From snake village to tourist village

Le Mat village (now part of Viet Hung ward, Long Bien district, Hanoi) was originally known for its snake catching, food processing, and medicinal uses. Due to societal changes and regulations on wildlife protection, Le Mat village has transformed into a famous tourist and culinary village.

Le Mat Snake Village has long been famous both domestically and internationally for its snake catching, snake breeding, and processing of snake-based specialties. Le Mat is also renowned for its system of heritage sites.

Le Mat communal house is a large-scale communal house dedicated to the village's tutelary deity, Mr. Nguyen Quy Cong, who was originally a young man credited with retrieving the body of a Ly Dynasty princess from the Thien Duc River.

Later, King Ly bestowed his favor upon him, allowing him to lead the children of Le Mat village to cultivate the land west of Thang Long citadel, establishing 13 villages and settlements. These are the wards of Ngoc Ha, Kim Ma, Vinh Phuc , etc., which are now part of Ba Dinh district.

Arriving in Le Mat today, right next to the village communal house is a spacious house built in the traditional architectural style. This is the space for displaying and introducing products of the Le Mat traditional craft village.

Here, visitors can explore the history of the craft village and the products made from snakes. Among these, snake-infused liquors, believed to improve health, attract much attention.

Mr. Ngo Van Duong, who is in charge of overseeing the Le Mat Exhibition House, shared that the exhibition space was established to promote products made from snakes – a characteristic feature of the craft village. Mr. Duong affirmed that this is the first destination for tourists who want to explore products made from snakes.

The middle-aged and elderly people in Le Mat village clearly remember that in the old days, villagers went everywhere to catch snakes to bring back for cooking or medicinal purposes. However, gradually, regulations on environmental protection and wildlife conservation were introduced. Some snake species were added to the list of protected species. The snake-catching profession in Le Mat is now at risk of reaching a dead end.

Le Mat Snake Village has now become a tourist attraction in the city.

In 2016, the People's Committee of Long Bien District developed and implemented the "Development Project for Le Mat Craft Village giai đoạn 2016-2020," which received strong support from the local people. The people of Le Mat shifted their focus to snake farming, which is managed and supervised by the authorities.

From a point where they thought their livelihood was about to end, the people of Le Mat have continued to dedicate themselves to snake farming and culinary arts. From a single snake, a chef can prepare up to 15 different dishes. No part of the snake is wasted; from the meat, bones, skin, blood, and bile, everything can be transformed into dishes, optimizing costs while creating diversity in cuisine.

Currently, Le Mat has a Handicraft Village Cooperative with 25 participating households. Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Le Mat Handicraft Village Cooperative, said: Snake farming brings high economic value, has medicinal significance and benefits, and is beneficial to human health due to its delicious taste and high nutritional value.

Despite the shrinking area and reduced number of snake-raising households due to urbanization, some households still raise 50 to 70 snakes, mainly cobras, rat snakes, and king cobras. This number is sufficient to supply local restaurants and also allows for breeding.

Many young people are also involved in snake farming. Truong Minh Khanh is a prime example of a young person passionate about preserving this traditional craft. His family both raises snakes and runs a restaurant specializing in snakes. They have been raising snakes for 20 years, with approximately 50 enclosures housing two types of snakes: king cobras and rat snakes. This number is primarily used to supply their restaurant.

"I want to contribute to the development of my hometown's traditional craft. Besides expanding the scale of the livestock farm, I will open restaurants to cater to the needs and tastes of tourists. In particular, I want to develop tourism associated with traditional craft villages to introduce them to visitors," Mr. Khanh said.

However, due to changing societal perceptions, the demand for consuming snake meat and using it in traditional medicine has decreased. Families are shifting their business from snake specialties to food businesses, primarily offering rural cuisine, to diversify their product offerings.

Snakes, once considered a "main dish," have now become the subject of exhibitions and presentations about different snake species and snake farming processes, allowing tourists to explore and learn. This helps the traditional snake village retain its unique characteristics while adapting to modern life and creating a distinct highlight in a highly competitive environment.

In 2024, Le Mat was recognized by the Hanoi People's Committee as a city-level tourist destination. Combining valuable heritage sites such as the Le Mat village communal house complex with local cuisine, Le Mat has become one of the favorite destinations for tourists.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tu-lang-ran-den-lang-du-lich-am-thuc-post851460.html