Diversity and professionalism are needed.

Proud of its rich history and long-standing cultural heritage, Ha Nam considers culture and cultural heritage as important resources for tourism development, using tourism development to promote and preserve cultural values; contributing to the creation of new cultural values, but requiring greater diversity and professionalism.

Brand building

Preserving and promoting the values ​​of traditional national cultural heritage in general, and the values ​​of historical and cultural relics and scenic spots in particular, is identified by Ha Nam province as an important task in the process of development, exchange, and international integration. This is the foundation for Ha Nam to "Build and develop Vietnamese culture and people for the sustainable development of the country."

A performance of traditional Japanese Kyogen art at Tam Chuc Pagoda.

Culture and cultural heritage have become valuable resources for the development of tourism , as Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Duc Thanh, former Head of the Tourism Department, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, rightly stated: “Ha Nam has rich and diverse natural tourism resources, from its topography and geomorphology with rocky mountains, caves, and rivers; and many unique cultural values ​​of the Red River Delta region. These tourism resources are reflected in the system of cultural relics in Ha Nam such as: the special national relic Long Doi Son Pagoda, Tran Thuong Temple, Lanh Giang Temple, Lang Temple, Ba Danh Pagoda... Along with that are national-level festivals, typical examples include: the Tich Dien - Doi Son Festival, the Duc Thanh Tran Rice Distribution Ceremony, the Lanh Giang Temple Festival, the Tam Chuc Pagoda Festival and unique craft villages such as Doi Tam drum-making village, Nha Xa weaving village, Quyet Thanh pottery village, Ngoc Dong rattan weaving village, Do Hai horn handicraft village... Ha Nam is also a land of scholarly achievements with Famous figures in the nation's history include: Tam Nguyen Yen Do Nguyen Khuyen, realist writer Nam Cao... Ha Nam's cuisine is rustic and deeply rooted in the spirit of the lowland countryside, such as braised fish, rice crackers with freshwater fish, and rice rolls with pork sausage...

To elevate Ha Nam's culture and tourism to a worthy position on the national and global cultural and tourism map, over the past decade, Ha Nam has implemented its Cultural Development Strategy and Foreign Cultural Strategy for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030. One of the key tasks is promoting the image of Ha Nam's land and people. Following the success of many large-scale and influential cultural and artistic programs and activities such as "Korean Film Month - Meeting the People of Brussels," "Korean Culture Day in Ha Nam," etc., Ha Nam hosted the 16th United Nations Vesak Day in 2019, attracting millions of domestic and international tourists. This event contributed to opening a new tourism path for Ha Nam, putting the Tam Chuc Tourist Area on the national and international tourism map. Tam Chuc has appeared on various media platforms, creating a strong attraction that promotes tourism development.

In this tourist area, many cultural and artistic activities, cultural, sports, and tourism events are organized, such as: the Vietnam-Japan cultural and artistic exchange program, the Indian Holi folk dance performance, the VTV's "Year-End Afternoon" program, etc. In 2023, Ha Nam was honored by the World Travel Awards (WTA) as the "World's Leading Local Cultural Destination". In 2024, Ha Nam was honored by the WTA Asia and Oceania region as the "Asia's Leading Emerging Tourist Destination". Cultural tourism is seen as a gateway for Ha Nam to reach out to the world…

Spreading new cultural values

Vietnamese cultural researcher Le Van Lan is one of the people who have participated in many research, preservation, and promotion activities of heritage values ​​in Ha Nam province in recent years. At the 58th National Archaeology Conference in 2023, he said, “Ha Nam is very interested in and creates favorable conditions for archaeologists not only to work but also to participate in large-scale conferences in the locality. This is an opportunity for Ha Nam to spread new values ​​of cultural heritage.” Poet Vu Quan Phuong, attending the National Scientific Conference "Looking Back at 15 Years of Implementing Resolution 23 of the Politburo on Continuing to Build and Develop Literature and Art in the New Era," held at the Tam Chuc Tourist Area, remarked: "I have never seen a temple as beautiful as this, not even when I visited China or other Asian countries. Tam Chuc Temple is built both majestically and exquisitely. Even better, it's not too far from Hanoi; during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year), one can come here in a single day to immerse themselves in this atmosphere."

The anecdote of the "paper doctor" was incorporated into the play "Miss Dao and Mr. Tam Nguyen" to portray the talent and character of the poet Nguyen Khuyen.

To highlight the cultural values ​​of its heritage, Ha Nam also organizes numerous workshops and conferences to promote tourism investment. Mr. Ngo Thanh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated: To exploit and promote cultural values ​​for tourism development, the cultural sector has strengthened coordination with leading central management agencies and research institutes such as the Department of Cultural Heritage, the Institute for Conservation and Promotion of National Culture, the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts, and the Institute of Archaeology… to promote scientific research activities and specialized scientific workshops on the conservation and promotion of local cultural heritage values. Simultaneously, cooperation with domestic media agencies has been expanded to develop programs introducing typical cultural heritage sites in Ha Nam. The province actively participates in tourism promotion and conservation programs organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In coordination with local authorities in the province, we successfully organized numerous festivals, competitions, performances, exhibitions, and displays to introduce and promote the cultural heritage values ​​of Ha Nam.

Mr. Ngo Thanh Tuan affirmed: Doing a good job of promoting culture in Ha Nam not only opens the way to position the province's culture on the national and international map but also creates conditions for tourism to develop into an important economic sector for Ha Nam. However, cultural promotion needs to be more diverse and sophisticated, because culture is not only a heritage to be preserved but also a source of inspiration for creating new values. To make Ha Nam's culture more vibrant, promotion should focus on building an image and creating experiential activities for tourists through digitalization, socialization, and innovation. Developing tourism contributes to promoting and preserving cultural heritage values.

Chu Uyen

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/du-lich/quang-ba-van-hoa-du-lich-ha-nam-can-da-dang-va-chuyen-nghiep-160423.html