Villages awaken, tourism takes off: Lang Son unleashes the power of highland heritage

From the sli melodies, meandering between the mountains and forests to the reviving cultural villages, Lang Son is creating a "new symphony" between conservation and development, making ethnic minority culture a fulcrum for green, unique and sustainable tourism.

Originating from the village - where culture is awakened

As a province with more than 30 ethnic groups living together, Lang Son is a land that converges the unique cultural treasures of the Tay, Nung, Dao, Hoa, San Chay... Not only are they the identity of Lang, these values ​​also become a "soft gold mine" that helps the province develop tourism in a different direction.

Since the beginning of 2025, the province has implemented Project 6 under the National Target Program to preserve and promote traditional culture associated with tourism development. This is an important transition: from passive conservation to conservation combined with sustainable exploitation.

In just 9 months, many activities have been implemented: equipping 20 sets of village cultural house equipment; supporting 4 artisans; maintaining 60 traditional art troupes; opening 3 classes to teach intangible culture; establishing 3 folk culture clubs and 8 community bookcases. These activities are "breathing warmth" into the villages - where traditional values ​​are most firmly preserved.

In particular, Bac Son Valley has just been honored as " The World's Best Tourist Village in 2025", opening up breakthrough opportunities for community tourism.

Conservation for development – ​​a new direction for Lang Son

Not only preserving heritage, Lang Son chooses to combine conservation with tourism economy . Three traditional cultural villages - Thach Khuyen stone village (Xuat Le), Lan Chau village (Huu Lien) and Quynh Son (Bac Quynh) - are invested as a model: living space, customs, ancient architecture are preserved intact, and at the same time open to welcome visitors to experience.

Comrade Hoang Quoc Khanh, Provincial Party Secretary, visited and learned about the yin-yang tile production facility in Bac Son commune.

In parallel is the project to renovate the Bac Son Uprising Relic Site. When completed, this will not only be a "red address" for historical education but also a special highlight on the province's cultural and historical tourism map.

People – the central element – ​​are also focused on. Classes teaching then, sli, luon, policies supporting artisans, and traditional art troupes help to extend the cultural source by the younger generation.

In Bac Son, Ba Son, Huu Kien… many households have developed homestays in the style of ancient stilt houses, restored traditional cuisine, organized folk song and dance performances, and guided visitors to explore the village. Culture becomes a livelihood, people become the subject – the key foundation for sustainable community tourism.

When villages become destinations – heritage revives in life

Values ​​that seemed to be gradually fading away – Tay then, tinh lute, Nung panpipe, Long Tong festival, sli singing – are strongly reviving in the vibrant tourism space.

Visitors can not only see and listen, but also experience: making yin-yang tiles in Quynh Son, planting rice in Bac Son valley, and learning Then singing with local artisans.

The ripple effect is obvious: richer tourism experiences, increased incomes, and bustling villages with new vitality. Each festival season and each folk song performance becomes a common asset that the community preserves with pride.

Cultural-tourism linkage: Long-term direction for sustainable development

Lang Son is building a mechanism to closely link conservation and development. Each cultural project aims at tourism; each tourism product exploits local values.

Three pillars were identified: Developing community tourism associated with preserving ancient villages; Building cultural and agricultural experience tours in the highlands; Developing unique tourism products from folk songs, cuisine, costumes, and folk arts.

This is also the current trend of experiential tourism – where tourists seek authenticity and uniqueness.

Thach Khuyen stone village - typical architecture of traditional houses of Tay and Nung ethnic groups in Lang Son

However, the province still faces challenges: limited resources, unsynchronized infrastructure, and lack of professional tourism staff. For culture to truly nurture tourism, Lang Son needs to promote business linkages, train human resources, and encourage the community to participate in promoting products.

Culture – the “wings” that lift Lang Son tourism high. Ethnic minority culture is not only a memory of the past but also a material for Lang Son to shape its future. When cultural villages are revived, artisans are honored, sli-luong dances resound in the tourist space, heritage returns to everyday life in a lively way.

Project 6 is creating a foundation for Lang Son to position itself on the map of sustainable tourism. Each beat of the festival drum, each then sound, each stilt house lit up to welcome guests tells a new story: when the village wakes up, Lang Son tourism will take off with its own cultural wings.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/ban-lang-thuc-giac-du-lich-cat-canh-lang-son-khai-mo-suc-manh-di-san-vung-cao-20251114194627592.htm