Bay Mau Coconut Village in Cam Thanh Commune, Hoi An City, has been recognized as a tourist destination by Quang Nam Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The village is well-known for being an important historical relic as well as a craft village where many houses are built from coconut leaves.

Five years ago, most villagers quit their age-old job as houses built with coconut leaves seemed to be out of date. People then preferred the modern, brick-and-mortar houses. Recently, there has been a change in people’s preference for house designs when new beach hotels and resorts built in the area have a rustic and close-to-nature look. Therefore, the village’s craft has been revived. On Tuesday, people of all ages and genders in the small village know the craft and earn a living from it.

In the first lunar month of every year, young men rush to mountains in Quang Nam Province to buy bamboo for house building and bring them back to the village via the Thu Bon River. To make the bamboo durable and solid, and to maintain its original color and reduce the chances for pest infestation, men have to know how to process them properly. One of the steps in the process is to soak the bamboo in the river water from eight months to two years before they are ready for use.

Coconut stalks are another important building material. Villagers go into dense coconut groves to find good, mature stalks and drag them back to the village. Then they will split coconut leaves into two parts before drying them under the sun. Sometimes, villagers have to split leaves and stalks and then dip them in water so that they will not be decayed. The process of treating leaves and stalks is very important, requiring carefulness, patience and dexterity from the villagers.

Thanks to the craft, villagers’ livelihood has been improved. Coconut leave cutters receive about VND50,000 per day. Coconut pad weavers can earn from VND50,000 to VND80,000 an hour. Those stronger and more skilled in making decorated coconut pads can get from VND1.2 million to VND1.6 million per month.

When coconut houses come into vogue, many households can earn about VND4 million a month. Consumers have a strong like for Cam Thanh water coconut products as they meet the standard of solidity, color and beauty and they have impressive models. Some resorts’ investors also ordered coconut houses for their resorts in areas such as Mui Ne and Nha Trang.

Not only famous for the craft, Cam Thanh is also well-known for the spectacular Bay Mau coconut forest which attracts many eco-tourism lovers and enthusiasts. Many travel agents also offer tours to the forest, the most highlighted of which is offered by Khoa Tran Company that allows travelers to take a glimpse of the forest, visit the craft village, learn more about the local daily life and have the opportunity to clean up the environment. The tour now involves many foreign tourists.

Local authorities also launch short training courses on tourism and local tourism potential for villagers. Therefore, they now know how to welcome tourists, conduct an ecotourism tour, and promote their craft products. The village’s authorities are planning to build a tourist reception center and develop a website to promote local products and provide tourist maps.

Coming to the village, tourists also have a chance to discover an old, important military base.

(Source: SGT)