Son La – a borderland in the Northwest region of Vietnam, located more than 300km from Hanoi, is close enough for visitors to come, yet far enough for them to stay. With a population of over 1.3 million, it is home to 12 ethnic groups living together in harmony, with the Thai ethnic group accounting for 55.03%. The Thai people don't have many festivals. Previously, they would hold the Xen Ban or Xen Muong festival annually or every three years, praying for favorable weather, good health, and abundant livestock. Currently, these festivals have faded or completely disappeared. A few villages still hold the Xen Ban festival every two or three years; some places still hold festivals for shamans and priests such as Xen Lau No, Kin Pang Then, Het Cha, and Tet Xip Xi....

Therefore, over the years, the preservation of the culture of ethnic minorities in general, and the Thai ethnic group in Son La in particular, has always been a priority for Party committees and authorities at all levels, from the province to the grassroots. This has contributed to building a healthy culture and creating positive changes in social life. People now have more opportunities to enjoy and participate in cultural, artistic, and sports activities.

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Son La province has proactively and effectively advised and implemented the dissemination of the Party and State's policies and resolutions on the preservation and promotion of the traditional culture of ethnic groups. It can be said that the work of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of ethnic groups in Son La province over the past years has achieved significant achievements. Many scientific research topics, projects, and plans for preserving and promoting the cultural identity of ethnic groups have been given attention and implemented. Notable examples include: "Preserving and promoting the beautiful cultural values ​​of the Thai ethnic group in the process of international integration"; "Preserving the culture of the residents in the resettlement area of ​​the Son La Hydropower Plant"; "Preserving the cultural heritage of the Son La Hydropower Plant reservoir area"... thereby assessing the current state of the cultural heritage of the Thai people and providing directions and solutions for preserving and promoting the value of this heritage throughout the province.

Furthermore, Son La province has conducted an inventory of the cultural heritage of the Thai ethnic group in the province to fully identify the cultural characteristics of the ethnic group; researched and compiled scientific dossiers for 8 typical cultural heritages of the Thai people, which have been included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Thai Xoe Dance Art; Het Cha Ceremony of the White Thai people; Ancient script of the Thai people; Hair Washing Ceremony of the White Thai people; Kin Pang Then Ceremony of the White Thai people; Rain Prayer Festival of the White Thai people; Xip Xi Tet Ceremony of the White Thai people; Xen Lau No Ceremony of the Black Thai people), and one heritage, Thai Xoe Dance Art, has been recognized by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The work of preserving and promoting cultural heritage in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage has been effectively implemented with contents such as: Organizing performances and experiences of Thai Xoe dance art at the Provincial Museum; Printing and distributing 4000 brochures introducing the intangible cultural heritage of Thai Xoe dance art; Organizing the popularization of some Xoe dances with the cultural identity of ethnic groups in Son La to villages, hamlets, and sub-districts throughout the province. As a result, the Xoe dances have been popularized to all units, schools, and communes throughout the province, especially popularizing them among cultural and artistic leaders to further popularize them to all mass art troupes in the province, and providing CDs of Xoe dance music and VCDs of basic Xoe dance movements for training courses.

Project 6: Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities in conjunction with tourism development, under the National Target Program for socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, giai đoạn 2021-2030, according to Resolution No. 88/2019/QH14 dated November 18, 2019, of the National Assembly and Decision No. 1719/QĐ-TTg dated October 14, 2021, of the Prime Minister: Organizing training courses on Thai folk dance (45 trainees) and Thai folk songs (40 trainees); Building a model of cultural life of the Thai ethnic group in Yen Chau commune; Publishing the book "Preserving and promoting the fine cultural values ​​of the Thai ethnic group in Son La in the process of international integration". To date, the province has 2 People's Artisans and 25 Excellent Artisans of the Thai ethnic group.

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Furthermore, community-based tourism in Son La is a sustainable direction that the province is focusing on. Besides its economic value, this model also brings lasting cultural value to the locality. Many villages have successfully developed community-based ecotourism models, with many households becoming small tourism businesses, connecting with travel companies and contributing to bringing tourists to experience the life of the Thai ethnic minority in the villages. In these villages, the people play a central role, acting as the main actors, both exploiting, preserving, and conserving cultural heritage while also creating new approaches in tourism development. They directly participate from planning and building the model, welcoming and serving tourists, to organizing experiential activities and performances of traditional culture and art.

The village's folk art troupes regularly perform for tourists, recreating traditional festivals and folk rituals such as: the Hoa Ban Festival, the Boat Racing Festival, the New Rice Festival, the Xen Ban ritual, the Xip Xi ritual, the Rain Prayer ritual, the Het Cha ritual, along with many folk games associated with the harvest season. These activities are not only attractive tourism products but also effective ways to preserve and spread Thai cultural values ​​within the community.

Promoting the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group in community-based tourism development is a correct and appropriate direction, consistent with the practical conditions of Son La province and the current trend of sustainable tourism development. This is not only a task for socio-economic development but also a political, cultural, and ethical responsibility in preserving, protecting, and honoring the precious traditional cultural values ​​of the ethnic communities in Son La province, especially the Thai ethnic group – an ethnic group with a rich and unique culture.