In Bac Lieu , the Khmer ethnic group has over 78,000 people, accounting for 7.6% of the population.
The people here have a rich spiritual life with Khmer pagodas of splendid architecture, traditional art forms and many festivals imbued with national cultural identity.
Therefore, the province always pays attention to preserving Khmer culture associated with tourism development to bring new experiences, helping visitors understand more deeply about the cultural characteristics here.
Khmer cultural space
When mentioning Khmer cultural and religious tourist attractions in Bac Lieu, many tourists will think of Xiem Can Pagoda (Vinh Trach Dong Commune, Bac Lieu City).
This is not only a Khmer temple with beautiful Angkorian architecture but also a destination with a unique color on the coastal tourist route of Bac Lieu city.
In 2020, this pagoda was ranked as a typical cultural tourist destination of the Mekong Delta.
Ms. Tran Van Anh, a tourist from Quang Ninh province, after visiting Xiem Can Pagoda, shared that she was very impressed with the unique motifs on the temple gate, the dome, the rows of columns, especially the elaborately decorated main hall. Surrounding the walls and ceiling inside the main hall are colorful and vivid frescoes telling the story of Buddha's life from birth, his practice until he attained enlightenment.
Not only that, visitors can also explore the peaceful scenery of the countryside, along with the vegetable growing profession of the Kinh-Hoa-Khmer ethnic communities living together here.
Similarly, in Hung Hoi commune (Vinh Loi district), there are also 3 famous Khmer pagodas: Cu Lao, Cai Gia Giua and Cai Gia Chot. All 3 pagodas are located on the same road with a distance of less than 1km, creating a Khmer cultural space suitable for tourism development. Here, festivals and unique cultural and sports activities often take place on holidays and Tet.
Venerable Ly Quang Long, abbot of Cai Gia Pagoda, shared that during the holidays and Tet of the Khmer people in the South, the pagoda often organizes traditional mini-gò ngo boat races. This activity aims to preserve and promote local culture, while also serving tourism development.
Along with watching the exciting mini boat racing, tourists can also enjoy famous traditional Khmer dishes such as gingerbread and chili cake.
According to Venerable Ly Quang Long, building a Khmer community tourism site associated with the traditional culture of the ethnic group into an attractive destination will help tourists have more choices, and at the same time, the ethnic culture will have more environment to promote. Therefore, the government needs to support households to invest in developing tourism and services so that tourists have more conditions to explore, experience, and learn about the customs, habits, and cultural life of the Khmer ethnic group.
Exploiting Khmer culture in tourism development
According to Vinh Loi District Party Secretary Truong Thanh Nha, Khmer pagodas in Hung Hoi commune have many advantages to be built into rural eco-tourism destinations.
In recent times, the local government has coordinated with the abbots of Khmer pagodas to regularly renovate the landscape and environment, build many miniatures, organize cultural activities such as rom-vong dance, lam-thon dance, monkey-horse dance, du ke stage performances... to attract tourists, contribute to promoting Khmer culture, and at the same time increase income for the people.
Deputy Head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of Bac Lieu province, Luong Van Pho, said that the province has 22 Khmer pagodas, including ancient pagodas that are hundreds of years old such as: the old Hoa Binh pagoda (Hamlet A, Hoa Binh town, Hoa Binh district); the last Cai Gia pagoda (Hamlet Cai Gia, Hung Hoi commune, Vinh Loi district); Costhum pagoda (Hamlet Co Thum, Ninh Thanh Loi commune, Hong Dan district); especially Xiem Can pagoda (Hamlet Bien Dong B, Vinh Trach Dong commune, Bac Lieu city) - a typical Khmer pagoda that attracts a large number of tourists.
Khmer pagodas are not only places to preserve religious values but also unique cultural and artistic centers. The pagodas with their brilliant architecture and sophisticated patterns are vivid evidence of the richness of Khmer culture.
Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Lieu province Ly Vy Trieu Duong, exploiting Khmer culture in tourism development not only brings economic value but also contributes to preserving and promoting traditional values.
Tourism activities have created opportunities for local people to increase their income, improve their lives; and at the same time preserve cultural identity for future generations.
The province is implementing the project "Preserving and promoting traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development."
Many items have been implemented such as installing the stage, decorating the performance area, purchasing performance equipment, and reenacting traditional cultural festivals of the Khmer people at Xiem Can Pagoda.
The pagoda's art troupes are supported with funding to invest in costumes, a new pentatonic orchestra, and training and performance costs to create unique art programs to serve tourists.
In the coming time, Bac Lieu will continue to form typical tourist destinations in areas with a large Khmer ethnic population.
The province organizes training courses on teaching the intangible culture of the Khmer people; skills in welcoming tourists, serving guests, operating tours, and guiding tours./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/bac-lieu-bao-ton-phat-trien-van-hoa-khmer-gan-voi-phat-trien-du-lich-post1046924.vnp
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