Bac Ninh - a tourist destination converging cultural quintessence

Talking to the Business Forum, Dr. Nguyen Van Dap, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province, said that in recent years, Bac Ninh has been one of the localities interested in developing tourism associated with cultural and spiritual values, especially the exploitation of intangible cultural heritages such as Quan Ho folk songs, traditional festivals, craft villages and famous spiritual sites. Currently exploited tourism products include: Cultural and spiritual tourism: Visiting Dau pagoda, Phat Tich pagoda, Do temple, Ba Chua Kho temple..., combined with traditional festivals such as Lim festival, Diem village festival...

Experiential tourism - craft villages: Experience making Dong Ho paintings, Phu Lang pottery, visit Dai Bai bronze casting and gouging villages... Agricultural and ecological tourism such as: Green farm (Tien Du), Thu Thuy (Tu Son City)...; Tourism associated with events (MICE tourism): Organizing Cultural Tourism Weeks, Quan Ho Festival, Quan Ho singing programs on boats, sports competitions, exhibition fairs...

The combination of traditional and modern elements, spirituality and experience is creating a new attraction for Bac Ninh tourism , attracting domestic and international visitors. In 2024 and 2025, the growth rate of visitors to Bac Ninh will increase to 40%/year.

By orientation By 2030, Bac Ninh will prioritize the development of 4 product lines:

1. Tourism associated with Creative Technology: Products combining Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs with XR technology (extended reality) in the direction of "Quan Ho storytelling". Building an interactive Quan Ho Museum, using AI for visitors to "chat" with the ancient Lien Anh - Lien Chi;

2. Tourism associated with industry & smart cities. Organizing "Industrial Tourism" tours to visit typical industrial parks: Yen Phong, VSIP... Combining high-tech experience workshops... Tours of cultural, ecological tourism cities, night cities associated with light art performances, modern service technology. Developing Smart Tourism model (virtual maps, virtual tour guides, cashless payments...);

3. Authentic tourism activities to experience the cultural heritage space of craft villages and original Quan Ho villages: Ancient houses, folk games, learning Quan Ho folk songs, learning a trade. Developing a high-tech agricultural tourism model - tourists experience farming combined with entertainment and relaxation;

4. Space-time tourism: Building night tourism products: "Full Moon Night Festival"; walking street - night cuisine, fashion show, festival season tourism, agricultural product tourism in harvest season....

Thereby synchronizing cultural tourism services and products, tourism utilities, applying digital technology, making tourism an important economic sector in the province's socio-economic development strategy.

Bac Ninh, where the quintessence of Vietnamese culture converges

Dr. Nguyen Van Dap, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province, shared that Bac Ninh currently has 1,589 relics, of which 5 are ranked as special national relics, 206 are national relics, 466 are provincial relics; 19 artifacts and groups of artifacts are recognized as National Treasures. Bac Ninh also has 4 heritages recognized by UNESCO including: Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs, Ca Tru, Huu Chap tug of war rituals and games, and the worship of the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese people; 8 intangible cultural heritages are included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritages.

In addition, there are 599 traditional festivals held annually by communities; 120 craft villages, including 62 traditional craft villages; preserving and conserving a variety of folk performing arts such as: Tuong, Cheo, Trong Quan, water puppetry, folk games...

Cultural and spiritual tourism: Visiting Dau Pagoda, Phat Tich Pagoda, Do Temple, Ba Chua Kho Temple..., combined with traditional festivals such as Lim Festival, Diem Village Festival... has attracted tourists in recent times.

Focus on conservation work

Proudly inheriting a brilliant culture with priceless heritages of the nation and of all mankind, over the past time, the government and people of Bac Ninh have been fully aware of their responsibility and have constantly paid attention to investing resources to preserve and enrich the treasure of unique cultural heritage of their homeland.

Mr. Dap said that Bac Ninh pioneered the implementation of the Heritage Digitization Project to sustainably preserve the cultural heritage treasure of the homeland, and at the same time completed the Project to produce propaganda films to promote typical cultural heritage, opening up opportunities for Bac Ninh cultural heritage to "integrate" into modern society.

Immediately after being honored by UNESCO, the province implemented a series of practical policies and guidelines so that the Quan Ho folk song heritage can have new vitality in contemporary life. In addition to fully implementing its commitments to UNESCO, the province has promoted the propaganda and promotion of Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs on the media; invested in organizing many large-scale political and cultural diplomatic events to promote the heritage. Notable programs include the "Return to Quan Ho" Festival; organizing art exchanges, connecting and promoting the Quan Ho folk song heritage domestically and internationally; maintaining the organization of Quan Ho singing programs on boats... The collection and scientific research on Quan Ho folk songs have also been approached in a multi-dimensional manner, contributing to supplementing and enriching the heritage value.

The teaching of Quan Ho folk songs has been expanded in many forms from the system of educational institutions to the residential community. Attention has been paid to investing in facilities, specific institutional systems (Theaters, Quan Ho houses) and issuing many mechanisms and policies such as: Honoring and rewarding artisans and professional artists; supporting original Quan Ho villages, typical Quan Ho clubs; encouraging the development of Quan Ho practicing villages... 44 villages receive operating support of 30 million VND/year; 150 practicing Quan Ho villages receive support of 20 million VND/year. Support has been provided for 5 years (2019-2023); From 2024, support of 20 million VND/year will be provided for a total of 261 QHTH villages; 18 folk performing arts clubs.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also coordinated with districts, towns and cities to conduct a general inventory and establish a scientific dossier on intangible cultural heritage of Bac Ninh province in the period of 2023-2025; submitted to competent authorities the National candidacy dossier to request UNESCO to include it in the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection "Dong Ho folk painting making".

Promoting the value of cultural heritage , give Bac Ninh tourism reaches new heights in the new era

In the context of integration, globalization and the 4.0 industrial revolution, Mr. Dap said that in the coming time, Bac Ninh will specifically develop a number of cultural tourism products such as:

Tourism products from national treasures: Research on the production of gifts and tourist souvenirs inspired by national treasures. Make models of construction works and cultural tourism symbols to develop check-in and live stream tourism... Develop tourism programs and routes based on connecting tourist attractions with national treasures;

Tourism products from the heritage of Bac Ninh Quan Ho Folk Songs: Building a community tourism model from the traditional Quan Ho village. Bac Ninh Quan Ho Folk Song Theater becomes a tourist destination;

Tourism products promote and exploit the value of traditional folk art forms such as: Water Puppetry, Trong Quan singing, Cheo art, Tuong... Build regular performance programs, with specific performance schedules, performance times and prices. On that basis, cooperate with travel companies to build tours to sell to different customer markets;

Culinary culture: Research on the restoration of Quan Ho village culinary culture space, initially forming culinary service packages in Quan Ho villages or places with community tourism activities, piloting in Diem area, Bac Ninh city. Continue to develop OCOP products associated with tourism activities; Research on planning and developing night culinary streets in Bac Ninh city; Orient travel companies to build tours guiding the art and skills of preparing dishes imbued with traditional culture, creating novelty for tourists, especially international visitors;

Design and manufacture tourist souvenirs: Produce souvenir products inspired by national treasures. Select 2-3 locations (handicraft production and trading establishments)/ craft villages and commercial centers (or 1 locality) to support investment funding for building infrastructure; develop into tourist destinations certified to meet standards for serving tourists; Develop tourist gift products: tourist maps, Quan Ho symbols, Quan Ho cultural symbols (made of ceramic, wood, copper, rattan, crystal, glass, t-shirts, fans, conical hats, etc.)

Craft village tourism, community tourism and homestay services: Proposing to develop a project to develop community tourism in Bac Ninh province for the period 2022-2030, in which priority is given to development in 04 areas associated with craft villages, ecological agricultural villages...;

Experience making Dong Ho paintings, Phu Lang pottery, visit Dai Bai bronze casting village. The combination of traditional and modern elements, spirituality and experience is creating a new attraction for Bac Ninh tourism, attracting domestic and international visitors.

Developing cultural and tourism works and symbols: Master plan for the system of monuments and symbols of Bac Ninh province. Selecting to invest in a work or a cultural and tourism symbol to position the image, along with a slogan to highlight and promote an attractive destination for the tourism industry;...

Spiritual tourism - festivals, traditional craft villages and experiencing the space of Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs are the main products of Bac Ninh province.

To affirm the brand and position of provincial tourism, Bac Ninh tourism products associated with the experience of traditional cultural values, along with modern, smart, and creative technology is the right direction. Mr. Dap emphasized.

According to Business Forum Magazine

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/bac-ninh-diem-den-du-lich-hoi-tu-tinh-hoa-van-hoa-20250519111910286.htm