Preserving identity to develop sustainable tourism

Over the years, Nghia Do commune has persistently carried out the work of collecting and digitizing folk knowledge. Many Tay ethnic cultural values that were originally passed down by memory or handwritten documents of artisans have been stored using digital technology .

In particular, the 5-part document set of Meritorious Artist Ma Thanh Soi has been collected and fully digitized. These are handwritten pages that store many cultural features of the Tay ethnic group in Nghia Do. From knowledge about cultural exchange in the community, how to explain place names, traditional stilt house architecture to customs, festivals, folk song and dance treasures and other folk knowledge.

The digitization of 5 documents of Meritorious Artisan Ma Thanh Soi not only helps preserve the cultural heritage of the Tay Nghia Do people but also opens up opportunities for accessing, learning and researching culture in the community, especially for today's and tomorrow's young generation, to be more convenient and easier.

I hope that these handwritten pages, when preserved scientifically, will become a valuable source of information for those who love Tay ethnic culture. This is how we continue the memories of our ancestors and spread traditional cultural values to the wider community.”
Meritorious Artisan Ma Thanh Soi

In order to preserve and promote cultural identity in the community, Nghia Do commune also invited Meritorious Artisan Ma Thanh Soi to directly talk, share and teach in extracurricular activities at schools, in village meetings, commune meetings and right at the artisan's family. The simple conversations, stories about customs, Tay language or understanding Then songs, the beauty of traditional costumes... have strongly inspired people, especially the young generation, to be aware of preserving cultural identity. Thanks to that, traditional costumes that were once absent, are gradually worn by people on festivals, happy days in the village, in the family or in conferences... with pride in the national culture.

Activities to preserve the cultural identity of the Tay people in Nghia Do
spread in the community.

Traditional stilt house architecture combined with modern is also increasingly chosen by many people in the process of repairing, renovating and building houses. Traditional weaving, which was overshadowed by plastic products, is also strongly restored. Products such as trays, baskets, sticky rice trays, chopstick boxes made of bamboo... with unique patterns have become popular products for both tourists and locals.

Rich in products from the traditional weaving craft of the Tay people in Nghia Do.

Stilt house architecture is chosen by many Nghia Do residents in renovating and repairing their houses.

Thanks to the teaching of artisans, local support and the development of the mass art movement, folk art has been strongly “revived”. Art troupes in villages are proficient in folk songs, dances and folk games, and regularly perform in communal events, competitions, and performances.

In particular, Nghia Do night market, which takes place every Saturday evening, is not only a shopping place but also a space that vividly recreates the cultural identity of local ethnic groups. Here, visitors can enjoy cultural performances imbued with identity, while also exploring agricultural products, woven products, hand-woven embroidery and culinary culture typical of Nghia Do. The night market opened in 2021 to create conditions for people to preserve and spread ethnic cultural values, while making an important contribution to promoting community tourism development in Nghia Do.

Cultural activities imbued with identity at Nghia Do night market.

Cultural identity is respected, blending with nature, becoming the foundation for Nghia Do community tourism to be chosen by many people and marked on the community tourism map of the province and the region. In 2021, Nghia Do commune was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a community tourism destination. In 2022, the commune's tourist destination was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In the period of 2023 - 2025, 5 families of the commune won the ASEAN Homestay Award.

In 2023, Nghia Do represented Lao Cai province to participate in the 8-province Northwestern Community Tourism Village Festival, winning first prize in both categories: "Introduction to community tourism villages" and "Displaying booths to introduce cultural - tourism products and OCOP products".

Along with that, Nghia Do successfully built the community tourism brand "Nghia Do - clean streams, green fields" and the image of "Nghia Do - a destination of five extremes: Extremely beautiful - Extremely green - Extremely clean - Extremely interesting - Extremely delicious", which is evaluated by tourists as a place to "explore nature, people and culture". In 2025, "Nghia Do Community Tourism Village" was granted a Certificate of Trademark Registration by the Department of Intellectual Property, affirming the brand of Nghia Do community tourism.

Community tourism in Nghia Do is increasingly developing.

These achievements are not only a recognition of the efforts of the Party Committee, government and people, but also a foundation for Nghia Do to continue to improve community tourism in the future.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/giu-gin-ban-sac-de-phat-trien-du-lich-ben-vung-post888242.html