Cao Lanh – Vietnam’s ‘As Pure As a Lotus’ city

The administration of a southern Vietnamese city in the Mekong Delta, known as the place that grows the country’s best lotuses, is turning the locality into a hub of the flower.

Cao Lanh, the capital city of Dong Thap Province, welcomes visitors with a billboard in the pastel pink of the lotus, saying “Dong Thap, the Land of Pink Lotuses, Welcomes You,” at its gateway from the neighboring province of Tien Giang.

From that point on to everywhere in the city, which is a three-hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City, lotuses or lotus symbols can be found on almost every street and at nearly each house, school, public office, restaurant and hotel.

Kids are seen picking lotuses in Cao Lanh. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The number of domestic and international arrivals to Dong Thap has soared recently as holidaymakers want to see the lotuses and experience the friendly life that is full of smiles in Cao Lanh, according to many tour organizers.

The Hoa Binh Hotel, located at the gateway to the city, stands out from others with a huge “lotus baby” mascot in front of its premises with the slogan reading “Dong Thap – As Pure As a Lotus.”

The “Little Lotus,” a cutely designed symbol with its head as a blossoming lotus, has been chosen as the official mascot of Dong Thap, whereas the city’s symbol is a stylized sarus crane in the shape of a lotus.

The mascot always attracts the attention of passing tourists, and the hotel also has a huge pot of blossoming lotuses that fills its halls with a delicate scent.

The "Little Lotus" mascot. Photo: Dong Thap Portal

Tourists can also stop by and take photographs by the small lotus lake in front of the nearby Song Tra Hotel.

There are dozens of lotus pots at the headquarters of the municipal administration, and a small lotus lake has also recently been dug up there in the city’s bid to set up an administration friendly with the public.

Cao Lanh authorities have also encouraged local citizens to grow as many lotuses as possible. The call has been enthusiastically answered as the flowers are not difficult to grow, while they are already a vital part of local life.

Kids row a boat on a lotus lake in Cao Lanh. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The city’s deputy chairman, Le Ha Luan, said lotus is increasing its presence in the city because the love of local residents for the flower is getting bigger.

“Public offices grow lotuses not only to decorate the venues but also to make people love their home city more,” Luan said.

More lotus lakes, spanning thousands of square meters, have been added to the city’s planning and two under-construction “lotus streets” with a total length of 1.7km are slated for completion before the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival begins, according to the official.

Tet will kick off on February 19 with festivities lasting for about one week.

Lotuses are seen on the median strip of one of the 'lotus streets' in Cao Lanh. Photo: Dong Thap Portal

The streets, one of which leads to the city’s headquarters while the other goes to the Cao Lanh ferry terminal, will grow lotuses on their median strips and feature lotus pots and “Little Lotuses” along the sidewalks.

“People will feel like they are walking in a lotus garden while on the streets,” Luan said.

While it is quite a complicated task to fill the city with the pink flower, the Cao Lanh administration wants to go even further.

Made-from-lotus products

The city has been silently preparing for a long-term strategy: turning lotuses into deluxe products that only Dong Thap can make, Luan revealed.

“It will be wasteful if we only grow lotuses to beautify the city,” he said.

A woman poses for a photograph with packs of lotus seeds – Cao Lanh's delicacy. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Deputy Chairman Luan said both Dong Thap and Cao Lanh have the potential to develop an industry that makes products from lotus flowers.

“If we can make it, Cao Lanh will become the real destination for lotuses, just like Japan and the cherry blossom and the Netherlands with tulips,” he concluded.

Cao Lanh officials have visited other countries to see what products can be made from lotus flowers and seek investors.

Lotuses can be made into food such as cakes, tofu and lotus-scented teas, as well as cosmetics and medicines. The lotus stem fiber can also be weaved into silk and fabric.

Luan admitted, however, that modern technology and machinery are needed to make these products. The city is thus offering many incentives to attract investors for the industry.

Joint programs

Cao Lanh authorities have also been working on many other ambitious plans to make it the city of the lotus.

A "Little Lotus" mascot in person waves at visitors at a travel fair in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Dong Thap Portal

The municipal administration outlined late last year a plan to collaborate with the north-central province of Nghe An to open a tour package called “From Lotus Village to Lotus Farm.”

Lang Sen (Lotus Village) in Nghe An was the birthplace of late President Ho Chi Minh, whereas the lotus farm in Dong Thap was where his father, Nguyen Sinh Sac, was a teacher. The monument to Sac in Cao Lanh has long been a destination that tourists should not ignore.

A lotus farm is seen in Cao Lanh. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Cao Lanh also plans to cooperate with the northern province of Thai Nguyen, known as the best tea-growing area in Vietnam, to make a unique tea product.

The Thai Nguyen tea will be scented with lotuses grown in Dong Thap, a product Cao Lanh believes will please even the most discerning tea addicts.

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