Finding a "place" for Quang Nam's cultural industry

Handicrafts are also an advantage of Quang Nam to promote cultural industry. In the photo: Hoi An lantern maker. Photo: QUOC TUAN

"Cradle" of Quang Nam cultural industry

The biggest highlight when mentioning the appearance of the cultural industry in Quang Nam is the live show “Hoi An Memories”. Through the art of theatrical performance, the show led the audience to relive the space of an ancient town of Hoi An more than 4 centuries ago with ancient houses, river scenes on the wharf and under the boat.

Against that backdrop, through layers of folk tales, legends, and historical myths, the beauty of Hoi An girls is depicted and recreated in the memories of Hoi An with its ups and downs along with history.

Looking more broadly, it can be seen that a long time ago, in many corners of the ancient town of Hoi An, the cultural industry had already crept in, albeit at a rudimentary level. Compared with the 12 key areas in the cultural industry identified by the Vietnamese Government, Hoi An has long stood out with at least 3 areas: cultural tourism, handicrafts and fashion .

Art performances at My Son Temple Complex have been sporadic in the past and only last for a short time. Research is needed to improve the products to increase their appeal to tourists. Photo: QUOC TUAN

With its strength in cultural depth and attracting a large number of tourists , Quang Nam still has a lot of room to promote the cultural industry, not just in a specific industry group or the Hoi An area.

Dr. Ngo Viet Nam Son - Chairman of NgoViet Architects & Planners commented: “Hoi An should not limit itself to the field of handicrafts and folk arts when joining the UNESCO global creative city network, but should proactively develop in the fields of film, music, design... I see that the potential of these fields is very large in Hoi An, which is also an open direction to further promote the cultural industry in Hoi An”.

Creativity beyond limits

Mr. Van Ba ​​Son - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam said that there are many indigenous cultural values ​​that are very abstract and that in just a short visit, it is difficult for tourists to fully appreciate their value. We can mention the case of My Son, this heritage has great cultural depth to exploit to create added value through cultural and artistic activities.

Cultural tourism is a strength of Quang Nam. In the photo: The Bai Choi game held every night in Hoi An ancient town attracts domestic and foreign tourists. Photo: QUOC TUAN

“Instead of performing arts in a sporadic manner with short performance times as before, My Son can research an elaborate show lasting an hour to convey the quintessence of Champa rituals and culture through theatrical images. At that time, many tourists to My Son may not understand much about the value of the ancient tower but will be deeply impressed with this heritage through the work of art,” Mr. Son commented.

The cultural treasure of Western Quang Nam is also a rare “reserve” for the future development of cultural industry. According to Ms. Ta Thi Tu Uyen - Director of Product and Service Department, Vietravel Company, cultural materials in Quang Nam are very abundant to develop cultural industry associated with tourism. However, it is also necessary to be careful, have a strategy to integrate and develop systematically.

“For example, the original Co Tu culture of the highland people, if there is no appropriate exploitation strategy, will be at risk of being transformed into “theatricalization” to please tourists (such as performing rituals out of context, making poor quality souvenirs to sell to visitors...). These are serious challenges, because once the unique culture is damaged, the sustainability of tourism will no longer exist,” Ms. Uyen shared.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/di-tim-cho-dung-cho-cong-nghiep-van-hoa-quang-nam-3153957.html