On November 7, 2024, at Tra Que Village Cultural House, Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation in coordination with the People's Committee of Cam Ha commune organized a session of community consultation, aiming to collect document, information for restoration work of Than Nong Temple (the god of agriculture), Tra Que village, Cam Ha commune.
Scene of the community consultation session - Photo: Văn Sang
Representatives of Department of Culture and Information, local authorities, local people living in the area attended the session. Tra Que vegetable village is one of the famous green tourist destinations in Hoi An. In 2022, Tra Que vegetable farming was recognized by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Recently, Tra Que vegetable village was recognized by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) as one of the "Best Tourist Villages", the only representative of Vietnam to receive this award. Tra Que vegetable village has a long history, where every year local people hold a Cau Bong worship ceremony to express the respect to their ancestors. However, the current condition of Than Nong Temple is still quite modest, not solemn enough for performing annual religious rituals.
At the consultation session, local people and communities had many detailed and specific discussions on the history, culture and architecture of the relic. Basing on the plan presentation, attendants basically agreed on the relic restoration plan proposed by Hoi An Center.
Community consultation is the important phase which helps to provide many valuable information, create a scientific database for restoration work.