Effectively promote unique cultural and tourism values ​​in Nam Dan

Kim Lien - the highlight of Nam Dan

Coming to Kim Lien - the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh these days, there are still fences of tea trees with red silk thread, ponds covered with lotus and rows of ancient mahogany trees... Kim Lien is ancient but close, simple and warm. And among the familiar features, there are many changes: Smooth, airy and increasingly wide roads, solid schools and stations have been built.

Panorama of Sen Village, Kim Lien Commune (Nam Dan). Photo courtesy of Nguyen Sach

Kim Lien today has developed in all aspects, attracting more and more tourists. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in Sen 1 hamlet talked about the development of her hometown: “In 2014, the National Target Program on New Rural Construction in Kim Lien commune reached its goal. After being recognized as the first commune to meet the district's New Rural standards, Kim Lien was again chosen by the province to build a model New Rural Commune... To build a model commune, Nam Dan district and the people of the commune continued to invest in building infrastructure, developing production, improving the environment, developing service industries and especially building Kim Lien people by improving behavioral culture. Our people have constantly strived, tried, and competed for the goal of becoming a model, rich, beautiful and civilized countryside”.

Building a model new rural area, Kim Lien commune focuses on key contents: Building infrastructure, organizing production in the direction of serving tourism, improving cultural criteria and improving the environmental landscape... For the development of their homeland, Kim Lien people have done many specific and practical things: 5 years of implementing the project to build a model new rural area, the whole commune has mobilized 322.744 billion VND, of which 266.2 billion VND is people's budget to build new, upgrade and renovate houses; 15.2 billion VND is people's budget to contribute to building public works such as roads, canals, and hamlet cultural houses. In addition, people in the commune voluntarily donated 834m2 of residential land, 30m2 of housing and 10,000m2 of agricultural land to open roads and build works.

Infrastructure and rural traffic in Kim Lien are being invested in and built. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Over the past 5 years, by combining resources and contributing working days from the people, Kim Lien has invested in building and upgrading many key projects such as 3 schools and medical stations, 23 hamlet cultural houses, building a lotus pond for the Cooperative with Uncle Ho; 34.2 km of rural roads; 38.6 km of covered drainage ditches in the village; lighting systems in residential areas and lighting systems connecting hamlets on the road with a total length of nearly 73 km... These projects have contributed to creating an increasingly prosperous appearance for the village.

Kim Lien also has many new shifts in economy and production organization. With research and creativity, people have created many effective production models such as: Producing Bac Thinh rice - Lang Sen rice; growing vegetables and flowers, growing melons in greenhouses; growing lotus on ponds managed by the commune and on two-rice land. Many quality agricultural products have been born, recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as 3-star OCOP products such as lotus leaf tea, lotus heart tea, lotus pistil tea, dried lotus seeds. Lotus products have become precious gifts for tourists from near and far... Diversifying occupations, people have focused on developing services. There are 27 restaurants in the area, many of which are spacious, ensuring good service quality.

Lotus products have become precious gifts for tourists from near and far. Photo: Hai Vuong

Mr. Nguyen Quang De, Mau 1 hamlet, talked about the changes in his hometown: In the commune, there is no longer any littering. People are fully aware of their responsibility as a "model" commune to make efforts to improve the landscape, remind each other about environmental sanitation, ensure security, order, and traffic safety. Village roads and alleys are all clean and beautiful. The way of speaking and the culture of behavior preserve the "old features", bringing a lot of sympathy to friends and tourists from near and far when coming to Kim Lien, Nam Dan.

Talking with Mr. Nguyen Quang Loc - Chairman of Kim Lien Commune People's Committee, it is known that: Building a model new rural area in the direction of cultural development associated with tourism, Kim Lien is having many steady development steps: The average growth rate of the commune reached 8.26%, the average income reached 48 million VND/person/year. In the fields of culture, society and environment, Kim Lien also achieved many good results. These results are the foundation and premise for developing local tourism.

Building a model new rural district associated with cultural and tourism development

Along with Kim Lien, in recent years, other communes of Nam Dan have made remarkable progress, such as: Nam Cat, Nam Anh, Nam Nghia, Nam Giang, Nam Thanh... From the comprehensive development of localities in the district, in early 2018, Nam Dan was recognized by the Prime Minister as meeting the standards of a new-style rural district. After being recognized as a new-style rural district, Nam Dan was honored to be selected by the Central Steering Committee to pilot the construction of a model new-style rural district with the content "Building Nam Dan district to become a model new-style rural district in the direction of developing culture associated with tourism in the period of 2018 - 2025". The project was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 17/QD-TTg dated January 4, 2019.

Photo: Thanh Cuong

Mr. Ho Si Hai - Vice Chairman of Nam Dan District People's Committee said: After more than 1 year of implementing the Project, Nam Dan has promptly adjusted and supplemented the planning for the new phase such as planning the district area, planning some items at Kim Lien National Special Relic Site. Up to now, the basic planning has been completed. The district has promoted the construction of new, gradually upgrading and perfecting infrastructure to serve production and life, especially investing in expanding routes to connect tourist destinations in the district. Among them, a number of projects with investment value of thousands of billions of VND have been completed such as the Northern belt road connecting the relics, routes belonging to the 5 Nam flood zone project... The upgrading and completion of infrastructure to ensure the most convenient entry and exit for tourists. On these routes, the district advocates developing culinary restaurants so that tourists have a place to stop.

Promoting the restructuring of the agricultural sector, Nam Dan maintains and replicates models of vegetable, root and fruit production with high economic value; linking production with processing of agricultural products, building products with local strengths recognized as OCOP products such as soy sauce, tapioca starch, lotus, lemon, persimmon, turmeric starch, and processing of pork sausage for tourism. Up to now, the district has 8 OCOP products all achieving 3 stars or more, and it is expected that in 2020, there will be 15 - 20 new products recognized... Building intangible cultural products, the district has been focusing on establishing Vi and Giam folk singing groups, community art groups in the town, Kim Lien commune and some historical sites of interest.

Panorama of Nam Dan town. Photo courtesy of Sach Nguyen

Implementing the movement to build "bright, green, clean, beautiful" hamlets and blocks associated with improving the environmental landscape, the District People's Committee has issued a set of criteria for "bright, green, clean, beautiful" hamlets and blocks and has been implementing them since 2018, currently focusing on implementing the contents and criteria. In addition, the district has also implemented a project to develop public green trees with a total capital of 10 billion VND, more than 4,500 trees of all kinds were planted on national highways, provincial roads, district roads, and offices of some communes; the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance supported 8.5 billion VND to build a 4.5-hectare lotus pond cluster in Uncle Ho's hometown lotus village, the projects and works have contributed to making the landscape in the district more and more prosperous....

Mr. Ho Si Hai - Vice Chairman of Nam Dan District People's Committee affirmed: There are still many difficulties, but with the help of the Central and the province, Nam Dan is determined to implement the Project well, becoming a model new rural district in the direction of developing culture associated with tourism by 2025.

Thanh Son - Thanh Cuong