Hong Duong, a formerly underdeveloped commune in Hanoi’s outskirt, has become a tourist attraction thanks to switching from rice cultivation to lotus growing.
Located 30 kilometers away from Hanoi's center, Hong Duong Commune in Thanh Oai District is a new specialized lotus growing area of the capital city, along with the famous lotus granaries in Westlake, which has existed for hundreds of years.
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Thanks to the Government's program on farming restructuring entitled One Commune One Product, the landscape of the rice-growing countryside has changed significantly. The large white and pink lotus ponds bring about another source of income for local farmers. |
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| According to local authorities, after nearly ten years of implementing the program, up to now, Hong Duong Commune has successfully converted 50 hectares from low-yield rice cultivation to lotus growing area. |
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In the past, farmers mainly planted lotuses to harvest their seeds, leaves, flowers, and stems. But since the demand of visiting the countryside is growing, many households in Hong Duong Commune have taken advantage of their beautiful lotus ponds to increase their income. They sell tickets for visitors who want to see lotus flowers or take photos with them besides harvesting the lotus. |
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| Years ago, the village girls had to go to West Lake, where is about 30-40 kilometers away to take photos with lotus flowers. Now thanks to large lotus ponds right at home, they don’t have to go that far to have nice and poetic photos. |
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| This year, Hong Duong lotus ponds are not welcoming tourists from other provinces due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but there are still a number of local visitors who come to enjoy the beauty of lotus flowers. |
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| As the communal authority said, although planting and doing tourism with lotus is quite new, the new policy would help promote the model of countryside tourism in the commune. Through tourism, other local industries will also become better known. |
