Viet Nam News
HCM CITY – District 5 in HCM City will honour its venerable goldsmithing tradition by converting Nhieu Tam and Nghia Thuc streets into a so-called jewellery street.
When it is inaugurated on April 27 visitors will not only be able to buy jewels and gemstones there but also learn about the process of making them.
The area has for long been a place for selling jewellery-making equipment and tools.
According to the District 5 People’s Committee, as long ago as in the late 1980s some households on Nhieu Tam Street had started making and selling silver and gold jewels and gems. The craft quickly grew and spread to adjacent streets like Nghia Thuc and Bui Huu Nghia.
Nguyen Vo Xuan Ky, chief of the committee office, told Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper that besides the commercial benefits the jewellery street would bring to the district it would help preserve the cultural heritage of old Sai Gon – Cho Lon’s goldsmiths and silversmiths.
The area also has some spiritual destinations like Van Phat Temple and Le Chau Congregation where the ancestors of goldsmiths are worshipped.
Ky said travel agencies like Saigontourist, Ben Thanh Tourist and Vietravel operate one-day tours of District 5, and the jewellery street would become another stop for tourists.
Earlier the People’s Committee had sought the opinions of jewellery store owners in the area, and they mostly welcomed the idea.
Many stores can now be seen redecorating to attract customers. According to Nguoi Lao Dong, jewellery shops in places as far away as Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces are looking to rent places in the street to open stores.
District authorities plan to design a common logo for the gem and jewellery shops there.
Le Thi Loan, head of the district’s economy bureau, said work to upgrade the vicinity has begun, and there are plans to build parking lots, especially for buses.
Le Thi Ngoc Dung, People’s Committee chairwoman of the district’s Ward 5, said to ensure security and order, CCTVs have been installed on the street and security guards posted.
The public can send feedback to her if they are unsatisfied with the service at any jewellery shop, she added. —VNS