Lesson 1 - Awakening the soul of Thanh land from heritage

VHO - From the ruins to the halo of the special national title, from the faint gong sounds in the distant memories to the bustling festivals in the villages today, Thanh Hoa's 8-year journey is a living proof of the determination to revive heritage values that seemed to have faded away. When the Party takes on the role of "director", heritage not only revives but also knows how to "tell stories" about a heroic land that is gradually rising strongly.

Ho Dynasty Citadel – World Cultural Heritage, symbol of the reform spirit and creativity of the ancient Vietnamese people. Photo: Provided by Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Conservation Center

In May 2017, Conclusion No. 82-KL/TU was issued by the Standing Committee of Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, laying the strategic foundation for a long-term, sustainable journey: Strengthening the Party's leadership in the work of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of Thanh Hoa province, period 2017-2025.

Heritage "resurrected" from strategic vision

Not a temporary movement, and not limited to propaganda slogans, this conclusion was quickly materialized through a series of programs, plans, resolutions and especially the synchronous participation of the entire political system.

In fact, heritage conservation in Thanh Hoa always faces great challenges: the number of relics is large but their distribution is scattered; many items are seriously degraded; investment resources are limited; socialization is not effective... However, with a strategic vision and high determination, the 2017-2025 period has become an unprecedented turning point.

More than 469 relics have been preserved, restored, and renovated, reaching 147% of the plan. There are places that were once covered with moss and in ruins, but now welcome thousands of visitors to visit, study, and worship.

There are items that seemed to have been forever forgotten, but now they are lit up under the night lights, like people rekindling memories for a land.

Not only stopping at physical works, the work of planning, marking, and zoning to protect relics is also carried out systematically and scientifically. The World Heritage of Ho Dynasty Citadel, Lam Kinh Special National Monument, Con Moong Cave, Trieu Tuong Mausoleum, Trinh Palace, Lung Nhai Oath... are no longer just names in documents, but exist through detailed planning and projects with long-term investment roadmaps.

In terms of institutional depth, the province has issued a series of plans and directives to complete the legal framework for heritage protection. In particular, Directive No. 19/CT-UBND on strengthening the management, preservation, restoration, and promotion of the value of historical and cultural relics and scenic spots in the province has truly become a "legal shield", preventing the encroachment and distortion in the restoration of relics, which has been a painful problem for many years in many localities.

Above all, the biggest change comes from awareness. Grassroots cadres have a better understanding of the role of heritage in local development; people are starting to feel proud when talking about their village temples and hometown festivals; students are returning to historical sites for extracurricular activities. Heritage is no longer something "in the past", but is present, alive, and closely linked to the breath of the present.

“We are not just preserving the old bricks, but restoring a whole depth of memory for today’s generation,” an official from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism shared during a survey in Lam Kinh, a place once associated with the powerful Le Dynasty.

Preserving the soul of Thanh land from every gong sound and song

If bricks and stones are the "body" of the past, then lullabies, mo verses, panpipes, gong sounds, national costumes... are the "soul", the quintessence, fragile but enduring flowing through many generations.

The period 2017-2025 is also the period when Thanh Hoa takes a very long step in identifying and restoring intangible cultural heritage, the underground stream that nurtures the depth of Thanh culture.

719 intangible heritages have been fully inventoried in 26/26 districts, towns and cities. Including all 7 types according to the law: from ethnic languages and writings; customs and rituals; traditional crafts; folk knowledge to traditional festivals...

From major festivals such as Muong Xia, Pon Pong, Le Hoan Temple, Ba Trieu Temple... to folk performances such as Ngu tro Vien Khe, Xuong Dao Duyen, Tro Chieng, hat Sac Bua... all have been documented, digitized, restored or included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Heritage education for the young generation, Thanh Hoa's way of spreading the cultural flame through practical experiences at relic sites. Photo: VHDS

Behind those numbers is the sweat and tireless dedication of folk artists, people without degrees but who are the "professors of memories" of the village.

There are artisans over 80 years old who still diligently teach the Thai panpipes to the younger generation. There are those who have to travel to remote villages to find the lost Muong mo tunes. At times, a whole team of cultural officers had to walk through the forest, climb hills, and stay with the villagers to restore the festival on the traditional day.

A Thai ethnic artist once said emotionally: “I just hope one time before I die to see my descendants dance the bamboo dance like our ancestors did in the past. Now that I have seen it, I feel at peace.”

The province has also boldly issued long-term projects on restoring festivals, developing tourism associated with ethnic minority identity, preserving languages, costumes, and traditional customs of the people.

That is Thanh Hoa's way of not letting culture remain only in books, but bringing it to life, in every village festival, in every village cultural exchange.

In particular, bringing heritage education content into schools, organizing hundreds of experience sessions for students at relics, building extracurricular programs associated with national culture... have aroused pride in the young generation, the force that determines the future of heritage.

Eight years is a long journey. But heritage with its sustainable and timeless nature requires a longer-term vision. Thanh Hoa province is continuing to propose specific mechanisms, prioritizing budget allocation and socializing resources, promoting digital applications, and at the same time investing systematically in the cultural workforce, so that what is preserved today will be a valuable asset for tomorrow.

“We don’t want our children to only see our heritage through books. We must do something to help them live in our heritage, be proud of it, and preserve it as part of their flesh and blood,” a young cultural official confided. That statement is not just an expectation, but a goal. Because a nation can only go far when it knows how to set foot on the heritage of its ancestors.

(To be continued)

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/bai-1-danh-thuc-hon-xu-thanh-tu-di-san-158730.html