Leveraging cultural values ​​to serve business and tourism development.

Ninh Binh is a land rich in cultural heritage. These layers and strata of culture, once thought to exist only in stories, are now being transformed by a generation of young entrepreneurs with keen business acumen into valuable tourism products that are well-known to both domestic and international tourists.

Folklore still recounts the story of Zen Master Nguyen Minh Khong, a skilled herbalist. He often practiced asceticism in a cave and cultivated medicinal plants to treat the poor. The mountainous area where he grew these plants is called Sinh Duoc. These legendary stories about Zen Master Minh Khong, though quite distant, were revived when the Bai Dinh Mountain Spiritual Tourism Complex was built and opened. The people of Gia Sinh commune have benefited greatly from the services offered at the complex. Many professions have provided them with stable jobs and income, such as photography, parking, food and beverage services, accommodation, tour guiding, and souvenir sales.

Among them, Vu Trung Duc (from Gia Sinh commune) pondered over finding a new direction – one that could exploit local cultural values ​​to serve tourists. That's why the Sinh Duoc Cooperative was established. Thanks to the large number of tourists, coupled with the dynamism of its leader, the Sinh Duoc Cooperative has developed rapidly. To date, its products are not only found on souvenir shelves for tourists but are also available everywhere. Sinh Duoc's herbal products have traveled with tourists to Japan, the United States, Europe, and more.

Sinh Duoc's business idea didn't stop there; Vu Trung Duc sought to develop it into a business "ecosystem." To capitalize on the large number of tourists visiting Ninh Binh for spiritual purposes, Duc, along with his partner Hoang Thanh Phuong, established a Bodhi leaf painting gallery. He also invested in building the Sao Sa King facility, specializing in herbal bath services using natural herbs grown on the Sinh Duoc hill.

Furthermore, to actively promote the culture of his hometown, Vu Trung Duc invested in building the Ba Ngan Art Exhibition House. This is a place that regularly hosts exhibitions, exchanges, and seminars for artists from within and outside the province. Because of his dedication to cultural values, Sinh Duoc has become a successful facilitator for many art projects such as: the "Natural Colors" exhibition, "The Journey of Vietnamese Traditional Clothing to Rediscover Heritage," the "Mr. Thirty" exhibition, the "Personal Stories" exhibition, etc. The Ba Ngan Art Exhibition House serves both as a place to promote culture and as a place to display and introduce Sinh Duoc Cooperative's products to the public.

Through his approach, Vu Trung Duc has successfully combined business with cultural promotion, integrating cultural elements into his products. The story of Ngo Duc Tam and his Tong Truong fish floss is another example of success in leveraging cultural values ​​for business purposes.

Mr. Ngo Duc Tam, Director of Dong Song Xanh Food Processing and Trading Company Limited, shared his story about the process of coming up with the idea of ​​producing Tong Truong perch fish floss: In folklore, when talking about the products of Hoa Lu region, people often hum: "When leaving, remember the boy and girl / When returning, remember the Tong Truong perch fish..." This folk song reminds us that in the culinary life of Hoa Lu, there is a rather famous delicacy: Tong Truong perch fish. Many dishes made from perch fish, such as perch fish soup with cabbage, perch fish stir-fried with salt, sour soup, grilled perch fish, crispy fried perch fish... have become traditional delicacies and specialties of Truong Yen region.

However, to enjoy these dishes, diners have to travel to the area, so for many years, this culinary delight, despite its widespread fame, remained confined to Truong Yen commune, Ninh Binh province. The question of how to bring Hoa Lu's specialties to people in other regions has always troubled Mr. Tam.

In 2022, Mr. Tam established Green River Food Processing and Trading Company Limited and launched his tilapia fish floss product. To transform this traditional tilapia dish from a folk idea into a 4-star OCOP product of the province serving tourism, Mr. Tam dedicated a great deal of effort to it. At that time, he was running a chain of five restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, but he still decided to lease or sell the restaurants and return to his hometown alone, investing his time and effort into creating the Tong Truong tilapia fish floss.

When embarking on the production of the specialty fish floss, Mr. Ngo Duc Tam's main concern was how to make this famously delicious fish floss appealing to both domestic and international tourists. Following that, he spent many years diligently thinking of ways to improve the quality and appearance of this dish. He explored various methods to increase shelf life, improve labeling and packaging, and create convenient packaging for transportation, making it suitable as a souvenir for tourists. Today, the fish floss has found its place in the market, gradually becoming a signature product chosen by many tourists, and the reputation of Dong Song Xanh Company has spread far and wide.

Currently, Mr. Ngo Duc Tam is pursuing a strategy of searching for and expanding his fish farming area to proactively secure a supply of raw materials and strictly manage the quality of input materials for his products. In addition, to increase market share, Mr. Tam is promoting his products through various methods on social media platforms and consigning them to numerous distribution points and stores in tourist areas and destinations.

Although developing their businesses in two different directions, Vu Trung Duc and Ngo Duc Tam share a common ground: they both leverage cultural values ​​as a starting point for their business ideas, and alongside their business ventures, they strive to promote products that reflect the unique cultural characteristics of their hometowns to the public.

These two entrepreneurs represent the new generation of Ninh Binh businesspeople, embracing the trend of leveraging unique cultural values ​​to serve business and tourism development. Their success is inspiring for many young people embarking on their entrepreneurial journeys. The direction taken by these two businesses is also supported by various levels of government and relevant agencies, as it aligns with the province's policy of utilizing cultural advantages to develop its tourism economy.

Along with Sinh Duoc and Dong Song Xanh, many other businesses in Ninh Binh province are also developing their operations in this direction, such as: Lac Hong Trading and Tourism Company Limited; Ninh Thang Clean Agriculture Company Limited; Cuc Phuong Honey Production and Consumption Cooperative; Vu Gia Medicinal Herbs Company Limited; Bo Bat Ceramics Conservation and Development Company Limited... The common point of these businesses is that they develop commercial products from exploiting local cultural resources; this is a relatively sustainable and highly commendable business direction.

Text and photos: Mai Phuong

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/khai-thac-gia-tri-van-hoa-phuc-vu-kinh-doanh-phat-trien-du/d20240408082242623.htm