Lung Cam - a bright spot of cultural preservation in the middle of Sung La valley

Located in the green valley of Sung La commune, Tuyen Quang province, Lung Cam village has long been considered a "cultural oasis" among the gray rocks of the Dong Van stone plateau.

This is where the Mong community and some Hoa, Nung, Giay... households have lived for many generations, creating a unique cultural space, where the architecture, customs and landscape still retain their originality, rarely seen in the midst of the strong commercialization trend of highland tourism .

The yellow-earthen houses, hand-laid stone fences and flower fields running along the mountainside not only create a peaceful beauty but also become living proof of the persistent conservation spirit of the community here.

The old traces "remain" amidst the flow of change

According to the records of Sung La commune authorities, Lung Cam is a residential gathering place with a history of hundreds of years. Unlike many other villages on the Dong Van Stone Plateau - where the migration process and changes in livelihood models have caused the old traces to fade - Lung Cam still retains the traditional settled lifestyle.

Crop fields are cultivated stably, rammed earth houses are preserved intact, and many rituals and customs are maintained through each generation.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the People's Committee of Sung La Commune, commented: "The strongest point of Lung Cam is its originality. People do tourism but do not destroy the village structure, do not change customs. The government only supports infrastructure and training, while preserving identity is completely up to the community's awareness and implementation."

The newly built house of a Mong family in Lung Cam village prepares to welcome Spring. (Photo: Van Phat/VNA)

In fact, despite being located on the famous tourist route of the Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark, the village still retains its distinct traditional atmosphere: the fire is always red every morning, the smoke from the kitchen mixes with the smell of new corn, and the sound of weaving linen is steady every afternoon.

Those images, according to many cultural experts, are the "most valuable assets" of a community tourism destination.

Preserving culture through community volunteerism

Not only architecture and daily life, intangible cultural values are also preserved by Lung Cam people with a very clear awareness.

Traditional festivals of the Mong people still take place according to the ancient rituals. Songs, flutes, dances, linen weaving... no longer exist just to "show" to tourists but are still an essential part of community life.

One of the village's biggest attractions is the traditional house of the Mua family, which appeared in the movie “Pao's Story.”

What is remarkable, according to the reporter's notes, is that the house has not been renovated in any way for commercialization. The rough stone-paved yard, the moss-covered yin-yang tiled roof, the corn mill on the porch, and the smoky kitchen with corn seedlings are still kept the same as they were decades ago.

It is this “unedited” nature that makes the space come alive and authentic, creating strong emotions for visitors.

Conservation for development - the sustainable direction of Lung Cam

According to statistics from Sung La commune, Lung Cam welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year. This is a remarkable number for a village in a mountainous area with many difficulties, showing that community tourism can become an important economic resource if accompanied by conservation work.

Instead of massively expanding services, Lung Cam people chose a cautious approach: developing homestays based on traditional rammed earth houses, introducing typical cuisine, restoring handicrafts, producing gifts from local materials such as brocade, corn wine with leaf yeast, buckwheat wine, traditional cakes... Thanks to that, tourism becomes an "output" for local culture, not the cause of its decline.

Mong children in Lung Cam play the panpipe and carry flowers on their backs along the road, creating a simple beauty in the cultural space of the border region. (Photo: Minh Tam/VNA)

Mr. Vang Se Vang, a prestigious person in the village, commented: “The rammed earth houses, stone fences, linen skirts… are all the soul of the village. When doing tourism, we have to show that soul to the guests. If we preserve the roots, then the guests will appreciate it and come back.”

Mr. Vang’s opinion is also the common spirit of the community: not trading identity for immediate profit. This is considered an important foundation to help Lung Cam develop more sustainably than many other community tourism destinations in the area.

Regional connectivity - an open direction for the future

According to the government's direction, Sung La commune is promoting the connection of Lung Cam with famous nearby tourist attractions such as Pho Bang, Vuong family palace, Lung Cu flagpole...

The goal is to create a seamless chain of cultural-historical-landscape experiences, contributing to extending the length of stay and increasing the spending value of tourists.

In parallel, the commune focuses on improving transport infrastructure, upgrading roads to the village, supporting tourism skills, communication skills and service management for the people. All are aimed at the goal of making Lung Cam a "model cultural destination" of the UNESCO Global Geopark.

Tourism experts assess that the Lung Cam model can become a typical example of the community tourism development method of "conservation as the root - economy follows", especially valuable reference for the northern highland villages facing the problem of preserving identity.

Beauty comes from persistence

Unlike many commercialized tourist destinations, Lung Cam does not seek noise or ostentation. The village chooses a more difficult but more sustainable path: preserving the cultural soul, maintaining the landscape and architecture, and developing tourism based on what is available.

On the journey to discover the rocky land of Ha Giang, Lung Cam has therefore become a valuable quiet spot - where visitors can stop, listen to the breath of indigenous life, feel the persistence of Mong culture through each house, each stone path, each flute sound echoing in the valley.

And it is at that moment standing in the middle of that space that people understand why Lung Cam is not only a tourist destination, but also a symbol of a community that knows how to preserve the past to build the future./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/lung-cam-diem-sang-bao-ton-van-hoa-giua-thung-lung-sung-la-post1079590.vnp