Bac Binh is known as a locality with great potential, possessing all the favorable factors for developing various types of tourism, including historical and cultural heritage tourism. Therefore, the news that the Cham Royal cultural heritage collection is opening its doors to visitors is creating opportunities to develop a new, attractive tourist route, meeting the needs of those who want to learn about and research the ancient culture of the Cham people in Binh Thuan .
Awakening the heritage
Binh Thuan is the last remaining territory of the Champa kingdom, formerly known as Panduranga. In Bac Binh district alone, the history of the Champa kingdom, both past and present, has left behind distinctive cultural imprints associated with religious festivals and beliefs. Building upon these values and blending them with the scenic tourism landscape, a multifaceted and unique picture of this northern province is created.
The Champa Royal Cultural Heritage Collection, located approximately 30 meters north of National Highway 1A in Tinh My village, Phan Thanh commune, Bac Binh district, is the only remaining relatively complete collection of the Champa dynasty, preserved for over 400 years by the descendants of King Po Klong Moh Nai. It displays over 100 original artifacts of significant historical and cultural value to the Champa people. Associated with the Champa Royal Cultural Heritage Collection is the Po Klong Moh Nai Temple, located approximately 200 meters east of National Highway 1A in Luong Dong neighborhood, Luong Son town, Bac Binh district. This temple was classified as a National Historical and Artistic Monument by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1993.
The Cham royal cultural heritage collection is considered to fully encompass the historical values of the ancient Cham dynasty, including costumes, jewelry, crowns, weapons, and royal artifacts. Before 1975, this collection was kept secret for spiritual and religious reasons, ensuring the security and safety of the heritage and its guardians. After being classified as a National Historical and Artistic Monument, the descendants of the Cham royal family have agreed to allow the Binh Thuan Provincial Museum to design and display the collection in an open-air format.
Implementing the project "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" under the national target program for socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2021-2030, from 2023-2024, the Provincial Museum was assigned to implement the "Building an open-air storage model for the Cham Royal Heritage Collection in Bac Binh district, connecting it with Cham cultural heritage tourism routes in the locality". Through surveys and statistics, the Provincial Museum has classified the Cham Royal Heritage Collection into 8 groups. These are: collection of king and queen crowns; collection of weapons: swords and daggers; collection of musical instruments (cymbals); collection of religious artifacts (religious and spiritual); collection of fabrics (brocade and fabrics of foreign origin); collection of ceramics; Paper collection: royal decrees from several Nguyen dynasty emperors and various documents on land, land registers, and administrative documents copied in Han Nom script from royal decrees of the Nguyen dynasty; wood collection: royal chests, guard hats. Among these, the most valuable are the crown of King Po Klong Moh Nai from the early 17th century and the hair ornament of Queen Po Bia Som, both made of gold with exquisitely carved and unique patterns, along with the costumes of the king, queen, prince, and princess; the robe with ancient patterns and embroidered Makara motifs on the chest, which King Po Klong Moh Nai often wore during court sessions.
Promoting heritage in conjunction with tourism.
Heritage tourism has become quite popular in recent years. Therefore, upon learning that the Cham Royal Cultural Heritage Museum had officially opened, groups of tourists and artifact collectors from Ho Chi Minh City and Lam Dong Province visited and highly appreciated the value of the cultural artifacts. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung (Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province) said: "I am very happy that for many years the government and my family have implemented many measures to preserve and now open the museum so that everyone can admire these 'treasures'. This is a significant highlight, meeting the needs of those who want to learn about and research the ancient culture of the Cham people, enriching and diversifying the colorful culture of Binh Thuan."
From a museum perspective, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham – Director of the Southern Women's Museum – assessed: Despite the time and space within the family home, the fact that the family has preserved almost all of the original artifacts for four centuries is very valuable. However, some of the royal robes are severely damaged over time and need "treatment." It is necessary to find skilled Cham artisans specializing in embroidery to restore and preserve the artifacts. At the same time, attention should be paid to natural conditions, temperature, and environment to minimize impact on the artifacts, and more investment should be made in presentation so that visitors can admire the intricate patterns on each garment of the king, queen, and princess.
To develop sustainable tourism based on exploiting the cultural heritage values of the Cham people, Mr. Uc Viet Vong - Head of the Management Board of the Cham Cultural Exhibition Center - said: Currently, members of the Cham royal family have participated in training courses on model building skills and tourism operations. In the future, the center will continue to promote, introduce, and connect with tourism units and companies to build tours and routes exploring Cham heritage and culture in a one-day experience from the Cham Cultural Exhibition Center to Binh Duc pottery village, the royal family's open warehouse, temples, and enjoying Cham folk cuisine, aiming to exploit and promote the strengths of cultural and tourism values in a sustainable way.
The artifacts of the Cham royal family are invaluable assets left by previous generations to succeeding ones. They form the basis for preserving and creating new values that are in line with the historical and cultural traditions of the nation. Therefore, according to Mr. Doan Van Thuan – Director of the Provincial Museum: Along with preserving and promoting the value of the artifacts on display, there needs to be coordinated efforts from relevant departments, local authorities, and the descendants of the Cham kings to find fundamental solutions to address the current situation, gradually promoting the cultural and artistic value of the collection locally, as well as economic solutions by integrating it into Cham cultural heritage tourism routes in the area.
The Cham royal cultural heritage site officially opened to visitors on July 16th at the home of Ms. Lu Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung in Tinh My village, Phan Thanh commune, Bac Binh district. It is open from Monday to Sunday every week (except Thursday).
Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/mo-cua-tham-quan-di-san-hoang-toc-cham-120445.html
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