Harnessing cultural resources to serve rural development.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recently issued guidelines for implementing the contents of the National Target Program on building new rural areas, sustainable poverty reduction, and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous regions for the period 2026-2030. One of the prominent orientations is to link the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values with the development of community tourism, creating livelihoods and increasing income for the people.

Bộ Nông nghiệp và Môi trường•03/06/2026

According to the Guidelines, cultural preservation activities should not only focus on preserving tangible and intangible values but also aim to effectively utilize cultural resources to serve socio -economic development in the locality. In this process, the local community is identified as the main subject of cultural preservation and promotion.

One of the key focuses is the preservation of the cultural spaces of traditional villages and hamlets of ethnic minorities. Local authorities are encouraged to review and select areas that still retain relatively intact traditional cultural values, distinctive architecture, ecological landscapes, and community living habits to develop appropriate preservation models.

One of the key focuses of the guidelines is the preservation of the cultural spaces of traditional villages and hamlets of ethnic minority communities. Photo: *NNMT.*

The guidelines emphasize that preservation must be linked to contemporary life, ensuring that cultural values continue to be practiced and transmitted within the community. This is considered an important solution to mitigate the risk of cultural identity erosion in the context of increasing urbanization and integration.

Along with preserving traditional cultural spaces, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also aims to promote activities to preserve and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage, folk art forms, traditional festivals, handicrafts, and indigenous knowledge of ethnic minorities. Artisans, respected figures, folk culture clubs, and amateur performing arts groups continue to play a core role in teaching and spreading traditional cultural values to the younger generation.

Notably, the Guidelines aim to closely link cultural preservation with community-based tourism development. Accordingly, localities will be supported in developing tourism products based on indigenous culture; exploiting the values of traditional architecture, handicrafts, festivals, cuisine , and daily life of ethnic minorities to create distinctive tourism products.

Local people in community-based tourism destinations will also receive training and skill development in tourism, hospitality, traditional culture promotion, organizing experiential activities, and developing tourism products. This will gradually enhance the capacity of local communities to participate in the tourism market.

A notable new feature in the Guidelines is the pilot implementation of an ecological museum model in ethnic minority and mountainous regions. This model aims for the holistic preservation of the ecological and humanistic space, where traditional cultural values are still present in community life. Instead of placing heritage in separate exhibition spaces, the ecological museum focuses on on-site preservation, integrated with the landscape, living environment, and daily cultural activities of the people.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, developing conservation models linked to community tourism not only contributes to preserving national cultural identity but also creates more job opportunities and increases income for people, especially in disadvantaged areas.

In addition, the Guidelines also address investing in and upgrading grassroots cultural institutions; supporting the preservation of typical traditional architectural works; building models of community cultural activities; and preserving and promoting the value of historical and cultural relics associated with the lives of ethnic minority communities.

The issuance of these guidelines is an important basis for localities to synchronously implement cultural content in national target programs for the period 2026-2030. Through a community-centered approach, linking cultural preservation with tourism development and livelihoods, traditional cultural values will not only be preserved but also have the opportunity to be effectively promoted, becoming a resource for rural development and improving the lives of people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Source: https://mae.gov.vn/kinh-te-hop-tac-phat-trien-nong-thon/khai-thac-nguon-luc-van-hoa-phuc-vu-phat-trien-nong-thon-21973.htm