Positioning the Bac Giang tourism brand.

From being considered a "low-lying area" on Vietnam's tourism map, Bac Giang province's tourism industry has now established a brand and boasts many destinations that attract both domestic and international tourists.

Tourists visit Bo Da Pagoda (Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province).

Leveraging the advantages of UNESCO-listed heritage sites, national and special national historical and cultural relics, with a focus on the cultural heritage system associated with the formation and development of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhism, Bac Giang has developed distinctive tourism products.

Since 2011, Bac Giang has identified tourism development as one of the province's five key socio -economic development programs. To date, with many specific solutions, programs, plans, and projects implemented with concerted efforts, Bac Giang has formed four main tourism products (cultural-spiritual tourism; ecological-resort tourism; entertainment, recreation, and sports tourism; and community tourism) and has begun to effectively exploit them, with cultural-spiritual tourism being the focus.

Tay Yen Tu tourism brand

Over the past three years, tourism in Tay Yen Tu (with its highlight being the Tay Yen Tu spiritual-ecological tourism area) has become a source of pride for Bac Giang province. Leveraging its potential in tangible and intangible heritage and scenic spots, along with the advantages of its natural landscapes associated with the remnants of temples and pagodas related to the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Buddhist sect, Bac Giang has invested in and developed unique tourism products such as: the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Buddhist propagation route; the Tay Yen Tu sacred land; and the Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival associated with the Bac Giang Cultural and Tourism Week… contributing to shaping the province's tourism brand.

The western slope of Yen Tu Mountain encompasses four districts: Son Dong, Luc Ngan, Luc Nam, and Yen Dung. According to researchers, while the eastern slope of Yen Tu Mountain (Quang Ninh province) was where Emperor Tran Nhan Tong practiced Buddhism, the western slope was the path he and his disciples took to propagate Buddhism and spread his teachings.

To date, along the western slopes of Yen Tu Mountain, there are approximately 130 relics related to the history of the formation and development of the Truc Lam Zen sect, founded by Emperor Tran Nhan Tong in the late 13th century. A prime example is the special national relic, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda (Yen Dung district), built during the Tran dynasty. This is the ancestral place of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect, currently preserving 3,050 woodblock prints, which have been inscribed by UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage site in the Asia-Pacific region.

Despite its potential for developing cultural-spiritual tourism and community tourism, it wasn't until 2014 that the exploitation of the over 700-year-old Truc Lam Buddhist cultural space on the western slopes of Yen Tu Mountain received systematic investment and planning. The highlight of this area is the Tay Yen Tu Spiritual-Ecological Tourism Complex in Tay Yen Tu town (Son Dong district), covering 13.8 hectares and comprising four independent temple complexes: Trinh Temple, Ha Temple (Phat Quang Temple), Trung Temple, and Thuong Temple (Kim Quy Temple). These temples are connected to Dong Temple and the statue of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong on the summit of Yen Tu Mountain (Quang Ninh province).

Along the nearly 100-kilometer route of Buddhist propagation by the founding masters of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect, starting from Bac Giang city, visitors will pass through historical sites and scenic spots in the districts of Yen Dung, Luc Nam, Luc Ngan, and Son Dong, such as Am Vai Pagoda (located on the Yen Tu mountain range), Bo Da Pagoda, Kem Pagoda, Truc Lam Phuong Hoang Zen Monastery, and Suoi Mo ecological tourist area associated with the legend of the Goddess of the Mountains… The Truc Lam Tay Yen Tu Buddhist cultural space – a unique Zen tradition of the Vietnamese people – has attracted a large number of tourists to visit and experience.

Expected to be completed in 2025, but since 2019, the items in Phase I, including the Upper Pagoda, Lower Pagoda, cable car line No. 1 from Lower Pagoda station to Upper Pagoda station, the central square area, etc., have been completed and officially put into operation, welcoming visitors from all over to worship and admire the scenery. Besides the Buddhist Dharma Propagation Path of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist Patriarchs, which is the core product of Bac Giang tourism, the province is also investing in developing tourist areas and attractions in Tay Yen Tu; creating and forming distinctive cultural products and activities; and developing tourism products, tours, routes, and destinations with the unique characteristics of Bac Giang province.

These material and spiritual resources have built the Tay Yen Tu tourism brand, spreading to domestic and international tourists the unique values ​​of the land, culture, people of Bac Giang and Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhism. The material and spiritual lives of the people, especially the ethnic minorities in Son Dong, Luc Ngan, Luc Nam districts, etc., have improved. In 2023, Bac Giang welcomed more than 2 million tourists; tourism revenue was approximately 1,477 billion VND; creating jobs for about 2,500 workers. In the first six months of 2024, Bac Giang welcomed approximately 1.8 million tourists.

Leveraging the advantages of cultural resources.

Recognizing cultural-spiritual tourism and historical-cultural tourism as two of its three key tourism products, Bac Giang has proposed a focused solution to develop tourism based on the foundation and advantages of its system of valuable historical and cultural relics.

Resolution No. 112 of the Provincial Party Committee on tourism development for the period 2021-2025, with orientation to 2030, has identified tourism development as an important economic sector; sustainable tourism development, linked with the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and the fine traditional values ​​of the nation…

According to Do Tuan Khoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Giang province, Bac Giang laid the groundwork for tourism development since the 2010s and has now created fundamental conditions.

Over the years, Bac Giang has successfully preserved and promoted traditional cultural values ​​and typical historical and cultural relics, especially exploiting and promoting the value of UNESCO-listed heritage sites, national-level and special national-level relics… to create distinctive, high-quality cultural tourism products. To date, Bac Giang's tourism brand is flourishing, creating momentum for the development of the province's cultural industry.

Bac Giang possesses rich and diverse resources for developing cultural tourism. With 755 classified historical sites and scenic spots, including 5 special national historical sites and clusters (including Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Bo Da Pagoda, Xuong Giang Victory Site, Yen The Uprising Site, and Hiep Hoa Safe Zone II); and 16 national intangible cultural heritage sites, including 5 UNESCO-listed sites (including Quan Ho folk songs, Ca Tru singing, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda woodblocks, the Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people, and the Then practice of the Tay, Nung, and Thai people in Vietnam), Bac Giang is among the top provinces nationwide in terms of the number of cultural heritage sites. The province also possesses four national treasures: the stone altar of Kham Lang Pagoda (Luc Nam district); the stone stele of Doi Coc from the Mac Dynasty (Bac Giang city); the woodblocks of Bo Da Pagoda and the arched gateway of Tho Ha communal house (Viet Yen district).

With the perspective of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of ethnic groups in conjunction with sustainable tourism development, Bac Giang has exploited cultural values, linking heritage preservation with tourism development and local socio-economic development, focusing resources on building a number of key tourist destinations associated with cultural heritage and unique scenic spots.

Many attractive tourist products have been developed, such as: Tho Ha ancient village; Khe Ro primeval forest; Nuoc Vang stream scenic spot (in Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve); Cam Son lake (Luc Ngan district)... Bac Giang currently has 32 travel and tourism businesses and 445 tourism accommodation establishments. The province has issued many mechanisms and policies to develop tourism and culture.

In 2023, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution 41/2023 on policies to support the development of community tourism in the period 2023-2030, contributing to resolving difficulties and obstacles for the development of this type of tourism in the province. Regarding infrastructure, with the goal of focusing on the sea, Bac Giang started construction of a road connecting Tay Yen Tu town to Ha Long city (Quang Ninh).

Once completed, this route will shorten the distance in space and time, connecting the eastern and western slopes of the Yen Tu mountain range, serving pilgrims visiting the birthplace of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect.

Leveraging its heritage advantages, with a priority on promoting the value of cultural heritage sites recognized by UNESCO and the Government, is a suitable direction for Bac Giang in tourism development. Recently, the Bac Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism completed the scientific dossier proposing the special national ranking of the Tien Luc historical site complex (Lang Giang district).

The province is also continuing to coordinate with Quang Ninh and Hai Duong provinces to finalize the nomination dossier for the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son-Kiep Bac complex of historical sites and scenic spots to be submitted to UNESCO for recognition as a world heritage site.

Currently, with the implementation of the project to restore the Buddhist Dharma propagation path of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect (2023-2030), linked with the preservation and promotion of the value of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist heritage and the Tay Yen Tu historical and scenic sites, Bac Giang has much potential to create unique and distinctive tourism products, contributing to achieving the goal of welcoming 3 million tourists and generating 3,000 billion VND in tourism revenue by 2025.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/dinh-vi-thuong-hieu-du-lich-bac-giang-20241014094632622.htm