My Son tourism to drive socio-economic progress

The development of tourism at My Son heritage site will be a major motivation for socio-economic progress in Duy Xuyen District in the central province of Quang Nam in the coming years.
Duy Xuyen People’s Committee vice chairman Le Trung Hoa made the announcement yesterday, December 2, as the district celebrated the tenth year since My Son was recognised by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) as a World Cultural Heritage site.
Hoa said that over the next five years, the district will concentrate on protecting and restoring My Son relics and developing infrastructure as well as human resources to promote tourist potential, in a bid to generate more jobs, reduce hunger and erase poverty.
Representatives at yesterday’s ceremony urged the district authorities to improve facilities such as internet and mobile phone coverage, which are now poor in the district, to attract more investors.
Duy Xuyen had sustained economic growth at an average rate of 14 per cent per year for the past several years, with the service sector alone expanding on average 15 per cent per year, according to Hoa. Per capita income reached around VND9.5 million (US$513) last year.
Duy Xuyen pupils had been taught about My Son in schools for several years, and this would continue to be sped up in the coming years, said the head of My Son relics site, Nguyen Cong Huong.
"With this, pupils would not only be fully aware of the site’s socio-economic values, but also could become good tourist guides here in the future," he said.
The Sa Huynh - Champa Culture Museum was also opened in the district yesterday, displaying over 200 antiques.
"Duy Xuyen was considered as the focus of archaeological research for various cultures from the dawn of human kind to modern day history," said an official from the district’s department of culture and information. "The museum would help visitors become aware of the main features of Sa Huynh Culture, an outstanding civilization of 2,000-2,500 years ago."
"Champa Culture items also make a contribution to enriching the face of the ancient culture that existed in Duy Xuyen," he said.