New colors in the center of Lang Son

Ky Lua, Luong Van Tri, Dong Kinh and Tam Thanh are four newly established wards following the policy of operating a two-level local government. These are administrative units located in strategic locations, the economic and cultural centers of the province. Each ward is a perfect piece in the colorful overall picture of Lang Son's cultural heritage.

The arrangement and establishment of four new wards of the province has created a large cultural space, creating connections between typical relic sites, and at the same time, opening up favorable conditions for the work of preserving and promoting cultural heritage values at the grassroots level.

Recognizing the huge potential

On July 1, 2025, implementing the operation of the two-level local government and Resolution No. 1672/NQ-UBTVQH15 of the National Assembly Standing Committee issued on June 16, 2025 on the arrangement of commune-level administrative units of Lang Son province in 2025, four wards: Ky Lua, Luong Van Tri, Dong Kinh and Tam Thanh were newly established on the basis of arranging the entire natural area and population size of commune-level administrative units of Lang Son city and the old Cao Loc district. This is a milestone marking the beginning, opening a new development stage of the wards after the arrangement.

Mr. Hoang Van Pao, Chairman of the Provincial Cultural Heritage Association, emphasized: From a town, then a city with a long historical development process, the formation of the four central wards today has inherited and fully promoted the quintessence of Lang Son city and a part of the old Cao Loc district. The names of the wards are all associated with historical figures and famous places, reflecting the development process as both a bustling border trade center and a convergence of the quintessence of Lang Son's cultural heritage in the new era. The arrangement of the government apparatus according to a two-level model is an important stepping stone for the four wards to promote the effective exploitation of heritage potentials, turning them into a driving force for sustainable tourism development.

The procession ceremony at the Ky Cung - Ta Phu festival

It can be said that from ancient Ky Lua to modern Dong Kinh, from Luong Van Tri with revolutionary spirit to Tam Thanh with deep spirituality, each place is a vibrant space, both preserving heritage and creating the future. The four new wards of the province all have the characteristics of Lang Son culture with the diversity of ethnic groups such as Nung, Tay, Kinh, Dao, Hoa, along with the cultural heritage, history, cuisine and unique festivals of the province.

In the four wards, there are many cultural values that have become tourist products known to many tourists, typically: Ky Lua walking street - this is the highlight of Lang Son's night economy, operating on weekend evenings (usually Friday and Saturday). The walking street is not only a place to shop and enjoy typical Lang cuisine (such as roast duck, cao xang cake...) but also a space for performing folk cultural forms such as then singing, sli singing, lion dance, vividly recreating the Tay and Nung identity. In particular, the Hoang Van Thu monument campus is also the place to hold unique traditional festivals such as Hang Pinh festival (baked cake market) on the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival, attracting tens of thousands of participants.

In particular, the four wards currently possess a large number of historical and cultural relics. For example: Tam Thanh ward with a system of national relics such as Tam Thanh pagoda, To Thi mountain, Mac Dynasty Citadel...; Luong Van Tri ward has Tien pagoda, Tien well, Doan Thanh town, Lang Son ancient citadel; Dong Kinh ward has Ky Cung temple, Phai Ve mountain relic, Mai Pha archaeological relic...; Ky Lua ward has Ta Phu temple, Bac Nga pagoda... Besides, the wards also have many traditional festivals held annually that attract a large number of tourists every year such as: Bac Nga pagoda festival, Ky Cung - Ta Phu festival, Tien pagoda festival, Tam Thanh pagoda festival...

Efforts to turn heritage into assets

With such potential, in recent years, the four central wards of the province have implemented many solutions to preserve and promote the value of cultural heritage associated with economic and tourism development, ensuring harmony and rationality between the preservation of historical and cultural relics and the requirements of economic development; creating momentum in the socio-economic development of the province... In particular, from July 1, 2025 to now, after organizing the local government apparatus according to the two-level model, the four wards after the merger have inherited and implemented the Tourism Development Project of Lang Son city and the old Cao Loc district.

Typically, Ky Lua ward, with the position of one of the four central wards of Lang Son province, was established on the basis of arranging the entire natural area and population size of Hoang Van Thu ward, Cao Loc town and the communes: Hop Thanh, Tan Lien, Gia Cat.

Ms. Hoang Thuy Ninh, Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Ky Lua Ward, said: With four relic sites (currently, the ward has the Ta Phu Temple relic site, Hoang Van Thu Memorial House, Bac Nga Pagoda and Moi Temple) and three tourist sites recognized by the Provincial People's Committee, in recent times, the Department has advised the Ward People's Committee to propagate and mobilize people to actively participate in tourism development, creating a friendly environment to attract domestic and foreign tourists and international tourists to visit tourist sites in the area. On the other hand, we have focused on creating a space for people to perform the beauty of cultural heritage at Ky Lua Walking Street. Specifically, every weekend evening, visitors can enjoy famous dishes of Lang such as sour pho, rice rolls and can enjoy traditional folk songs and dances of Then, Sli, Luong at the main stage (opposite Ta Phu Temple)...

Along with Ky Lua ward, Dong Kinh ward has also taken solid steps in turning heritage into tourism products. Ms. Pham Thi Thuan, Head of the Department of Culture - Society of Dong Kinh ward, said: In recent times, the ward has effectively implemented the Tourism Development Project (2030-2045) in a professional direction, associated with cultural preservation. The ward focuses on building new products, preserving national intangible cultural heritage, and successfully organizing many large traditional festivals such as Ky Cung Temple Festival, Tai Tro Communal House, Khanh Son Temple, Mai Pha Communal House. In addition, the ward also actively participates in cultural and culinary events (Culinary Flavors of Lang, Pho Vit Festival of Lang,...) to attract visitors. Accommodation facilities have been invested and upgraded. As a result, in the period of 2020 - 2025, the ward is estimated to reach 1.8 million visitors (an increase of 20% compared to the previous period), with revenue of 1,530 billion VND.

The investment in heritage and tourism of the wards has brought positive experiences to visitors. Ms. Tran Thuy Van (a tourist from Hanoi) shared: I was very surprised by the vitality of Lang Son culture. Not only did I enjoy special cuisine such as sour pho, but I also listened to then singing and sli singing right on Ky Lua walking street. This is not only entertainment but also a great way to introduce local culture. The combination of the modern space of the walking street and the traditional features of spiritual relics has created a very different Lang Son, both ancient and dynamic.

Through discussions with professional units in the four wards, we learned that: The four central wards determined to continue implementing key solutions to turn cultural heritage into sustainable tourism assets such as continuing to invest in upgrading routes leading to relics, creating seamless connections between cultural and historical sites; developing spiritual and ecological tours, folk culture experience tours and specialized culinary tours, bringing OCOP products and local specialties into the tourism supply chain; promoting the application of technology in preserving and promoting heritage...

By identifying culture as the foundation and heritage as a resource, the four wards consolidated and expanded from the central areas of the old Lang Son city have focused on exploiting the outstanding advantages of historical heritage and border trade. Specifically, in the first 6 months of the year, the total number of visitors to Lang Son city (old) is estimated at nearly 2.5 million, an increase of 13.2% over the same period in 2024 (accounting for 70% of the total number of visitors in the province). Notably, the relics and tourist attractions located in the communes of the old Cao Loc district (now merged into the city's wards) have also recorded positive growth in the number of visitors.

With clear directions and consensus of the government and people, this central area promises to continue to be an attractive destination, imbued with cultural identity and a driving force for tourism in the whole province.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/sac-moi-noi-trung-tam-xu-lang-5061939.html