Yen Thanh is excited about the 'Lotus Festival'

(Baonghean) - This year, for the first time, Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) organizes the 'Lotus Festival', scheduled to take place in mid-July. This is an activity to introduce and promote tourism for Yen Thanh.

Dieu Oc lotus pond. Photo: document

Ho Dieu Oc is one of the famous scenic spots praised in history books as “Dong Thanh Bat Canh”, which is one of the eight most beautiful landscapes of Dong Thanh Nhi Huyen in the past. Ho Dieu Oc has long been planted with lotus by the locals, creating a natural, pure beauty, so people call it “Dieu Oc Lien Dam” (Dieu Oc lotus pond), associated with the sacred Duc Hoang temple.

The temple has been located in the middle of a lush primeval forest for many years, and when the lotus pond is in full bloom, it has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. However, Dieu Oc lotus pond is still not known and explored by many tourists. Realizing that this is a destination with great tourism potential, and at the same time an opportunity to promote the image of Yen Thanh land and people to visitors from all over, this year the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district has a policy to organize a "Lotus Festival" at Dieu Oc lotus pond, assigned to the People's Committee of the commune to organize.

The prosperous Dieu Oc village embraces a vast lotus pond, stretching for more than a kilometer, creating a wonderful scene. The people of Dieu Oc village confided: "No matter how far away I go, I always remember that lotus pond, because it is considered a piece of the soul of the village". Every year, at the beginning of summer, lotus flowers begin to bloom. The lotus scent is pure. This season, the lotus spreads out to cover the surface of the pond, the lotus leaves spread out to form a green carpet on the water surface. In mid-summer, the pink lotus buds rise above the dark green leaves, creating an attractive scene for tourists. These days, in the Dieu Oc lotus pond area, units mobilize many workers and machines to urgently construct and complete the road along the lotus pond.

Dieu Oc lotus pond stretches over 1 km. Photo by Xuan Hoang

Mr. Dinh Van Duong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Thanh commune said: In order for the first lotus festival to be successfully organized, more than 2 months ago, the locality planned to build a traffic route along the lotus pond nearly 4 km long and build a floating bamboo wharf in the middle of the lotus pond, serving tourists to visit and take souvenir photos.

The cost of constructing these items is about 4 billion VND. The locality is currently directing the contractor to urgently complete the project to prevent prolonged rain from affecting the construction progress. In addition, the commune has directed the hamlets living around the lotus pond to organize garbage collection and clean up the ecological environment.

During the “Lotus Festival”, there will be many meaningful activities, such as traditional sports competitions; art performances; displays introducing local products such as lotus shoots, lotus flowers, lotus seeds, lotus cuisine, herbal rice, honey, mushrooms, etc. and traditional handicraft products such as incense sticks, bamboo and rattan weaving.

During the festival, the locality will also display publications on culture and tourism of Phuc Thanh commune and Yen Thanh district; such as: Yen Thanh land fragrance, Yen Thanh - relics and scenic spots, Yen Thanh literature, Yen Thanh poetry, Yen Thanh folk poetry, VCD promoting Yen Thanh tourism potential, VCD music of Yen Thanh land and people, providing an overview of Yen Thanh tourism development potential.

Dieu Oc lotus pond. Photo by Xuan Hoang

Yen Thanh district and Phuc Thanh commune have assigned specific tasks to each sector to carry out carefully, thoroughly and urgently the tasks according to their areas of responsibility. The festivals are expected to be fun, safe activities, suitable for the actual conditions of the locality.

In particular, the commune scientifically designed lotus wharfs to ensure safety for visitors; reasonably arranged space for displaying traditional local product booths; prepared the power grid system; arranged space for sports, entertainment, advertising, marketing and service facilities. Organized and signed commitments with households and businesses to do a good job of environmental sanitation before, during and after the festival area.

Ms. Phan Thi An - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Yen Thanh district said: "Lotus Festival" in Phuc Thanh commune is an opportunity to propagate, introduce and promote the potential and strengths of cultural and tourism development of the district, creating new tourism products with unique characteristics, connecting with tourist routes of neighboring communes and districts.

Picking lotus. Photo archive

The district expects this to be one of the bridges for exchanges, meetings and attracting investment in the tourism sector. Through organizing activities, creating a joyful and exciting atmosphere, encouraging and motivating people to successfully carry out political tasks in 2017. At the same time, creating vibrant and healthy cultural activities, developing culture associated with tourism, contributing to promoting socio-economic development and successfully implementing the objectives of the Project "Developing tourism associated with preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage in the period of 2016 - 2020, oriented to 2025" in Yen Thanh district.

Xuan Hoang