In order to honour and promote the good traditional cultural values of ethnic groups, many provinces in the Northwestern region have been focusing on closely linking their culture with the local social life, becoming the spiritual foundation of society.
Tourists attend community cultural activities in Phu Tho. (Photo: Mai Anh)
Localities will focus on goals and solutions to overcome limitations and stagnation, opening up investment in the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage associated with socio-economic development, turning heritage potential into community resources and assets.
The Northwest is a large area with a strategic position of special importance in terms of the socio-economic life, security and defence of the country. The heritage area with its folklore sediments is preserving and developing a unique historical and cultural traditional value, with great tourism potentials.
However, the investment and promotion of endogenous cultural and human strengths have not been commensurate with the potential on offer. The socio-economic picture is still inadequate.
Deeply grasping the lines and policies of the Party and State in cultural revival and development, in recent years, many localities have increased their investment in this field.
In Lao Cai for the 2020-2025 term, the province is focusing on investing in promoting the values and strengths of the Lao Cai culture and people in development and integration.
According to the Secretary of the Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee Dang Xuan Phong, Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU dated August 27, 2021 of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee on tourism development in Lao Cai province to 2030, with a vision to 2050. Tourism is a breakthrough field, focusing on developing unique tourist areas.
The Provincial Party Committee has tried to promote the leadership role of the Party Committee, management and administration of the government and the mobilisation of the people's energy in building a green, clean and beautiful tourism environment, creating unique and quality products.
The province focuses on investment in conservation, research and promotion of the valuable heritage and a community tourism imbued with cultural identity; high quality and modern service. Sa Pa town, Lao Cai city, Bac Ha and Bat Xat districts are encouraged to invest in tourism, associated with the process of administrative reform and digital transformation.
Meanwhile, Yen Bai province promotes the values of culture to become a resource in socio-economic development. Yen Bai advocates that the development of culture and tourism must be associated with economic development in the locality through reforming its management mechanism and improving the quality of specialized staff.
Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Thanh Binh said that the province has been implementing many projects such as: "Preserving, exploiting and promoting the cultural identities of the four ethnic groups in the western part of the Yen Bai province"; the strategy "Preservation and development of folklore of ethnic minorities in Yen Bai province until 2020"; Project "Census and inventory of cultural heritage of ethnic minorities in Yen Bai province".
Currently, Yen Bai is focusing strongly on the goal of mobilizing its local strengths to implement the program of association and cooperation in agricultural development, associated with national culture preservation, creating a favourable environment for tourism to become a key economic sector.
Phu Tho, the convergence of cultural values of Van Lang-Au Lac associated with the Hung Kings era, currently has 967 relics, of which, 323 are historical-cultural relics ranked by the State, and many beautiful landscapes. Therefore, it is a great potential source for developing diverse types of eco-tourism, culture, history andresorts.
The province is aiming to be a bridge for economic-cultural-scientific exchanges between the Northern Delta provinces and the Northwestern provinces. According to Secretary of the Phu Tho Provincial Party Committee Bui Minh Chau, the province has directed the construction of infrastructure for socio-economic development in the direction of regional linkage, creating a driving force for economic development and serving social security.
The activities of localities, such as organising seminars to introduce and promote tourism, tourism products, services; organising fairs, conferences and tourism promotion programmes in the Northwestern region, have attracted the attention of domestic and foreign tourists.
Especially in recent years, the cooperation between the eight Northwestern provinces has helped to expand and effectively exploit the tourism potential of each locality, and promote the tourism growth of the whole region.
The project "Northwestern Road" with tours through the poorest villages in the country, has aimed to call people to build a green, clean and beautiful environment, create an identity for tourism products, and contribute to the development of tourism, improve people's living standards, and reduce poverty sustainably.
Lao Cai has built a programme "turning heritage into assets". The districts of Bac Ha, Sa Pa, and Muong Khuong have built tourist cultural villages associated with the conservation of cultural heritages.
Districts such as Mu Cang Chai, Tram Tau, Van Chan of Yen Bai province and Muong La and Bac Yen of Son La province have carried out a model of cooperation in agricultural and tourism development associated with national culture conservation.
Recently, a series of tourism promotion events in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho city within the framework of the tourism development and cooperation programme in eight Northwest provinces and Ho Chi Minh City in 2023, attracted a large number of tourists. The programmes and booths from the provinces introduced the potential and strengths of the Northwestern region and solidarity, creativity, and the integration of the people.
Economic development not only helps increase budget revenue for the province, improving people's lives, but also ensures the preservation and promotion of traditional values of ethnic minorities.
However, this process in the localities also sees requirements to continue to innovate management mechanism, improving the quality of specialised staff in the field of culture and tourism. On the other hand, it is necessary to focus on investing in traditional cultural heritages associated with building cultural and tourist products with local and Northwester
Le Mau Lam - Tran Bich Thuy - Translated by NDO
