The cultural identity of the Dao people amidst the modern lifestyle.
Early one morning in late November 2025, Son Hai village (Ba Che commune) resounded with the lively sounds of festival drums echoing along the banks of the Ba Che River. The 5th Ban Vuong Festival, 2025, opened in what is considered the "cradle" of Dao culture. While mist still lingered over the simple houses of the local people, the sound of festival drums filled the village, and crowds of people streamed towards the Ban Vuong temple area.
From the boat landing and the cultural center, delegations representing the 12 local clans, carrying offerings of local specialties and livestock, proceeded to the Ban Vuong shrine, where the ritual began. This ceremony is deeply humane, reminding people of their origins and reassuring the community, assuring them of the sacred Ban Vuong ancestors who provide protection and blessings. The ceremony also serves as a community bond, connecting clans, villages, and hamlets; praying for the health of the Dao people's descendants, favorable weather, and bountiful harvests.
Dao shamans Thanh Y and Thanh Phan perform a ceremony on a boat reenacting the sea voyage of their Dao ancestors. Photo: Mai Linh
At the Ban Vuong Festival, locals and tourists alike can witness many unique rituals of the Dao people. The program includes lively exchanges of folk songs, folk dances, and traditional games. One of the rituals that truly ignites the atmosphere is the fire-jumping ceremony. In the middle of the community center's courtyard, a pile of glowing embers emits smoke, and the shaman performs a ritual inviting the spirits to possess the participants. When the music stops, the young men begin to leap, bending over and hopping on one leg across the glowing embers with their bare feet. The fire-jumping ceremony is both a rich and unique cultural and spiritual activity of the Dao people and a means of educating them about courage and the willingness to face difficulties and challenges.
Mr. Hoang Van Son, Party Secretary and Head of Son Hai village, shared: “The Ban Vuong Festival is not only an occasion to commemorate our ancestors, but also a way for us to pass on the dances, songs, and customs to the younger generation. When the festival takes place, the whole village seems to relive its memories, feel the cohesion of the community, and feel proud of the Dao culture.”
Amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the festival, the distinctive cultural vitality of Son Hai village is evident – the culture of the Thanh Y Dao people is vividly present in every ritual, dance, costume, and belief. Located on the banks of the Ba Che River, Son Hai village has over 300 inhabitants, 70% of whom are Dao people. Son Hai possesses a unique system of historical relics: the Ông Temple and Bà Temple, an ancient pottery kiln with 17 kilns spread across the hillside, reflecting the sophisticated craftsmanship of the ancient inhabitants. Folk rituals, such as the coming-of-age ceremony, bell dance, field-going dance, and Tắc Xình dance, along with traditional handicrafts such as brocade embroidery and the traditional gourd wine making craft, are all preserved and vividly recreated.
Based on these existing cultural values, Ba Chẽ commune has proposed the construction of a Dao ethnic cultural tourism conservation and development area in Sơn Hải village – a project linking cultural preservation with community tourism development. According to the plan, the project includes: Upgrading the Bàn Vương temple complex with walking paths, trees, and flowerbeds; restoring the old fishing village wharf; recreating the sea voyage of 12 Dao clans by wooden boat; building hills of plum, peach, and myrtle blossoms, rice paddies, and upland rice fields; renovating the cultural house, exhibition hall, and typical Dao homestay model; equipping two motorboats and one canoe to create a river tour route, allowing tourists to experience the river-mountain living space associated with Dao life. The total investment is approximately 25 billion VND.
Dao women embroider traditional costumes at the Ban Vuong Festival 2025. Photo: Mai Linh
Ms. Hoang Thi Oanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Che Commune, emphasized: "The goal of the project is not only to preserve festivals, rituals, costumes, or traditional crafts, but also to create a vibrant living space for the community to proactively preserve and promote Dao culture. When tourists come to experience it, the people will have additional livelihoods, feel proud, and preserve their own heritage. This is how we connect cultural preservation with sustainable socio -economic development."
The project aims to develop Son Hai village into a center for preserving the distinctive and representative Dao cultural heritage; a place to display and collect the cultural values of the Thanh Y and Thanh Phan Dao people; and a highlight on the map of community tourism in the mountainous region of Quang Ninh. Ba Che is on a clear path: preserving cultural capital to guide development, transforming vibrant heritage into a resource that helps the village and commune gradually change their appearance and affirm the Dao identity amidst modern life.
Policies that "pave the way" for cultural development.
With ethnic minority communities scattered across mountainous, border, and island areas, the province has long identified the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values as a key task. Over the years, the province has implemented numerous policies and action programs aimed at both protecting heritage and integrating socio-economic development, contributing to improving the material and spiritual lives of the people.
Based on that understanding, the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU (dated March 9, 2018) "On building and developing the culture and people of Quang Ninh to meet the requirements of sustainable development"; the Provincial People's Committee issued Action Program No. 105/CTr-UBND to implement Resolution No. 11-NQ/TU, with a comprehensive system of tasks, in which the group of tasks on preserving, restoring and promoting various forms of cultural heritage, especially the intangible cultural heritage of ethnic minorities, is prioritized for implementation in localities.
By 2021, Resolution No. 06-NQ/TU of the Provincial Party Committee "On sustainable socio-economic development associated with ensuring strong national defense and security in communes, villages, and hamlets in ethnic minority, mountainous, border, and island areas for the period 2021-2025, with orientation to 2030" and Resolution No. 16/2021/NQ-HĐND of the Provincial People's Council "Approving the overall program for sustainable socio-economic development associated with ensuring strong national defense and security in communes, villages, and hamlets in ethnic minority, mountainous, border, and island areas of Quang Ninh province for the period 2021-2025, with orientation to 2030" with specific policies, have created a strong support framework, with a total estimated resource of approximately 4,000 billion VND. In 2023, Resolution No. 17-NQ/TU of the Provincial Party Committee "On building and promoting the cultural values and human strength of Quang Ninh to become an endogenous resource and driving force for rapid and sustainable development" continued to emphasize the task of preserving, restoring, and promoting the value of cultural heritage, which was concretized by Action Program No. 869/CTr-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee and Plan No. 383-KH/TU of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee.
Tourists can experience cultural and artistic activities at Am Vap Farm Ky Thuong Tourist Area.
The province has conducted a review and inventory of 362 intangible cultural heritage sites, and implemented 19 projects to research, collect, restore, preserve, and promote these heritages; of which 19 heritage sites have been included in the national list. Quang Ninh is one of the localities in the country that has Then Tay - an intangible cultural heritage of humanity recognized by UNESCO, demonstrating the vitality and enduring value of ethnic minority culture.
Besides preserving tangible heritage, the transmission and promotion of intangible cultural values are being implemented comprehensively. Training courses, folk art clubs, and traditional craft clubs are widely organized, with 122 clubs actively operating, maintaining traditional knowledge and skills while participating in provincial and national festivals and performances. Many organizations and individuals are actively collecting, researching, and publishing books on cultural values, such as the Ha Nam - Yen Hung folk singing, some issues concerning the Dao people of Quang Ninh, and festivals of Quang Ninh province.
The work of honoring artisans has been implemented systematically. The province currently has 31 artisans who have been awarded the titles of "People's Artisan" and "Outstanding Artisan," along with practical support policies, contributing to ensuring that the living cultural values of the people are passed on sustainably.
Notably, the management and organization of festivals have been implemented systematically, preserving traditional values while transforming them into unique tourism products, creating new vitality for the community. Annually, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism guides localities in organizing ethnic festivals of the Tay, Dao, and San Chi ethnic groups in Binh Lieu, Tien Yen, and Ba Che, incorporating traditional sports such as stick pushing, tug-of-war, archery, and boat racing, thus preserving the cultural essence and enhancing the role of culture in community life.
The San Diu people's "Hành Quang" dance at the 2023 San Diu Ethnic Culture and Sports Festival in Tien Yen district. Photo: Nguyen Dung
Regarding tangible heritage and traditional spaces, the province, in coordination with local authorities, has collected and displayed over 580 artifacts; and built cultural villages/hamlets of the Tay, San Chi, and Dao ethnic groups in various localities, helping tourists and locals gain a deeper understanding of their traditional culture and way of life. From costumes, musical instruments, and tools to traditional house architecture, everything is carefully preserved and restored, creating conditions for the heritage to thrive and connect with modern life.
Thanks to synchronized policies, projects, and approaches, Quang Ninh is gradually preserving the cultural essence of ethnic minorities while integrating it with socio-economic development, turning heritage into a driving force for changing the local landscape. Culture is not just a memory, but has become a driving force for life, shaping a new rhythm of life for the ethnic communities in the province.
Ngo Dieu
Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/giu-gin-hon-cot-van-hoa-cac-dan-toc-3386626.html
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