Connecting heritage to breakthrough tourism

Tourism associated with heritage urban foundation

By the end of 2025, Ho Chi Minh City will own a "heritage gold mine" with 321 historical - cultural relics and scenic spots. Of which, there are 4 special national relics, 99 national-level relics (including 4 archaeological relics, 44 architectural and artistic relics, 48 historical relics and 3 scenic spots), 218 city-level relics. This is considered a valuable resource for the city to develop cultural tourism rich in identity in a sustainable direction. According to UNESCO, the sustainability of cultural tourism is guaranteed by 3 pillars: preserving and promoting heritage; developing the local economy ; enhancing livelihoods and the role of the community. This also puts tourists, heritage and people at the center of every strategy, with the requirement to enhance the quality of experience and the longevity of cultural values.

CN1 chu de.jpg — Visitors to the War Remnants Museum

Dr. Nguyen Minh Nhut, Deputy Head of the Culture and Society Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, shared that for large cities like Ho Chi Minh City, where many layers of heritage and diverse cultural spaces converge, linking conservation with sustainable cultural tourism development will contribute to positioning the image of a modern city, rich in identity and increasing tourism competitiveness. At the same time, regional and national cultural values will also be spread more widely.

In recent years, many types of intangible cultural heritage have been introduced into tourism activities by the city and created positive effects: the Tet Nguyen Tieu festival associated with tours to explore the old town of Cho Lon and the system of Chinese assembly halls; performances of traditional music, opera, lion and dragon dances; tours to experience traditional craft villages (baking, sewing ao dai, writing calligraphy, etc.), helping tourists interact directly with artisans. According to Dr. Nguyen Minh Nhut, these models not only bring diversity to tourism products, but also contribute to "bringing to life" heritage, bringing heritage from a static state to practice, performance and community interaction.

Another important highlight is “memory tourism”. In the context of urban expansion, Con Dao special zone - the sacred red address of the Fatherland located in Ho Chi Minh City, opens up many potentials for the city to develop tourism products associated with historical memories. The current international trend emphasizes cultural and heritage experiences, deeply accessing local identity, history and community memories. “Memory tourism” is therefore increasingly focused on as a way to nurture identity and educate the younger generation.

The need for a heritage center in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City currently has 9 public museums under the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Southern Women's Museum, Ho Chi Minh Museum - Ho Chi Minh City Branch, Ton Duc Thang Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, War Remnants Museum, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Museum and Binh Duong Museum. Despite possessing rich, diverse and valuable collections of artifacts, the museum system is still operating in a decentralized manner, lacking a strategic coordination mechanism, and failing to create a combined strength in preserving and promoting heritage values.

CN3 tieu diem.jpg — Visitors to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History

This fragmentation has made the work of preservation, in-depth research, data digitization, communication and promotion of heritage not meet the requirements of development. Many museums still operate according to the traditional model, not taking advantage of technology, network connection or resource sharing. Meanwhile, social needs require a more centralized, flexible and modern heritage management model - ensuring both expertise and increasing the ability to coordinate between cultural institutions.

At the conference on exploiting and promoting cultural heritage of the whole city organized by the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, many managers, cultural experts and delegates proposed to establish a Heritage Center of Ho Chi Minh City on the basis of museums under the department. The center is expected to be a centralized management institution, responsible for coordinating, orienting, providing professional support and building a common development strategy for the entire public museum system, aiming for professionalism - modernity - efficiency.

Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, commented: “The establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Heritage Center under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports is a necessary and urgent step, responding to the trend of modern heritage management towards centralized management - flexible operation - sustainable development. Once formed, the center will play a focal role in coordinating research - conservation - digitization - communication - education activities, contributing to building the urban cultural brand and developing the heritage industry”. This is also considered the basis for implementing the roadmap for financial autonomy, gradually reducing dependence on the State budget, while expanding cooperation with the private sector, creative enterprises and international organizations.

The establishment of the Ho Chi Minh City Heritage Center is therefore not only a rearrangement of the management model, but also a strategic step to connect heritage - museum - community - tourism in a unified ecosystem. When past values are told in a more attractive and accessible way, heritage will become a living resource, both preserving urban identity and creating momentum for sustainable cultural tourism development, bringing Ho Chi Minh City closer to the position of a cultural - creative center of the region.

Tourism associated with heritage urban foundation

The need for a heritage center in Ho Chi Minh City

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