Het Cha Festival, Ang village, Dong Sang commune, Moc Chau district.

Spreading heritage values ​​from the community

In early 2023, the art of creating patterns on the costumes of the Dao Tien people was one of the three heritages of Son La province that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included in the list of national intangible cultural heritages. Visiting the villages of the Dao Tien people in Moc Chau and Van Ho districts, it is easy to see the image of women diligently embroidering and drawing patterns with beeswax on traditional costumes. This is also the work that they have been associated with since they were young girls until they became grandmothers and mothers, so that the brocade patterns are passed down and continued to the next generations.

Introducing her ethnic costume, Ms. Dang Thi Hien, Suoi Khem village, Phieng Luong commune, Moc Chau district, shared: To make a Dao woman's costume, it must go through many stages, such as cutting fabric, drawing patterns with beeswax, dyeing indigo, patching fabric... The patterns on the skirt are created in the shape of coins, horizontal stripes, rectangles, and water waves. The brocade patterns are not only the highlight of the costume, but also express the Dao people's belief in life, simulating daily life, mountains, rivers and the desire for a prosperous and happy life.

Along with the art of creating patterns on Dao Tien costumes, two other heritages of the province, Mo Muong and Xe Pang A festival of the Khang ethnic group, were also recognized as intangible cultural heritages in 2023. This is not only a source of pride, but also a motivation for the community and people to promote their role as subjects in preserving and continuing the cultural traditions of their ethnic group. Encouraging the community to participate in heritage conservation activities, from teaching activities to participating in cultural festivals, helps the heritage values ​​not to be lost over time.

Meritorious artisan Lo Thi Phua, Chieng On commune, Quynh Nhai district, shared: Preserving and maintaining traditional customs and cultural features is the pride of the nation and the duty of the current generation to the future. This also reflects the vibrant culture of Son La ethnic groups, contributing to the colorful cultural picture of the whole country.

Connecting heritage with tourism

Son La province currently has 17 national intangible cultural heritages. Connecting and promoting cultural heritage with tourism development is one of the important solutions that the province is focusing on implementing. With the role of researching, preserving and spreading the heritage values ​​of ethnic groups in the province, the Provincial Museum has organized many attractive and highly educational cultural experience programs, attracting the attention of the people.

Mr. Nguyen An Dai, Deputy Director of the Provincial Museum, informed: Every year, the unit plans to organize 3-4 programs to experience the cultural space of the Thai, Muong, Mong, and Dao ethnic groups with many activities, such as introducing types of heritage, recreating festival spaces, traditional crafts, and folk games to help everyone, especially the young, learn and experience the good cultural values ​​of the ethnic groups in the province.

In recent years, cultural tourism has been increasingly chosen by many tourists. Many tourist destinations such as: Homestay A Chu, The Nordic Village Van Ho, Moc Chau Island, ... regularly coordinate with travel companies to organize experiential tours for tourists to directly participate in cultural activities, join the locals in dancing xoè, learn how to create patterns on traditional costumes. These experiences not only bring close interaction, but also help tourists understand more deeply the cultural values ​​of each ethnic group in Son La.

In addition, some localities in the province have applied digital technology to introduce heritage; developed smart tourism applications, providing detailed information about intangible cultural heritages, helping tourists easily learn and experience when coming to Son La.

Promoting the value of heritage

Recognized cultural heritage contributes to raising awareness of the community, arousing national pride and responsibility in conservation and preservation. Effective exploitation of cultural heritage will contribute to promoting tourism development and increasing income for people.

Mr. Pham Hong Thu, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: In recent years, the Department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue and implement many projects, programs and projects to preserve and promote the values ​​of listed heritages. In particular, focusing on investing, implementing tasks, promoting and introducing the province's cultural heritage to domestic and international friends; proposing to build policies and mechanisms, encouraging artisans to actively participate in the work of protecting, transmitting and promoting heritage. Since the beginning of the year, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has coordinated with localities to organize more than 40 training programs, fostering nearly 1,500 cultural cores of communes and villages on performing Thai xoe; Khen Be, Khen Mong; reenacting and restoring 10 traditional festivals of ethnic groups. In addition, ethnic cultural clubs in the province are also developing strongly and widely, with thousands of members participating.

With the efforts of the government and people, the province's intangible cultural heritages are being promoted and shined. This is an important condition for Son La to turn heritage into a driving force, promoting tourism and cultural development, contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

According to: Son La Newspaper