Preserving and promoting cultural heritage values ​​in Pleiku city, Gia Lai province

Pleiku city is known for its diverse and unique cultural system.   tangible and intangible. These cultural values ​​not only contribute to enriching national identity, but also become a driving force for tourism development , contributing to economic development and preserving traditional cultural values.

Effectively promoting the value of cultural heritage associated with tourism development

The tangible and intangible cultural heritage has been effectively exploited by Pleiku city to improve the spiritual and material life of the people, promote socio-economic development, and build the city into an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

Over the past years, Pleiku city has allocated tens of billions of VND for the restoration, embellishment and preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritages. Along with that, businesses and localities have proactively coordinated, linked, and built tours and suitable tourist routes to meet the needs of sightseeing, learning and exploring of the people and tourists.

Tourists visit and experience cultural activities at Op village, Hoa Lu ward, photo: Tra My

In the city, there are more and more relics that are honored at the national and provincial levels. Of which, 02 relics are ranked at the national level (Pleiku Prison Relic, Bien Ho Scenic Relic), 05 relics are ranked at the provincial level: Hoi Phu Martyrs Memorial Temple, Revolutionary Base Area 9 - Gao Commune, Pleiku Prisoner of War Relic (1966-1972), Relic of the Place to Receive Uncle Ho's Letters to Southern Ethnic Minorities, Relic of the Great Unity Square), those relics have become one of the unique urban architectural highlights of Pleiku city, attracting a large number of tourists to visit and experience.

Along with historical and cultural relics, the city also possesses a treasure trove of intangible cultural heritage imbued with the cultural identity of the Jrai people, typically: gong performances, brocade weaving, traditional festivals such as: celebrating the new Rong house, the horse-waving ceremony, the filial piety ceremony, etc.

Promoting the cultural values ​​of Pleiku city does not stop at preservation, but is also transformed into a driving force for economic development. Thanks to attention and good performance, many cultural heritages are preserved, embellished, spread, and promoted, contributing to enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the people, forming attractive and unique tourism products, attracting tourists, and promoting socio-economic development.

One of them is the brocade products at the Phung village brocade weaving club, Bien Ho commune. The delicate motifs and patterns combined with charming colors, through the skillful hands of the women in the club, have created brocade products that affirm the uniqueness of the traditional cultural identity of the Jrai ethnic group. The products are rich and diverse, increasingly suitable to the tastes of customers such as dresses, shirts, loincloths, handbags, shoulder bags, backpacks, wallets, pencil cases, pillows, scarves, etc., creating jobs for many women in the club.

Ms. Le Thi Loan - cultural officer of Bien Ho commune said: "Currently, the commune has Bien Ho scenic relic attracting many domestic and foreign tourists to visit; besides, Bien Ho commune is investing in developing a community tourism cultural village, so intangible cultural heritage, including brocade weaving, contributes to creating many typical tourism products for community tourism, creating jobs for some workers to have more income to cover their living expenses, contributing to the development of local socio-economic and tourism".

Some brocade products are displayed at Phung village brocade weaving club, Bien Ho commune.

Continue to preserve and promote heritage

To preserve and promote the values ​​of cultural heritage, every year, the Department of Culture and Information (now the Department of Culture, Science and Information) of the city has done a good job of inventorying relics and scenic spots in the area, assessing the current status of conservation and promoting the values ​​of ranked relics, meeting the needs of cultural activities and contributing to promoting and serving tourism activities.

According to the survey results, by the end of December 2024, the whole city had 176 sets of gongs, 680 gong and xoang dance performers, 04 gong tuners, 18 statue sculptors and 27 art troupes using gongs. Including 02 female gong teams of Chuet Ngol village, Chu A commune and female gong team of Kep village, Dong Da ward. The artisans regularly participate in festivals and events of the city, commune, ward, village and hamlet with traditional gong songs imbued with the national identity of the Jrai people such as: Celebrating the new rice, celebrating the victory, the brave boy, Po Thi festival, ... dances and gong songs of the Jrai ethnic group arouse pride and love for the homeland and country; Encourage and motivate cadres, party members, armed forces, and people of all walks of life in the city to actively compete in labor production, work, and study, contributing to tourism development and building an increasingly rich and civilized city.

Attention is paid to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. In 2024 alone, the city allocated VND 950,000,000 to the People's Committees of communes and wards to purchase 19 sets of gongs for ethnic minority villages.

The city regularly organizes gong and xoan dance exchanges with tourists at the Great Unity Square, establishes a gong team and practices to serve tourists upon request. In order to preserve the traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities in the city. From 2022 to present, the city has organized 08 gong teaching classes in communes, wards, etc. Every year, the city organizes a gong festival and folk singing for teenagers and students in the summer, an ethnic minority sports festival, and an ethnic minority cultural competition. Establishes delegations to participate in competitions and festivals organized by the province with high results.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Ha, Member of the City Party Committee, Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Pleiku City said: “With the efforts of all sectors and levels of government from the city to the grassroots, tangible and intangible cultural heritages in the city have been exploited, their values ​​promoted, becoming resources and products serving local tourism development.

In the coming time, the locality will continue to improve the efficiency and quality of organizing cultural and tourism programs and events; proactively and actively participate in cultural activities taking place inside and outside the province to further promote the values ​​of cultural heritage./.

Hong Trang