held once a month on the last Saturday of each month. In order to recreate the old rural market space, the stalls of the Go Thap rural market are decorated in the style of a traditional Southern market with thatched roofs, bamboo, wood, coconut stalls... and decorated with rustic, simple materials available locally. The stalls sell typical local products such as: snakehead fish porridge with bitter vegetables, frog porridge, Muscovy duck porridge, grilled snakehead fish eaten with young lotus leaves, boiled snails with lemongrass... especially there are more than 30 types of folk cakes and fruits (jackfruit, guava, mango...). Coming to the Go Thap rural market, visitors can also enjoy and interact with amateur music. Sales revenue increased gradually, estimated at 150 million VND - 450 million VND/market session.

The number of visitors to the market is increasing day by day. Most of the visitors come from the provinces of Tien Giang, An Giang, Vinh Long, Can Tho, Long An, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City and districts and cities of Dong Thap province. According to the Go Thap Relic Site Management Board, the Go Thap rural market is increasingly attracting visitors to visit and experience; the number of people participating in trading is increasing, thereby contributing to creating jobs, increasing income for people and developing the local economy.

Dong Thap province is the only locality in the Mekong Delta that has rural markets that take place regularly every week or every month. This is a type of community tourism that brings many interesting and new things to visitors from near and far. Head of the Tourism Management Department (Dong Thap Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Tran Chi Cuong said: “Current rural market activities meet the needs of serving tourists. Initially, it has been effective, attracting many tourists to Dong Thap. The organization basically meets the requirements of a rural market. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also supported and guided localities and people in improving the quality of service to customers at rural markets”.

Coming to the rural markets in Dong Thap province, the first thing we felt was the variety of products, well meeting the needs of visitors and experiencers. The rural market space is clean, the people buying and selling have a friendly and enthusiastic attitude, the prices are affordable and especially each dish and drink is full of the rich flavor of home.

MEANINGFUL

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