Land of heritage

Quang Ngai has many diverse and unique cultural heritages. In recent years, the province has made efforts to promote the value of these heritages in association with socio -economic development, especially tourism development.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoang Tuan and leaders of departments and branches conducted a survey at the Sa Huynh Cultural Exhibition House (Duc Pho Town). Photo: THANH PHUONG

Quang Ngai province currently has 285 relics. Of which, there are 2 special national relics including: Ba To Uprising Site (Ba To) and Sa Huynh Culture Archaeological Relic (Duc Pho Town); 33 national relics; 171 provincial relics, 79 relics have been inventoried and protected. There are 4 national treasures, including: Phu Hung Champa Monk Statue; Long Thanh terracotta vase collection; Tra Veo 3 and Lam Thuong gold jewelry collection; one-dong bill printing mold and fifty-dong bill printing mold, dating from 1947. Each relic and treasure contains its own value and meaning; in particular, Sa Huynh Culture Archaeological Relic (VHSH) is the most widely known, both domestically and internationally.

Sa Huynh Culture Exhibition House and artifacts. Photo: PV

Quang Ngai is considered the cradle of Vietnamese culture, with 26 excavated relic sites among more than 80 discovered and researched sites, mainly distributed in Pho Thanh ward and Pho Khanh commune (Duc Pho town). The Vietnamese culture archaeological relics were recognized by the Prime Minister as special National Monuments on December 29, 2022, with 6 locations: Long Thanh relic, also known as Go Ma Vuong; Thanh Duc relic, in Pho Thanh ward; Phu Khuong relic, in Pho Khanh commune; Champa relic complex; An Khe lagoon and Cua Lo river.

Tourists take a boat to enjoy the beautiful scenery of An Khe lagoon. Photo: TP

The ancient Sa Huynh residents have created a very unique culture in a large space. The cultural space and related elements are like a "living museum" serving the research and development of sustainable tourism . Sa Huynh land has a seaport, convenient for trade. Maritime routes choose this place as a stopover to anchor ships to trade and exchange goods. This is where An Khe lagoon - the largest freshwater lagoon next to the sea in Vietnam, golden sand beaches and million-year-old rocky cliffs are located. The relics found of the cultural foundation are all associated with ancient salt fields. This is also the starting point of the salt road, from the Sa Huynh salt area to the Central Highlands and to other places by sea.

Sa Huynh salt farmers in salt harvest season. Photo: PV

It can be affirmed that the Sa Huynh salt fields located in the space of the special National Cultural Heritage are an inseparable element of this archaeological culture. The salt making profession in Sa Huynh is representative, expressing the local community identity, passed down through many generations and voluntarily committed to be protected by the people of Sa Huynh and Pho Thanh. With that typical meaning and identity value, the Sa Huynh salt making profession in Pho Thanh ward has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage (December 10, 2024). This meaningful event is not only an affirmation of long-standing cultural values, but also a driving force to promote the preservation and promotion of the traditional salt making profession. This is also an opportunity to promote and introduce the cultural heritage to domestic and foreign tourists, contributing to the development of tourism and the local economy.

The national treasure, the Long Thanh terracotta vase collection, is being kept and preserved by the Provincial Museum. Photo: THANH PHUONG

There is also Go Co Community Tourism Village - a village located in a cultural and natural space with beautiful wild landscapes. The village has only more than 80 households, located on the rocky hills by the sea, with an area of about 105 hectares. This place still preserves typical characteristics of Champa culture from thousands of years ago, such as temples, shrines from the Champa Kingdom, stone wells, stone bridges... Currently, in the village there are about 12 ancient stone wells, Cham temples, stone fences surrounding the village to prevent wild animals, protect the land and the village. In addition, through farming and living, local people discovered many more burial ceramic jars of ancient Cham people. In 2020, Go Co village was recognized as a 3-star tourist village according to OCOP standards. Go Co Village Community Tourism Cooperative, Pho Thanh Ward is one of two tourism products, out of 100 typical cooperative products nationwide, honored and awarded the Mai An Tiem Award for the first time in 2024, organized by the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance . Thanks to that, people can live with tourism, so they know how to preserve each stone bank, ancient well... as priceless assets left by their ancestors.

Go Co village is located in the core area of the Sa Huynh Culture National Special Monument. Photo: T.PHUONG

Along with the VHSH archaeological relics, the Ba To Uprising Relic Sites were ranked as Special National Historical Relics by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 2082/QD-TTg dated January 25, 2017. The Ba To Uprising (March 11, 1945), associated with the legendary Ba To Guerrilla Team, was the first partial uprising in the whole country to break out and win; a shining page in the history of Quang Ngai and the history of our country, creating momentum for the Quang Ngai revolutionary movement to develop strongly, moving towards an uprising to seize power in the whole province and having a great influence on the revolutionary movement in the South Central provinces, Thua Thien - Hue .

Ba To Uprising Monument, Ba To Museum in Ba To district. Photo: TP

Special national historical relics of the Ba To uprising with 11 relic sites: Lien River, Nuoc Nang Brick Kiln, Tran Quy Hai's House, Suoi Loa Watchtower, Ba To Station, Inspectorate, Ba To Stadium, Hang En Beach, Buon Wharf, Nuoc La War Zone - Hang Voot Rep, Nui Cao Muon War Zone - one of the places where the Ba To Guerrilla Team set up base in the early days of the uprising, building forces, and fostering Kinh - Thuong solidarity. In order to preserve and promote the value of the relics, contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality, in recent times, the province has implemented the work of planning, preserving, renovating and restoring relics; paying attention to allocating investment resources to embellish and promote the value of historical relics, contributing to educating the glorious historical tradition of our army and people in the cause of national liberation struggle, educating patriotism and national pride for the younger generations; At the same time, enrich tourism products, contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

When talking about Quang Ngai culture, we must mention the unique sea and island culture of this land. Among them, Ly Son Island is the land of the quintessence of festival and geological heritage. Having undergone 11 million years of formation from the first volcanic eruptions, Ly Son possesses a complex of magnificent landscapes, unique terrain and geomorphology. This island also bears traces of silk and ceramic trade routes from many different eras. This is the place where the quintessence of great cultures such as Champa, Sa Huynh and Dai Viet converge and exchange, with a system of 6 national-level relics, 2 national intangible cultural heritages, 19 provincial-level relics and many archaeological sites, religious architectural relics bearing the cultural nuances of the sea and islands. The diversity and uniqueness of the system of tangible and intangible cultures intertwined and integrated with each other have created a historical and cultural flow on the island, preserved almost intact. In particular, the Hoang Sa Soldiers' Commemoration Ceremony - a national intangible cultural heritage, is a unique festival of Ly Son that cannot be found anywhere else in the country. This is the only festival associated with the history of the birth and activities of Vietnam's Hoang Sa Fleet in the East Sea.

Quang Ngai has issued a Project to Preserve and Promote the Value of the System of Historical - Cultural Relics and Landscapes in the Province by 2030. Based on the project, the province focuses on implementing solutions to restore, embellish and promote the value of relics associated with tourism development. In particular, in the period of 2026 - 2030, investments will be made to restore and prevent degradation of national and provincial relics. Continue to supplement and complete scientific dossiers of relics that have been decided to be protected, registered or ranked by the Provincial People's Committee. In addition, continue to implement the work of preserving, restoring and promoting national and provincial relics, contributing to tourism development.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Hoang Tuan surveyed at Sa Huynh Cultural Exhibition House.

Oriented to 2030, Quang Ngai continues to effectively implement Resolution No. 03-NQ/TU dated October 19, 2016 of the Provincial Party Committee (19th tenure) "on building and developing culture and people of Quang Ngai to meet the requirements of innovation, integration and sustainable development". The province will focus on investing funds to implement the planning of special national relics, historical and cultural relics and scenic spots; strengthen state management of relics; preserve, restore and embellish to promote the value of relics. Research and restore traditional festivals and forms of folk cultural activities of the community; organize cultural events... At the same time, promote the socialization of the conservation of traditional cultural values; strengthen propaganda, raise awareness for all levels, sectors and localities about the importance of the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage values for sustainable development in the locality. Along with the task of developing Ly Son district into a National Sea and Island Tourism Center in the future, the province will connect with Sa Huynh tourism route in the form of community tourism and experiential tourism; gradually promote the value of cultural heritage associated with tourism development and make tourism become the province's spearhead economic sector.

Ly Son district is a land with many unique festivals. In the photo: Tu Linh boat racing festival in Ly Son - National intangible cultural heritage. Photo: MINH THU

Ly Son district is a land of many unique festivals. In the photo: Tu Linh boat racing festival in Ly Son - National intangible cultural heritage. Photo: MINH THU

Developing based on the fundamental values of historical and cultural traditions is the correct, scientific and humanistic trend of many countries, including ours. The province is preserving and promoting the values of cultural heritage associated with tourism development, contributing to improving people's lives and promoting the province's socio-economic development. In the coming time, Quang Ngai will make more efforts to preserve and promote the values of cultural heritage, transforming them into important resources for development; continue to improve the investment and business environment to attract large enterprises to develop tourism projects. Thereby, creating a breakthrough, promoting the province's tourism to develop strongly in the coming time.