Develop distinctive souvenir products.

(Baonghean) - Developing unique souvenir products for each region is a concern for localities involved in tourism today. In Nam Dan - one of the attractive destinations not only for domestic tourists but also welcoming thousands of international visitors annually - the development of distinctive tourism products is beginning.

On this occasion, many products from Nam Dan were displayed and sold at tourist spots, such as soy sauce from Sa Nam village, peanut candy from Nam Giang, dried lotus seeds, lotus heart tea from Kim Lien… Notably, among the souvenir stalls showcasing Ho Chi Minh's paternal and maternal hometowns, embroidered paintings from Thanh Thuy Cooperative (Nam Thanh) appeared. These meticulously hand-embroidered products depicted characteristic images of Ho Chi Minh's paternal and maternal hometowns.

Embroidered paintings from Thanh Thuy Cooperative are on display at a tourist booth in the Kim Lien Historical Site. Photo: TT

In a conversation with Ms. Ho Thi Ngoc, the owner of a souvenir shop in President Ho Chi Minh's maternal hometown, we learned that in 2011 she began accepting consignment sales of embroidered paintings for the Thanh Thuy Cooperative. Initially, it was difficult to attract tourists because the embroidery wasn't very beautiful; many paintings didn't accurately depict the real scenery of President Ho Chi Minh's hometown, and even the colors weren't appealing. After hearing customer feedback, she directly discussed the matter with Ms. Ho Thi Thuy, the head of the Thanh Thuy Embroidery Cooperative, to make timely adjustments. Currently, many tourists visiting President Ho Chi Minh's hometown seek out and purchase embroidered paintings from the Thanh Thuy Cooperative as souvenirs. They appreciate them because they last a long time and are very suitable as gifts or mementos for relatives and friends.

It can be said that currently, the hand-embroidered paintings of Thanh Thuy Cooperative are the most meaningful souvenirs for tourists visiting Kim Lien - Nam Dan. Meeting Ms. Ho Thi Thuy, the head of Thanh Thuy Cooperative, she said that in 2010, she directly met with the leaders of Nam Dan district to present her idea of ​​opening a hand-embroidered painting facility to serve tourism, and the district leaders strongly supported her. Although in 2004, Nam Dan district had previously invested a considerable amount of money to maintain the hand-embroidered painting product in Kim Lien, it was unsuccessful. To encourage the cooperative, the district supported her with 10 million VND as initial capital to purchase embroidery tools. Ms. Thuy mobilized 4-5 women in the village and directly trained them. In the beginning, before finding a market, Ms. Thuy did handicraft work for craft villages in the North. While doing handicrafts, she also researched the market. Also in that year, Ms. Thuy's hand-embroidered products reached the Saigon market. However, her main goal is for the products to be chosen and purchased by tourists visiting President Ho Chi Minh's hometown.

Currently, Thanh Thuy Cooperative's embroidered paintings are available in six souvenir shops in President Ho Chi Minh's maternal and paternal hometowns. To meet the needs of tourists, in the future, Ms. Thuy will embroider a variety of paintings depicting President Ho Chi Minh, his portraits, scenes of the banyan tree and Coc well, his family members, lotus ponds, etc. It is gratifying that in 2014, Thanh Thuy Cooperative's embroidered paintings were among the 11 outstanding products selected by the Rural Industrial Product Selection Council. Besides building image and promoting the brand, and finding markets, the selection of outstanding rural industrial products also creates momentum to boost the economic development of rural areas.

Exhibition of brocade weaving by ethnic minorities in Tuong Duong district. Photo: Thanh Le

Another souvenir product is the brocade textiles of the Thai ethnic minority – which have long been a characteristic souvenir for tourists visiting the western part of Nghe An province. These products are entirely handcrafted, making them very exquisite and suitable for the current tourism market. In a conversation with Ms. Sam Thi Bich, head of the Hoa Tien Cooperative (Quy Chau), we learned that the cooperative's products have begun to establish a brand in the markets of Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City… In the international market, the products have reached neighboring countries such as Laos and Thailand… However, her biggest concern is that due to the relatively high price, the products have not yet been able to access the market within the province, especially in major tourist destinations like Vinh City, Cua Lo Town, and Nam Dan. If they do reach other places in the province, it's only through trade fairs and exhibitions.

In recent times, our province has organized numerous workshops and conferences aimed at developing distinctive souvenir products for tourist destinations. Along with the province's efforts, localities such as Nam Dan, Cua Lo, and the western districts are also striving to find solutions. The challenge facing our province's tourism industry now is how to create souvenir products with unique characteristics and a distinct brand that not only stimulates consumption and boosts trade but also promotes and reinforces the image of Nghe An tourism in the hearts of visitors.

Nam Dan already has embroidery from the Thanh Thuy Cooperative, and the Mekong Delta tourism scene boasts brocade; the question is, in Cua Lo, which previously had sea snail products from the Cua Hoi Youth Enterprise, could it now adapt those sea snail products to create souvenirs featuring images of Lan Chau Island, Ngu Island, or the Van Loc Temple?

T. Thuy – P. Thao