The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh recently launched the construction of a Khmer cultural and tourism village at a total cost of VND 25.8 billion (USD 1.12 million).

Ang pagoda in Tra Vinh. (Source: VNA)

Of the figure, VND 8 billion (USD 344,000) was sourced from the local budget, while the remainder came from the private sector.

Lying in Luong Hoa commune’s Ward 8, in Tra Vinh’s province’s Chau Thanh district, the village boasts Ba Om pond, Ang pagoda, Khmer ethnic cultural museum, Tra Vinh Pali Khmer school, Khmer cultural village, Lo Gach pagoda, Oc Eo relic site, a parking area, and a night market.

Duong Hoang Sum, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Tra Vinh is home to over 300,000 Khmer ethnic residents, accounting for nearly 32 per cent of the local population.

The province boasts 142 Khmer Theravada Buddhist temples, as well as the Ok Om BoK, Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay festivals. In particular, the Ok Om Bo festival has been recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Ahead of this year’s Ok Om Bo festival (November 22), Tra Vinh will inaugurate a mural road, the first component in the project to serve tourists. With 29 paintings by five artists, the road will demonstrate cultural, social and religious life of the Khmer ethnic people.

Dum said the provincial tourism sector served over 652,000 visitors last year, up over 23 per cent from 2016, including 15,780 foreigners. The total revenue surpassed VND 210 billion (USD 9.03 million), or VND 53 billion (USD 2.27 million) higher than in 2016.

Tra Vinh set the target of turning tourism into an important economy by 2025 and a spearhead economy by 2030./.

VNF/VNA