"Awakening" traditional spaces

In the flow of developing community cultural tourism , ethnic minority cultural spaces in localities... are quietly preserving unique stories about the identity and people here. Linking these spaces with tourism activities throughout the province is a necessary direction to promote sustainable cultural values.

Recently, many localities have built conservation spaces and exhibition houses for ethnic minority cultures. For example, the Dao Thanh Y Cultural Space Exhibition House (Thuong Yen Cong Commune, Uong Bi City) has been in operation since August 2024, not only introducing brocade embroidery and the Cap Sac ceremony but also being a place for artisans to perform and teach the younger generation. In Bang Ca Commune, the conservation area model associated with the Dao Thanh Y community has attracted many tourists to experience the Cap Sac ceremony, the process of making wine with leaf yeast, and traditional house architecture...

faf — Traditional cultural preservation activities at the Thanh Y Dao Cultural Conservation Area (Bang Ca commune) contribute to attracting tourists.

In Binh Lieu, in addition to the district's Cultural and Sports Center, there are also community tourism spots such as Ban Cau (Luc Hon commune), San Chi Luc Ngu village (Huc Dong commune), where visitors can participate in festivals, explore customs and unique cuisine . Tien Yen also has the Tay ethnic cultural house (Phong Du commune), San Chi ethnic cultural and sports center (Dai Duc commune). In the province, since 2020, many localities such as Van Don, Dam Ha, Ba Che, Hai Ha... have put into operation ethnic cultural spaces at the commune and village level. In addition to the 4 ethnic villages approved by the province, in the period of 2023-2025, Quang Ninh will invest in 9 more community tourism spots with unique resources, history and culture.

According to the assessment, each exhibition space is a treasure trove of valuable documents, from artifacts, costumes, musical instruments, traditional crafts to customs and rituals. Some places have applied the "vivid" method - recreating activities and festivals, helping visitors not only watch but also deeply feel the local cultural identity. Notably, some models have proactively connected with tourism, promoting the value of destinations. Mr. Dang Van Manh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Bang Ca commune, shared: "The commune aims to develop community tourism based on cultural preservation. We have opened singing and brocade embroidery classes and organized experiences in wine making, baking, and growing medicinal plants... Thanks to that, we have welcomed many groups of students and international cruise ship guests".

In 2024, this place will welcome 10,000 visitors. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, there were more than 10,000 visitors, including many international delegations. In addition, in Thuong Yen Cong commune, the exhibition house connecting the models of the Dao people has attracted about 100 visitors per week, creating a stable income for the people. Similarly, some models in Tien Yen and Binh Lieu, where tourism is strongly developed, also attract visitors through annual cultural and festival activities.

However, in reality, apart from a few that have been promoted, most of these spaces have not really become attractive tourist destinations. Most of them are just static displays, with internal propaganda purposes, lacking connections to specific tours and tourism products. Some places, after being built, have fallen into a state of "being left there", operating at a standstill, lacking maintenance resources and monotonous display content.

Connecting the Thanh Y Dao Exhibition House (Thuong Yen Cong commune) with the community tourism models of the Dao people here diversifies the experience and increases the attraction of the journey.

The biggest challenge at present is the lack of synchronization in the operating mechanism, the lack of professional staff and the unclear positioning of these spaces on the provincial tourism map. Communication work is limited, tourism products are still monotonous, making it difficult to retain tourists. To awaken the potential, a comprehensive strategy is needed.

According to experts, it is necessary to first review and classify each space to clearly identify its role: Preserving, developing tourism, or serving as a culturaleducation point. Head of the Faculty of Tourism Studies (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) Pham Hong Long, a tourism expert, said: "Investing in developing experiential tourism needs to go hand in hand with training local human resources, encouraging community participation, and considering people as the subject of conservation. That is a sustainable way of doing things and is also something that international tourists really enjoy."

Quang Ninh currently possesses a diverse network of ethnic cultural spaces, each of which is a “channel” for ethnic identity from daily life to festivals and traditional crafts. This is an especially valuable resource, and if well organized, it can completely become a unique, distinctive and sustainable tourism product of the province.

Ha Phong

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