Awakening cultural heritage

Lao ethnic women in traditional costumes next to the ancient tower of Chieng So (Chieng So commune, Dien Bien Dong district). Photo: Mai Giap

The richness of the cultural heritage system of ethnic groups has created a very diverse and unique cultural space of Dien Bien. This is also the potential for the province to exploit and develop cultural, ecological and community tourism, which has been identified by the province as a spearhead economy. Tourism development is based on three main pillars: historical - spiritual and cultural tourism; ecological tourism, exploring natural landscapes and resort tourism, entertainment, health care on the basis of exploiting and promoting the value of cultural heritage of ethnic groups.

This year, Dien Bien was chosen as the host of the National Tourism Year. This is an opportunity for the province to exploit the potential of cultural heritage to develop tourism types and products; promote and attract tourists to learn, experience and explore. Along with the series of activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory, it has created an important driving force to promote tourism development. More tourists come to Dien Bien to both visit, experience and learn about the culture of ethnic groups, so the number of days of stay has increased, creating a spreading effect of Dien Bien's image to all parts of the country. Statistics for the first 6 months of 2024, Dien Bien welcomed nearly 1.37 million visitors (2.19 times higher than the same period last year, exceeding the annual plan by 5.38%), of which over 6,800 were international visitors. Revenue from tourism activities is estimated at VND2,500 billion, up 2.26 times over the same period last year, exceeding the annual plan by 12.5%.

The above figures show that Dien Bien has been gradually exploiting and promoting the value of cultural heritage associated with tourism development; building tourism products and services on culture and cuisine of ethnic groups. However, in reality, the exploitation and promotion of cultural heritage values ​​associated with tourism have not been implemented effectively, lacking quality and impressive services and products. The preservation, restoration and development of cultural, experiential and culinary tourism products and services are not rich and lack connectivity. Many traditional cultural heritage values ​​of ethnic groups are being lost, and there are no effective solutions for preservation and promotion. Meanwhile, the age of elite artisans - those who understand, hold and pass on traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic groups - is getting older while the younger generation has few people who want to learn, inherit and promote the traditional culture of the nation. The impact of market mechanisms and modern technology is creating pressure and challenges for the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values. For example, the blacksmithing of the Mong people and the shoe embroidery of the Xa Phang people are now almost self-sufficient in each family, not creating commodity products when anyone needs them, they just go to the market, even order on the internet, and the goods are delivered to their home.

Ceremony to pray for luck and water. Photo: QĐND

Each house, each custom and practice of each ethnic group has created a Dien Bien rich in cultural identity. The system of cultural heritages of ethnic groups in Dien Bien has created a unique cultural space for the locality. Cultural heritage is an invaluable resource, an important resource for tourism development if we know how to exploit and promote its value well. The Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress emphasized "linking cultural development with tourism development, making tourism a key economic sector, while protecting and preserving cultural resources for future generations". Therefore, to exploit the potential of cultural heritage associated with tourism development, Dien Bien needs to evaluate, find the causes and have specific and appropriate solutions to preserve and build cultural and community tourism products and services...

Strengthening propaganda is a solution to raise awareness and sense of responsibility of the political system and each citizen in preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage and practicing traditional culture. The form and content of propaganda need to be flexible, diverse, easy to understand, and suitable to the characteristics and cultural features of each ethnic group. Bringing cultural heritage education content into schools, creating motivation to encourage the younger generation to learn and continue the traditions and cultural identity of the ethnic group. Focus on promoting the unique cultural beauty of the ethnic groups in Dien Bien to friends and tourists at home and abroad.

People celebrate the Water Festival in Na Sang village, Nua Ngam commune, Dien Bien district. Photo: QĐND

Improve the cultural, material and spiritual life of ethnic groups in the province through livelihood support. Build models of cultural tourism, resorts, community tourism, experiential tourism, cuisine... based on the cultural resources of ethnic groups. Implement cultural village models for each ethnic group such as Mong, Thai, Ha Nhi... to create conditions for tourists to experience and learn about the unique culture of each ethnic group.

An important solution that needs attention is to improve the quality of human resources working in the fields of culture and tourism to advise and propose plans and strategies to promote the value of cultural heritage with tourism development.

By clearly identifying the causes and having appropriate solutions, the cultural heritage system of Dien Bien will be awakened, exploited, and its value promoted in association with tourism development. In the process of tourism development, it is necessary to pay attention to preserving cultural heritage for sustainable tourism development and preserving cultural heritage for future generations.

Source: https://baodienbienphu.com.vn/tin-tuc/van-hoa/217631/danh-thuc-di-san-van-hoa