Twenty-five kilometres south of Hanoi's centre, Tam Hung Commune is getting serious about tourism. On October 30, experts from the capital's tourism department and a group of travel companies visited the area on a familiarisation trip, then sat down with local officials to work out how a place packed with heritage but light on visitors can start pulling its weight.
The star attraction is Boi Khe Pagoda, a special national relic site. Built in an inner-courtyard, outer-perimeter layout, it fronts a main Buddha hall with a deity sanctuary behind. It holds a rare stone lotus pedestal from the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) and a two-tiered, eight-roofed sanctuary, and was listed as a national relic in 1979 before earning special status in 2025. The genuinely unusual bit? A network of secret defence tunnels from the resistance war against the French runs beneath it. The original system stretched roughly 3km; a restored 9m section is now open to visitors.
History doesn't stop there. Kim Communal House honours the village's tutelary deities and, after the 1954 Geneva Accords, briefly served as the Hanoi Party Committee's headquarters. For anyone interested in Vietnam's revolutionary past, that's a real draw.
Tam Hung's craft villages add hands-on appeal. Wood carving is still practised at Du Du village, and locals hand-stitch sports balls — an oddly specific skill worth seeing. The commune also counts 11 OCOP-certified products and seven VietGAP-accredited farming areas, which gives rural and food-focused itineraries something to build on.
The advice from the experts was pointed. Phung Quang Thang of the Vietnam Travel Association wants the commune to lean on Boi Khe Pagoda, tidy up the craft villages and link up with nearby hubs: Quang Phu Cau's incense makers, Chuyen My's mother-of-pearl inlayers and Chuong's conical-hat makers. Others proposed a tourism steering committee, branded itineraries, Instagram-friendly photo spots and a proper plan covering sightseeing, food, lodging and shopping.
Why it matters for travellers: this is exactly the kind of place that rewards early visits. Before the tour buses arrive, you can explore an ancient pagoda, duck into wartime tunnels and watch artisans at work — all within an easy day trip of Hanoi, and likely combined with incense, hat-making and mother-of-pearl villages nearby. If the proposed thematic tours take off, Tam Hung could become the capital's go-to suburban escape. Go now and you'll have it mostly to yourself.
