Proud to spread cultural identity

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the Cultural Sector’s Traditional Day (August 28, 1945 – August 28, 2025). At the celebration, General Secretary To Lam said: “The 80-year tradition is a spiritual treasure, but the tradition only truly shines when we continue to write new pages of history… 80 years, a milestone to be grateful for, to be proud of and to strive for”.

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the Cultural Sector’s Traditional Day (August 28, 1945 – August 28, 2025). At the celebration, General Secretary To Lam said: “The 80-year tradition is a spiritual treasure, but the tradition only truly shines when we continue to write new pages of history… 80 years, a milestone to be grateful for, to be proud of and to strive for”.

Vinh Long homeland is a land bearing the mark of garden civilization.

The merged province not only expanded its administrative boundaries but also became the cradle of the most unique cultural quintessence in the Mekong Delta, opening up many opportunities for connection, resonance and promotion, laying the foundation for building and developing a comprehensive culture and people in the new era.

Unique and proud cultural values

Living together along the gentle Mekong River, the three provinces of Vinh Long, Ben Tre and Tra Vinh (formerly) have long been lands bearing the mark of riverine civilization, with unique spiritual values ​​crystallized through hundreds of years of history of many generations of residents of the Southwest.

In Vinh Long, the mark of the land of learning is still clearly visible through the Van Thanh Temple. This is also the hometown of outstanding people such as Professor Tran Dai Nghia, who laid the foundation for Vietnam's defense science and technology; Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pham Hung - leaders with strategic vision, who have made many important contributions to the cause of innovation and national construction.

Tra Vinh - a unique cultural center of the Khmer people in the South, stands out with its ancient Khmer pagoda system, typically Ang Pagoda, Hang Pagoda, Ba Om Pond, and festivals with profound rituals and beliefs such as Ok Om Bok, Sel Dolta, Chol Chnam Thmay. This is the place that preserves the traditional values ​​of the Khmer people through many generations. Also from this land, the image of Ms. Ut Tich - the Heroine of the People's Armed Forces, has become a living symbol of courage, of the fighting spirit "fighting even if the hem of the pants is left" that the people of the whole country remember.

Ben Tre - the land of rich coconut, is not only famous for My Long rice paper, Son Doc rice paper, handmade coconut candy but also the birthplace of the Dong Khoi movement with the image of the "Long-haired Army" and its leader - female general Nguyen Thi Dinh, the first woman to hold the rank of general in the Vietnam People's Army. Ben Tre is also the hometown of Nguyen Dinh Chieu, the great poet of the nation, a world cultural celebrity, who left behind immortal literary works, using literature as a weapon to fight for justice and honor morality.

After the merger, the province still possesses a rich and diverse cultural treasure with 168 ranked historical-cultural relics (including 2 special national relics, 45 national relics and 121 provincial relics) and the community is holding 19 intangible cultural heritages, of which 1 heritage is included in the List of Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Southern Amateur Music Art) and 18 heritages are included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritages.

Among them, the most common characteristics are the system of communal houses, pagodas, temples, ancient houses, historical-cultural relics associated with the struggle for independence and national liberation; folk songs, traditional opera, traditional folk songs, traditional festivals, traditional craft villages vividly reflecting the cultural and production life of local residents.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that Vinh Long currently has over 130km of coastline, with a salty, fresh and brackish ecosystem. The tourism industry currently focuses on highlights of cultural traditions, heritage systems, relics, and historical traditions of the three localities. Along with that is the human factor, a friendly and hospitable community of people creating a friendly image of Vinh Long. Another highlight is that the province focuses on linking and exploiting waterway tourism associated with the Mekong and Co Chien rivers for exploitation.

Preserve and promote cultural heritage values

The province promotes the model of combining eco-agricultural-cultural tourism.

Vinh Long is not only a land rich in economic and agricultural potential, but also a treasure trove of vibrant, diverse and vital culture. In the current new context, these values ​​need to continue to be preserved, promoted and integrated into sustainable human development strategies, so that culture truly becomes a solid spiritual foundation, an endogenous driving force for the province's comprehensive and long-term development.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in the coming time, there needs to be a new long-term Vinh Long Cultural Development Strategy until 2045, based on the National Target Program on Culture, which clearly identifies key areas, cultural types or cultural industries that need to be preserved and developed. In addition, there needs to be a Digital Cultural Heritage Map Plan to effectively manage and preserve both tangible and intangible culture; invest in infrastructure and digital transformation, and preserve in conjunction with tourism development.

Integrate local traditional content into the general education program; organize experiential learning sessions at craft villages, relics and traditional stages. Promote the inter-provincial cultural-tourism value chain model, linking eco-agricultural-cultural tourism, exploiting the advantages of the coconut raw material area of ​​up to 120,000 hectares, playing the central role of the Southern coconut region.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Quyen Thanh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, it is necessary to build a digital database on cultural heritage. It is necessary to apply science and technology to preserve and promote the value of cultural heritage. This is the pride of the people and the motivation for the locality to strive to preserve and promote the value of heritage, effectively exploit it in tourism development, and at the same time spread and promote the heritage with strong cultural identity to friends at home and abroad. Continuing to introduce a rich land that is both rich in cultural identity and dynamic and modern, contributing to making Vinh Long increasingly become an attractive destination for tourists from near and far.

At the ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Cultural Sector's Traditional Day, General Secretary To Lam conveyed his deep confidence that, under the leadership of the Party, the management of the State, the participation of the entire political system, the consensus and support of the People; with the mettle, talent and love for the profession of the team of people working in culture, information, sports and tourism; we will bring Vietnamese culture to a worthy development, so that our country will be strong and rich, so that our nation will last forever, so that every Vietnamese person will be happy, confident to integrate and shine.

Article and photos: PHUONG THU

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/202508/tu-hao-dua-ban-sac-van-hoa-lan-toa-f131000/