Heritage preservation, tourism development

BAC GIANG - As a province with many valuable heritages, in recent times, the government and functional agencies of localities in the province have made efforts to exploit them to develop tourism. However, in order to further promote the value of heritages and promote tourism development, it is necessary to implement synchronous solutions.

Build multiple products

According to statistics, the province currently has more than 2,000 historical and cultural relics, of which 116 are nationally ranked. In particular, the province has 5 cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO, including: Quan Ho folk songs; Ca Tru; the practice of worshipping the Mother Goddess of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese people; the practice of Then rituals of the Tay, Nung, and Thai people; Vinh Nghiem Pagoda woodblocks and 20 national intangible cultural heritages. Every year, the province has nearly 800 festivals. These are valuable heritages that can be exploited to develop tourism .

Visitors visit the woodblock storage of Bo Da pagoda (Viet Yen town).

Resolution No. 112, dated June 15, 2021 of the Provincial Party Committee on tourism development for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030, identifies the province as focusing on building four main tourism products: Culture - spirituality; ecology - resort; entertainment, recreation, sports; community tourism associated with fruit growing areas, agricultural and rural products and synchronous development of high-quality services. To implement this, districts, towns and cities have issued resolutions and developed specific tourism development plans. Coordination between sectors and localities has been promoted; this is considered one of the key tasks for socio -economic development.

Up to now, many tourist areas and spots have initially attracted visitors such as: Tay Yen Tu spiritual and ecological tourist area (Son Dong); Suoi Mo ecological tourist area (Luc Nam); special national relics: Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Xuong Giang Victory Site ( Bac Giang city), Bo Da Pagoda (Viet Yen town); Ven village community tourist spot (Yen The) ...

Mr. Do Tuan Khoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Giang said: “The whole province has basically formed and effectively exploited 4 key tourism spaces of the province including: Hanoi - Bac Giang city - Luc Ngan - Son Dong; Tay Yen Tu tourism space associated with "The Path of Propagating Buddhism of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist Patriarchs"; community tourism space associated with fruit growing areas; eco-tourism space for relaxation, entertainment and recreation associated with golf tourism.

From 2021 to now, 9 more tourist destinations have been recognized, bringing the total number of recognized tourist areas and destinations in the province to 20. The total number of tourists in 4 years (from 2021-2025) reached more than 9.2 million. In 2024, the number of visitors to Bac Giang reached 2.6 million, an increase of 27% compared to 2023. In 2025, it is estimated to reach 3 million (achieving 100% of the target set by Resolution 112 of the Provincial Party Committee); tourism revenue reached more than 7.2 trillion VND, in 2025 it is estimated to reach 3 trillion VND; creating jobs for about 3,000 workers. Although achieving some positive results, currently, the province's tourism products have not created a unique brand, the value from tourism activities is not commensurate with the potential. Tourist areas and destinations lack large entertainment areas; low number of guests staying, mainly day trips, low spending

"Advice" for tourism to take off

In order to promote tourism development from heritage, many experts and businesses have made valuable suggestions. Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Thuy (Hanoi University of Culture) - who has many years of experience in tourism training, said: Bac Giang possesses very promising heritage resources to become an attractive destination on the Northern tourism map. The province is on the right track, which is to develop tourism based on local resources.

Visitors to Suoi Mo Eco-tourism Area (Luc Nam).

From the pristine natural landscape, the sacred pagoda and tower system such as Tay Yen Tu, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda to the intangible cultural heritage: Quan Ho, Ca Tru are all valuable materials to develop into typical tourism products. However, to enhance its position and attract tourists in the long term, Bac Giang needs to clearly position its identity. According to Ms. Thuy, without identity, there is no competitive advantage. That identity does not lie in the magnificent man-made works but in the resonance between nature, culture and people.

“Bac Giang needs to prioritize developing product chains associated with local strengths such as the Tay Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem Pagoda - Am Vai spiritual tourism route, experiencing lychee harvesting in Luc Ngan, discovering the craft of making Chu noodles, combining Quan Ho and Ca Tru performances in the original space…”, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Thuy said.

For special national relics, many experts believe that they need to be “awakened” to create economic value. For example, at the Yen The Uprising Relic Site, it is possible to expand the exhibition space; collect many stories and images related to the uprising; rent costumes, recreate images of the insurgents; print books and pictures to sell to tourists... Similarly, at the special national relic site of the Xuong Giang Victory Site (Bac Giang city), it is possible to simulate and recreate the victory, let students participate in mock battles; show 3D movies, stage short plays about the Xuong Giang victory associated with the experience of making Ke rice paper...

These models and activities will attract a large number of students, teachers inside and outside the province. Or the outstanding cultural heritage value in Tho Ha village, Van Ha commune (Viet Yen town) is the ancient architectural works (communal house, pagoda, ancient house, village gate ...), traditional festivals, tuong, ca tru, quan ho. To turn this heritage into a tourism product, it is necessary to invest in synchronous tourism infrastructure such as: accommodation, traffic roads, parking lots, service areas, sanitation ...

Mr. Tran Quoc Dung, Director of Dinh Anh International Tourism Trade Company Limited, suggested: The province continues to research and has attractive mechanisms and policies to attract more businesses to invest in tourism. Strengthening connections, building tours and routes, and training quality tourism human resources. According to Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, cultural tourism is currently a trend of world tourism to find the core values ​​of life. Bac Giang needs to delve into cultural factors to create attractive tourism products to serve tourists. On the other hand, Bac Giang has the largest lychee output in the country, so it can promote this advantage to develop tourism.

In the near future, the merger of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces to form a new province will open up many new opportunities and new prospects for the tourism industry. Tourism products will be more abundant and diverse. If there is the attention, direction and correct orientation of the Party Committee, the government, the functional sectors, the companionship and support of businesses and people, it will create momentum for the province's tourism to break through, becoming a bright spot on the Northern tourism map, contributing to promoting the socio-economic development of the province, the region and the whole country.

Article and photos: Cong Doanh

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/bao-ton-di-san-phat-trien-du-lich-postid417729.bbg