Efforts in preservation
The traditional dress of the Red Dao ethnic people is renowned for its beauty, colour, and intricacy, requiring nearly a year to complete. This meticulous craftsmanship has created a distinct cultural identity for the Red Dao people that is unmatched by other ethnic groups.
In Ban Cuon Village, Ngoc Phai Commune, Cho Don District, joint efforts are being made to preserve the traditional costumes of the local Dao ethnic people.
Trieu Thi Sinh, Head of the Cooperative for Developing Agricultural and Forestry Products in Ban Cuon Village, shared that from a young age, Red Dao ethnic girls are taught the traditional weaving and embroidery skills by their elders.
“Understanding the cultural value and the need to preserve our ethnic identity, we established a cooperative to maintain and develop the traditional embroidery craft. Beginning with seven members, we now have 24 participants,” Sinh said.
Beyond making traditional clothing, the cooperative has expanded to apply traditional embroidery patterns to various products such as wallets, bags, scarves, hats, shirts, and pillow covers on cotton and embroidered fabric. This has helped in preserving the embroidery motifs and gradually reviving the embroidery of the Red Dao people.
In 2022, the cooperative's set of embroidered patterns on pillows, bags, scarves, and hats won second prize at the Cho Don District’s design competition for tourism souvenirs and gifts.
Its long scarf design also bagged the second prize at the Design Competition for Tourism Souvenirs and Gifts hosted by the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
According to the Culture Office of Cho Don District, these efforts have led to the art of the Red Dao people’s costume decoration in Ngoc Phai Commune being recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
There are increasingly positive signs from integrating cultural preservation with tourism development. Pham Thi Tuoi, a member of the traditional folk-art troupe in Ban Bung Village, Duong Quang Commune, Bac Kan City, shared that Pao Dung folk singing is a distinctive cultural trait of the local ethnic Dao people.
In recent years, with provincial support, the village established a traditional folk-art troupe to preserve Pao Dung folk singing.
The troupes have delivered regular performances on the Song Cau pedestrian street in Bac Kan City. They hope to receive more investment in developing community-based tourism sites in Ban Bung to introduce Pao Dung singing to more tourists.
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A performance of the traditional bowl dance at a community-based tourism site in Nam Cuong Commune, Cho Don District. (Photo: NONG VUI) |
Lam Ngoc Du, Director of the Bac Kan Provincial Centre for Culture and Tourism Promotion, said that the centre has provided training sessions on intangible cultural heritage as part of the province’s implementation of national program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.
During the courses, trainees learn about folk melodies such as Then and Ru singing, the bowl dance of the Tay ethnic people, and traditional weaving techniques. They also receive instruction on enhancing performing skills to better serve tourists.
According to the Bac Kan Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the authorities has directed the purchasing and distributing cultural products to ethnic minority communities, disadvantaged areas, and boarding schools for ethnic minorities.
The province has established 18 Culture-Sports Cultural Village Clubs and 30 art teams. In 2024, six clubs on Then folk singing and ‘dan tinh’ (three-stringed musical instrument) were launched at the commune level for Tay and Nung ethnic groups), and 24 traditional art teams were established in ethnic minority and mountainous villages.
Currently, the province has 29 Then folk singing clubs, which have been actively working to preserve and spread the beauty of Then melodies.
Promoting cultural values of heritages
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A performance by members of the Sac Cham folk singing club in Bac Kan Province |
In recent years, Bac Kan has utilised funds from national target programmes to complete projects such as preserving and promoting the Then, Luon Coi, and Luon Sluong folk singing of the Tay ethnic people; and restoring traditional festivals such as Long Tong (Going to the Field) and Mu La.
In 2024, Bac Kan successfully organised the Cultural-Tourism Week, and the Tay ethnic people's folk bowl dance festival with 1,000 participants, leaving a deep impression on locals and tourists.
To help residents maximise the value of their cultural identity and develop tourism, the local authorities have allocated funding to support tourism development in villages of Khuan Bang (Cho Moi District), Con Poong (Cho Don District), and Ban Chieng (Bach Thong District). These villages have significant tourism potential and retain strong cultural identities.
Last year, the province poured nearly 15 billion VND to build iconic tourist destinations in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.
Bold investment has also been made to help preserve traditional villages and cultural heritage sites of ethnic minorities; as well as to renovate national special relics and typical national relics of ethnic minorities.
Efforts have been made to restore the Mu La Festival in Co Linh Commune (Pac Nam District); develop traditional cultural value of ethnic minority groups in Yen Lac Town (Na Ri District); establish folk cultural clubs in Nam Cuong Commune (Cho Don District), Van Tung Town (Ngan Son District), and Nhu Co Commune (Cho Moi District); and survey locations to host activities for 12 traditional art teams.
According to Hoang Ngoc Tham, Director of the Ba Be Tourism Management Board, preserving and promoting folk songs, dances, and costumes of ethnic minorities is crucial for attracting more tourists to Bac Kan. These initiatives have not only enhanced tourism but also created additional income for local residents.
