Over recent years, Da Nang has seen a rising number of domestic and foreign arrivals.

Mr Hai (left) instructing his employee to perfect a sedge handbag

Grasping this opportunity, many young people in the city have created numerous special souvenirs, especially those made from sedge, and their products are very attractive to visitors.

Amongst of them is Mr Van Hong Hai who is pursuing his lifelong dream of working in travel and tourism industry.

When having travelled in many localities at home and abroad, Mr Hai has always been interested in learning about the cultures of domestic and foreign places he has visited, and especially their tourism souvenirs.  As a result, he decided to start a business with the development of the tourist souvenirs made from sedge.

In 2012, Mr Hai opened a Gifts and Beach Gear shop, called ‘The Beach House’, which is located at 661 Ngo Quyen Street in Da Nang.  His shop is now offering hundreds of unique tourism products, especially sedge hats, many with the city’s symbols and its beautiful landscapes printed on them.

Initially, Mr Hai and his colleagues found it very difficult to create handicraft products suitable with sedge material, and to seek effective ways to enhance their competitiveness against Chinese similar products.

Another difficulty for them has been that sedge material is not available in Da Nang. Therefore, they have travelled from Quang Nam Province to southern provinces to seek appropriate material, then dried them to create eye-catching products.

His great efforts have been paid off as his shop’s sedge hats and handbags have become popular with both local young people and visitors during their outdoor activities and trips, as well as at the city’s large events. This has been mainly attributed to their eye-catching designs and durable, environmentally-friendly, materials.

In addition, many local companies show keen interest in presenting gifts of sedge hats and handbags to their customers in their seminars and conferences. Amongst The Beach House’s clients is the VietLegend.

Mr Le Phi, VietLegend’s Director, said ‘The Beach House’ has made the city’s beach tourism more inviting to both domestic and foreign visitors through the introduction of its sedge hats.

“Sedge products of ‘The Beach House’ are now available in travel agencies, hotels, and resorts across Da Nang. In particular, these products have been present at some international events, including the Asia Pacific Games 2017” Mr Hai noted.