The attractive stories in each destination will contribute to attracting and soliciting tourists to Hue.

Tourists discover Hue heritages

Enhancing attraction

In order to create the difference, the Beebee Travel Company strings the (story) contents together to make a story for the tour “Boating with Hue – Listening to Huong River tell stories”.

The story goes that “The Huong River is a source of life of Hue people for a long time. “Mother Huong” (Huong River) has played an important role in the formation of Hue Ancient capital at a start, when Lord Nguyen Hoang was finding a place for the Dang Trong metropolis. Life has multiplied on the two sides of the riverbank, the markets, garden houses, and royal tombs, pagodas, temples have appeared more and more. The strong development of Hue always goes hand in hand with the peaceful Huong River”

Mrs. Ngo Vu Anh Thu, Director of Beebee Travel Company shared: “Boating with Hue” brings to tourists a different view on Hue through the stories telling about the poetic Huong River. The overall story always covers small pieces of interesting stories in each destination, creating surprises for tourists.

In addition to discovering the Huong River, tourists also choose another tour which is directed by stories called “Go with Hue”. The cyclos take tourists to find out the old Chi Lang, Gia Hoi and Bao Vinh, helping tourists to discover a splendid commercial port area in the old days and listen to many legends about Chi Lang – Gia Hoi. In this tour, tourists have chances to visit Dieu De pagoda in order to listen to the story of the unique dragon patterns drawn on the ceiling. Furthermore, they also visit Phuc Kien and Trieu Chau club-house and enjoy Bun Giam Nuoc, a specialty dish of Hue.

After experiencing the tours, Phoebe, a tourist from the United Kingdom shared, we had had a great choice in a great city. Despite the hot weather, we still had a fun time together to discover Vietnam history and local cultures.  Because of the war, your country had been suffered many wounds. Coming here and listening to those historical stories, I really appreciated the fierce vitality of your country.

Nguyen Dinh Quyen, a tour guide of Dong Duong Service Trading Co. Ltd says that whenever coming to Hue, tourists always want to get deep understands about the culture of this land such as the customs of incense burning, ancestor worshipping, etc., which do not exist in foreign countries. Or when visiting Thien Mu pagoda, tourists are curious about the historical stories related to it. Therefore, in order to satisfy tourists, it is obligatory for tour guides to well prepare the contents, especially collect related stories to introduce to tourists.

Integrating good stories with destinations

According to the acknowledgment of Mr. Tran Minh Duc, Manager of Travel Management Office, Tourism Department, instead of just cursorily introducing about data, time marks, and functions, etc., adding legends and stories which are inherent in the destinations will help tourists have totally different feelings about Hue. The work of imparting contents through stories makes the discovery itineraries of tourists become lighter and more interesting.

Mr. Duc also says that in fact, each tourist destination of Hue bears its own attractive historical and cultural stories. The most important thing is that the attraction and vividness should be changed, depending on the skill of arranging tour schedules of each travel agency and the way that each tour guide blows the soul into the stories.

Mrs. Duong Thi Cong Ly, Director of Ha Noi Tourism Joints Stock Company – Hue Branch says that because Hue is a cultural destination, there are various legends related to popular tourist destinations. However, Hue is lacking the stories about many destinations, especially new ones.

Besides, the orthodoxy of the stories is not yet available. In some cases, it will open to misunderstanding if the tour guides provide tourists the information taken from inaccurate information sources.

According to an example given by Mrs. Duong Thi Cong Ly, when coming to Phuoc Tich ancient village, most of the tourists praised for a peaceful village. However, the lack of information still made the journey not interesting, while other attractive stories such as the stories about hundred-year-old Gold Apple tree, about ancient houses, or the stories about pottery history, as well as the village of the elderly and knowledge only, etc., still haven’t been introduced enough.

Or in Bao La craft village, although there are many interesting stories around the tourist destination of Ngu My Thanh community, which are inherent in history and culture, that information hasn’t been mentioned for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary for those who provide tourism services in these destinations to collect and take notes the good and interesting information and stories, which will certainly attract tourists more and more.

The businesses evaluated that with tourists enjoying self-planned tours, having attractive stories will stimulate their curiousness. This issue plays an important contribution to the work of soliciting tourists to stay in Hue longer.

According to the leaders of Tourism Department, the tourism sector is coordinating with Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies in Hue to collect good and typical stories about Hue which are inherent in history, culture and the land to print into books. It is expected to help tourism and travel agencies, as well as tour guides have a base to introduce orthodox information to tourists.

Story, photo: Quang Sang

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