Discovering Hanoi: what new destinations attract tourists. Photo

Traditional handicraft villages and cultural heritage will become major tourism destinations in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2024 as local authorities have planned new tourist routes to lead visitors to the city's unexplored suburbs.

By joining the "Exploring the Heritage Road in South Thang Long" tour, people will travel from the city center to the outlying areas of Thanh Oai, Ứng Hòa, and Mỹ Đức. The first destination is the Nội Bình Đà Temple-Communal House in Thành Oai, which is about 20 km from the center of Hà Nội, Vietnamnet.vn reports.

Visitors will learn about the architecture, cultural and historical values of the temple dedicated to the legendary founder of the nation, Lạc Long Quân.

They will listen to the myth of the dragon king Lạc Long Quân and the mountain goddess Âu Cơ. After they were married, Âu Cơ gave birth to a bag of 100 eggs, from which 100 children were born; this is the origin of the Vietnamese people.

The story is told in different places in the country, but only in the Nội Bình Đà temple can visitors admire the famous Lạc Long Quân bas-relief, which was recognized as a national treasure in 2015.

The bas-relief depicts the founder of the nation sitting on a throne, wearing a crown and imperial cloak, watching a boat race with characters from the Hung Kings' era.

"In fact, no one knows exactly when the bas-relief was made. We can only say that it was made a long time ago. It is more than 600 years old," said Nguyễn Chính Chinh, the temple's curator.

"The gilded rare wood carving is a precious treasure. Many archaeologists have suggested that our temple-commune be designated as a special national historical site to express gratitude and honor to the father of the nation, Lạc Long Quân," he explained.

Earlier in 2014, the Lạc Long Quân National Temple Festival, which is held annually from the fourth to the sixth day of the third month of the lunar calendar, was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

"I am interested in visiting Nội Bình Đà and was surprised when I first saw the bas-relief. It not only tells a story but is also a beautiful work of art," said Mai Quyết Thắng, a visitor from Hanoi.

His wife Trần Diệu Thủy, meanwhile, enjoyed shopping at the local wet market, where she bought green and clean vegetables, fruits, and traditional cakes.

"These products are brought from the farmers' garden to the market. They are not only cheaper than in the city, but also fresher," Thi said.

From Nội Bình Đà, visitors travel 20 km to get to Quảng Phú Cầu village in neighboring Ứng Hòa.

The village is well known for its centuries-old craft of making incense sticks and is now the most attractive place for handicrafts with lots of selfies.

All the sidewalks and roads in the village are painted in the pink and red color of incense sticks, and its delicate scent makes people feel relaxed while walking. The bunches of incense look like giant flowers that form beautiful mini-scenes.

"We usually produce incense sticks in pink and red colors. The other colors are for tourist purposes only," said Đỗ Thị Tâm, a villager.

Tam and other artisans in Quảng Phú Cầu are eager to demonstrate the traditional incense stick making technique to tourists. According to her, there was no problem if someone wanted to try the production process from splitting the bamboo tube into thin sticks to dyeing, shaping, and drying.

In the yard, visitors feel free to take pictures. Here, they can enjoy local cuisine such as bánh đúc (plain rice cake), bánh khúc (sticky rice cake with zucchini), and fish rice soup.

"We have been receiving visitors from different countries such as India, France and South Korea every day. They come to learn about our ancient craft, history and culture of the village," said Nguyễn Đức Bình, head of the Ứng Hòa District Department of Culture and Information.

"We will improve the infrastructure, environment, landscape and our special products to attract more tourists to our village."

Earlier, TravelWise told you what travelers need to know before visiting Vietnam.