Tripping with Snakes at the Le Mat Village
Tourists who are in search of an extraordinary trip can visit one of Hanoi’s top tourist attractions, the Le Mat Snake Village. Le Mat is an ancient village belonging to the Viet Hung commune which has become famous for its snake-catching and breeding vocation (hence the name “Snake Village”). Located 15 minutes east of Hanoi, the snake-catching profession of the villagers has been said to be a tradition passed down from father to son. Snakes normally thrive in stagnant pools of water like marshes around Le Mat villages and in the neighborhood. This tradition of snake-catching in Le Mat was almost lost gradually since the second half of the 20th century and one major factor was that snakes have no longer played an important role in the daily eating and drinking activities of the modern people. Still, tourists are always welcome to try out snake specialties served by many restaurants along the village path.