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May 27, 2008

'Cultural exchange'

By Trent Moore

trentm@cullmantimes.com



Three Vietnamese visitors got a first-hand look at southern agriculture in Cullman Tuesday as part of a week-long tour with the International Services Council of Alabama.

Dak Nong Department of Planning and Development Deputy Director Mr. Thang Cong Hoang, Tuy Duc District People's Committee of Dak Nong Province Chairman Mr. Manh Dinh Tran, Langson Provincial Preventive Medicine Center Epidemiology Department Chief Dr. Dung Anh Duong and their interpreter, Mr. Thanh Vuong, all visited Cullman Tuesday as part of the Alabama tour.

The theme of the trip was rural development and the delegation visited a variety of agricultural sites in Cullman.

“It’s about cultural exchange,” Cullman Economic Development Assistant Director Dale Greer said.

Festhalle Market Platz Manager Jimmy Simms said he thought it was “amazing” other nations were looking to Cullman for ideas.

“It was a neat experience to know they’re reaching out from other countries to Alabama,” he said. “That’s a really good thing for Cullman.”

The Vietnamese visitors spent Tuesday in Cullman and began their tour of the area with an informative meeting with Festhalle Market Manager Jimmy Simms. Simms explained to the guests how the market works.

“We talked about how our market compares to their market and they wanted to know about our farmers and if they grow their own crops,” Simms said. “They were also interested in how efficient the market is.”

Simms said one member of the group, Hoang, tried to learn as much as he could about Festhalle, with hopes the concept could catch on in Vietnam.

“Hoang was very interested in seeing our model here,” he said. “He thought it would work well in Vietnam by reducing their large markets into smaller ones.”

Simms also led the visitors on a tour of Festhalle.

The group also met Mayor Don Green at Cullman City Hall and talked briefly about integrating agriculture into a county’s economy, and how city and county governments work together to support rural business.

During lunch at locally-owned restaurant, All-Steak, the group met State Representative James Fields, who spoke with them about rural economic issues in the county which require funding at the state level.

At the Cullman Chamber of Commerce, the delegation met with Elaine Cole, William Holt Hardin Jr., and Robert L. Page, who spoke briefly about how Cullman County leads the state in agricultural production and is ranked as one of the top 60 counties in America in total agricultural income.

The guests concluded their tour of Cullman by visiting Peinhardt Living History Farm where they spoke with co-owner Dr. Bill Peinhardt.

“They were quite interested in what we were doing, trying to relay agricultural heritage to children,” Peinhardt said. “We talked a lot about trying to keep children aware of where their food and fiber comes from.”

The group is scheduled to leave Cullman early Wednesday morning for the Birmingham International Airport.

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