Ha Tay craft villages: receives $70,000 to develop

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with foreign organisations regarding the development of tourism at craft villages in the northern province of Ha Tay Vietnam.

Under the MoU the VNAT signed with the World Tourism Organisation, the Netherlands Development Organisation and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, the tourism development project will have a funding of $70,000 and will be carried out between April 1, 2007 and Mar. 31, 2008.

The project is part of an initiative to promote sustainable tourism for poverty reduction launched by Vietnam's tourism sector and international organisations.

The funding will be used for drawing up plans on developing craft village tourism in Vietnam, providing vocational training and encouraging the community to participate in planning and managing tourism operations.

It will also be spent on improving local authorities' capacity in planning and managing such villages.

Ha Tay is leading other localities in the country in the number of Vietnam craft villages, which has reached 1,816, 216 of which villages have been officially recognised by the provincial People's Committee.

(Source: VNA)