Mr. Tran Manh Hung - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lai Chau province had an interesting conversation with the Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper about the above issues.
PV: Sir, what makes up the cultural identity of the Lai Chau ethnic community?
Mr. Tran Manh Hung: - That is the richness of ethnic groups with diverse cultures and many unique features. Among the 20 ethnic groups living in Lai Chau, there are some ethnic groups that only exist in Lai Chau such as: Mang, La Hu, Si La... Each ethnic group has a different identity and this has created a colorful picture. Not only that, the inherent nature of ethnic cultures, the culture of Lai Chau ethnic groups is extremely rich and diverse, expressed through many forms and fields such as: Architecture, costumes, festivals, customs, folk performing arts, cuisine ...
Each type of cultural heritage represents the worldview and outlook on life of each ethnic group, containing unique and distinctive elements that have been formed, nurtured, and passed down through many generations, preserved, conserved, and promoted in community life. Up to now, the cultural identity of 20 ethnic groups, in which the richness, diversity, and uniqueness in the traditional culture of each ethnic group are the highlights that create the difference of Lai Chau culture.
In addition, Lai Chau province has 5 national intangible cultural heritages, all of which are typical cultural features of ethnic groups. They are: Xoe dance art; tug of war game of Thai ethnic group; Tu Cai festival of Dao ethnic group; Gau Tao festival of H'Mong ethnic group and brocade weaving of Lu ethnic group. In addition, Then singing heritage of Thai ethnic group has been recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
PV: Cultural exchange between ethnic groups and regions creates cultural diversity... How is this promoted in the current period, sir?
Mr. Tran Manh Hung: - In Lai Chau, when mentioning the Thai people, we are talking about the Muong So culture (Phong Tho district), when mentioning the Lu people, we are thinking about the Binh Lu area (Tam Duong district) and when mentioning the Ha Nhi, La Hu, Si La... people, we are talking about Muong Te. This clearly shows the residential areas and cultural characteristics of the ethnic groups.
As I said above, Lai Chau is a mountainous province with 20 ethnic groups living together, with more than 86% being ethnic minorities, creating a huge treasure of tangible and intangible culture such as Then singing, xoe dances, Then Kin Pang festival, Nang Han festival, Gau Tao festival, Cap sac ceremony... Lai Chau is also an ancient land with many historical and cultural relics and scenic spots, of which 21 have been ranked. These are traditional cultural features imbued with national cultural identity, creating unique characteristics of each region.
In recent years, Lai Chau province has gradually directed the restoration and maintenance of ethnic festivals in localities; folk games and performances in festivals, folk songs have been restored, recreated, adapted, and given new lyrics to meet the people's need for art enjoyment. At festivals, a large number of people and tourists participate, whether they are H'Mong, Dao, Ha Nhi or Lu people... they all join in, appreciate traditional cultural values, and thereby have the responsibility to contribute to preserving the culture of their people.
Along with that, the art programs built, both professional and mass, are developed on the basis of traditional folk culture of the ethnic groups in the province; promote propaganda and education activities, contributing to raising awareness for ethnic people to be proud of and appreciate their spiritual values, ethics, and good customs, and promote positive traditional cultural values. Encourage the maintenance of healthy customs and practices of ethnic groups; restore and develop traditional crafts of typical value. Arouse the proactive creativity of the people in community activities to meet the needs of cultural activities in the new period...
Every year, based on local budget sources, districts and cities always prioritize funding to carry out the task of preserving the fine traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups residing in communities associated with maintaining political stability, strengthening solidarity, improving the material and spiritual life of the people, focusing on prioritizing the preservation of festivals, folk performing arts, languages, writings, cuisine, costumes, typical traditional crafts, heritages that have been recognized as representative cultural heritages of humanity, heritages that have been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritages by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; building typical tourism products associated with developing community tourism; building, maintaining and developing grassroots mass art troupes...
PV: When talking about the culture of the highlanders in general and ethnic minorities in particular, it is impossible not to mention festivals. So, what has Lai Chau province done to preserve, conserve and promote the traditional festivals of the ethnic minorities?
Mr. Tran Manh Hung: - In recent years, many traditional cultural values, good customs and practices of ethnic groups in Lai Chau such as folk belief festivals, ethnic cultural festivals; languages, writings, costumes, traditional crafts, games, performances, folk songs, folk dances... have been preserved and developed in Lai Chau.
In order to contribute to preserving and promoting the good values of traditional festivals of ethnic groups, in recent times, Lai Chau province has issued a number of resolutions, decisions and plans related to the work of restoring, preserving and promoting the values of traditional festivals of ethnic groups in the province. Specifically, the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU dated February 17, 2021 of the Provincial Party Committee on preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups associated with tourism development in the period of 2021 - 2025, with a vision to 2030; Resolution No. 59/NQ-HDND dated December 10, 2021 of the Provincial People's Council on stipulating a number of policies to support the preservation and promotion of the fine traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups associated with tourism development in the province in the period of 2021 - 2025; Decision No. 562/QD-UBND dated May 17, 2021 of the Provincial People's Committee approving the Project "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups associated with tourism development in the period of 2021 - 2025, with a vision to 2030". In which, support for the restoration of 02 festivals, support for the maintenance of 35 annual festivals of ethnic groups.
Lai Chau province combines the work of preserving the cultural values of ethnic groups with tourism development, contributing to promoting and introducing the image of nature and people of Lai Chau to domestic and foreign tourists; contributing to building an advanced Vietnamese culture with strong national identity in the renovation period.
PV: Not only festivals, but also living spaces, traditional costumes, farming practices… are what create the identity of each ethnic group. But that is being significantly affected by modern life. People are worried that these cultural beauties are being eroded and gradually lost. What do you think about this?
Mr. Tran Manh Hung: - What the ethnic communities and cultural management agencies are currently worried about is the impact of modern life on the traditional cultural values of ethnic groups. As we have seen, the impact of the market economy, international integration, the strong development of information technology, natural environment issues, social environment... have been and are directly affecting the material and spiritual life of the people in general, and the ethnic communities in Lai Chau province in particular. In which, the cultural values and cultural identities of ethnic groups have been more or less affected and changed. The most recognizable manifestations are the house architecture, language and writing, costumes, arts, traditional crafts, folk literature, farming and production practices... of ethnic groups have more or less changed, including some types of intangible cultural heritage that are at risk of fading away and being lost.
However, to preserve and promote the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in the province, it is necessary to have the joint efforts of the entire political system and society, in which the first is the awareness of preserving, conserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of the people, the community - the subjects of cultural heritage, followed by the shared responsibility of all levels, sectors, and socio-political organizations in which the cultural sector plays an advisory role and guides implementation.
PV: So what is Lai Chau province's strategy in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development, sir?
Mr. Tran Manh Hung: - Given the current status of cultural heritage of ethnic groups in the province, the province has promptly issued and implemented resolutions, projects and plans to preserve and promote the values of cultural heritage of ethnic groups associated with tourism development. Specifically, in the period of 2021 - 2025, Lai Chau province sets an annual goal, striving for each ethnic group to preserve at least 01 good traditional cultural heritage, in which priority is given to: Festivals, writing, cuisine, costumes, traditional crafts, folk performing arts.
Lai Chau province determines to preserve and promote national intangible cultural heritages; 02 representative intangible cultural heritages of humanity; build 03 scientific dossiers to propose the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to recognize them as national intangible cultural heritages; build a collection of artifacts and documentary films of cultural areas of ethnic groups residing in communities to serve thematic exhibitions associated with tourism development.
The province will also build typical tourism products associated with community tourism development, including at least 01 tourism product achieving 4-5 star OCOP product; Strive to build 01 typical national community tourism village, towards proposing recognition as an ASEAN community tourism destination.
From now until 2025, Lai Chau will build 03 display points, introducing cultural products, OCOP products, agricultural products associated with sightseeing and tourist attractions on National Highway 4D Sa Pa - Lai Chau.
PV: Thank you very much!
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