Preserving heritage and developing culture in connection with community-based tourism
In recent years, the implementation of Project 6 under the National Target Programme for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for 2021–2030 has generated positive changes, contributing to improved cultural and spiritual lives and livelihoods of ethnic minority communities.
With the consistent view that “the culture of ethnic minorities is an important part of the unified and diverse culture of Viet Nam”, the preservation and promotion of ethnic minority cultural values have been carried out in a comprehensive and effective manner over the years.
According to representatives of the Department of Ethnic Culture of Viet Nam (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Project 6 — “Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities in association with tourism development” — chaired by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has been implemented nationwide with 19 component tasks, aiming to restore, preserve, and promote traditional cultural identities, link culture with sustainable tourism development, and improve access to cultural activities and spiritual life for ethnic communities.
Many tangible and intangible cultural heritages have been studied, restored, and preserved; major festivals of various ethnic groups such as the Gau Tao Festival (H’Mong), Gong Cultural Festival (Central Highlands), and Then singing–Dan tinh (Tinh gourd lute) Festival (Tay, Nung, Thai) have been revived and inscribed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List, becoming distinctive cultural–tourism highlights.
Efforts to improve cultural life at grassroots level have achieved remarkable results: numerous cultural houses and community activity centres have been newly built or upgraded; and thousands of folk culture clubs and traditional art troupes have been established and operate regularly, attracting artisans, village elders, and ethnic minority youths.
Training courses on intangible cultural heritage, community-based tourism skills and cultural transmission have been organised for more than 16,000 participants, helping enhance capacity in on-site cultural preservation and utilisation. Regional and national cultural, artistic, and sports festivals of ethnic groups are held periodically, creating platforms for exchange as well as showcasing ethnic cultural identities to the wider public.
Linking cultural preservation with community-based tourism has produced clear positive effects. Many ethnic minority tourism sites have been renovated and upgraded, developing sustainable community tourism models that combine cultural preservation with livelihood improvement, such as Na Hang (Tuyen Quang), Lac Cultural Village (Phu Tho), Plei Oi (Gia Lai), and Sin Suoi Ho (Lai Chau).
As a result, the proportion of villages with community houses has reached 93.8%, while those with regularly operating traditional cultural and art teams reached 66.1%, surpassing the targets set by the National Assembly (80% and 50%).
Spreading cultural values and strengthening national great unity
Every year, the Department of Ethnic Culture of Viet Nam coordinates to organise a wide range of cultural activities at the Viet Nam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism. Events such as “Spring Colours across the Homeland”, “Viet Nam Ethnic Groups’ Cultural Day”, “Week of Great National Solidarity – Viet Nam Cultural Heritage”, and “Highland Market Fair” have become annual activities that vividly recreate the cultural beauty, customs, festivals, and traditional crafts of the country’s 54 ethnic groups.
These programmes not only help honour ethnic cultural heritage and raise community awareness about preserving cultural identity but also create spaces for cultural experience and exchange for domestic and international visitors.
Over the past year, the Viet Nam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism has organised hundreds of large-scale cultural and tourism events, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, making it an appealing destination that contributes to promoting Vietnamese culture to international friends.
According to the Department of Ethnic Culture of Viet Nam, during the 2021–2025 period, the preservation and promotion of traditional ethnic minority culture has brought about remarkable progress, contributing to strengthening national great unity, enhancing cultural enjoyment, and developing sustainable community-based tourism, linking culture with livelihoods and helping many households escape poverty.
Entering the 2026–2030 period, cultural preservation continues to aim at restoring and sustainably promoting traditional values, building a healthy, diverse, and creative cultural environment associated with community-based tourism development.
The Department of Ethnic Culture of Viet Nam proposes several key tasks, including preserving and promoting exemplary traditional cultural villages; restoring special national relics, developing cultural facilities, establishing community-based tourism sites; reviving the cultural identity of ethnic groups with very small populations; organising festivals and cultural–sports–tourism exchanges in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; building a database system on ethnic minority culture; and promoting cultural tourism via media platforms.
Project 6 under the National Target Programme for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for 2021–2030 has affirmed the role of culture as an important endogenous resource for sustainable development in these ethnic minority and mountainous regions.
In the coming period, the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values will continue to be carried out with renewed approaches, increased targeted investment, enhanced socialisation, and greater application of digital technology, towards the goal to “Preserve identity – Promote sustainable development – Improve cultural life of ethnic minority communities in Viet Nam”.
