Awakening heritage, creating green tourism

If culture is considered as the “gene” to define the brand of traditional heritage, then community values will ensure that this “gene” remains vibrant and is passed down through generations.

Keeping the flame of tradition alive

The increasing trend of seeking traditional cultural values shows that heritage is not only found in museums or books but lives in the breath of labour and pride of the local people. Their everyday lives are the cultural features that attract tourists, and are the core element to begin the journey of creating green tourism.

My Thanh Fishing Village (Dan Dien Commune, Hue City) is an example. This ancient fishing village, located beside Tam Giang lagoon, often welcomes visitors from afar in the misty dawn, possessing the tranquil, pristine beauty of the lagoon area. In the village, women like Nguyen Thi Du, with their petite figures and diligent work amidst the vast expanse of water, have dedicated their lives to fishing, becoming the “soul” of the destination.

For the people here, life by the lagoon is not just about making a living, but also about preserving their family and village traditions, ensuring the traditional fishing profession is not interrupted, and simultaneously opening up a sustainable way to develop tourism. Tourists come to Ngu My Thanh not only to take photos, but also to paddle boats and listen to stories about the experiences of the lagoon passed down from their ancestors.

On her family’s tourist boat, Du recounted: “We grew up on the water, knowing every shallow and deep spot in the lagoon. Wherever the boat goes, we can tell guests about the plants and fish according to the season, the history associated with each name... everyone is eager to learn.”

These genuine, simple, and proud stories shared by local guides like Mrs. Du contribute to creating an attractive traditional cultural tourism tour. The vibrant presence of the community shows that, as tourism develops, traditional lifestyles are not erased, but are cherished and contribute to livelihoods.

While Ngu My Thanh has its fishing industry, Thieng Lieng (Thanh An Commune, Ho Chi Minh City) has its traditional salt-making industry. Here, salt farmers like Nguyen Van Doi have dedicated their lives to the salt fields.

“Every year, my villagers are busy during the six months of the dry season. This is the peak time for salt production, and recently, we've even had tourists visiting,” Doi recounted.

Previously, market competition threatened the survival of Thieng Lieng’s salt-making industry. But the local community has found a new direction: transforming the traditional craft into a tourism product. They didn’t abandon the salt fields to pursue service industries; instead, they turned the sweat and effort of salt-making into an attractive living museum. Tourists are guided directly by the locals through the manual salt-making process, from hauling the land and channelling the water to raking the salt. Through this, they gain a deeper understanding of a story, a work experience, and a local culture that the community is preserving.

Elevating cultural experiences

The simple stories of local cultural brands have gradually become a solid foundation for developing green tourism. For many young tourists, the appeal of authentic cultural regions comes from the genuineness of community life.

“During many trips, I had the opportunity to talk with locals about their occupations, their way of life, or how they preserve customs through generations. Through these very ordinary stories, I realised that culture is not just a memory, but a part of life that is constantly evolving,” shared Nguyen Trung Duc (Ha Noi).

This partly explains the necessity of positioning tourism as a national brand, as well as the need for a systematic strategy to replicate and professionalise core cultural values, whether on a small or large scale.

Bac Ninh is a prime example of building a brand based on the intangible cultural heritage of Quan Ho folk singing. The province has brought Quan Ho back to its original setting, where the heritage flourishes most: on the Cau River ferry dock. There are tours like this, where early mornings at the ferry dock along the Cau River, with wisps of smoke still swirling in the wind, a few small boats quietly await passengers.

On the shore, male and female singers in traditional four-panel dresses chat, their soft laughter creating a very “poetic” sound of the Kinh Bac region. As the boats gently leave the dock, tourists can enjoy Quan Ho in the traditional courtship style. This is the key difference: the singers are not performing – they are living in their own cultural life.

Participating in the experience, Nguyen Minh Anh (a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City) shared: “I felt like I wasn’t on vacation, but living in the old stories told by my grandparents.”

Currently, Bac Ninh is developing its tourism brand with four strategic pillars: Quan Ho folk singing (the soul of the region), traditional craft villages (identity), rural ecotourism (green and sustainable tourism products), and traditional festivals (year-round tourism resources). This combination creates a unified brand strategy, elevating the value of intangible cultural heritage.

A prime example of this combination is the model of young investors like Dinh Phuong Nam (Garden Viet Ecotourism Area, Chu Ward). Nam represents the pioneering generation: instead of building concrete resorts, he creates open spaces with abundant greenery, combining high-tech agriculture with traditional culture. His ecotourism area allows visitors to enjoy clean agricultural products while experiencing traditional folk games. This model ensures a harmonious balance between conservation and development, promoting riverside ecotourism and professionalising traditional craft village services.

Furthermore, Bac Ninh’s tourism industry is applying digital transformation and developing smart tourism in its communication efforts, building digital tourism maps, and using QR codes at historical sites and craft villages; and implementing a system for introducing Quan Ho folk songs through digital audio and visuals. Thanks to this, tourists can easily access information, creating a modern impression of this traditionally rich destination.

It can be said that the true appeal of Vietnamese tourism lies in the depth of its local culture. The transformation of communities, from the burden of making a living to valuable experiences, has proven that cultural preservation is an endogenous resource for developing a green and sustainable economy. When people participate, benefit from, and are proud of their ancestral heritage, they will become the strongest “guardians”. This is the path to ensuring that Vietnamese tourism creates a difference on the world map, where traditional values are cherished and developed sustainably.