Cham cultural heritage in tourism development in Khanh Hoa

Cham girls perform traditional dance.

Resolution No. 01-NQ/TU dated July 14, 2025 of Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee on double-digit economic growth in the 2025-2030 period, identifies tourism and services as one of the four main pillars of development.

The province aims to welcome 20.5 million domestic and international visitors by 2030; tourism contributes 15% of GRDP and 20% of total local budget revenue. tourism-services

Treasure trove of unique Cham cultural heritage

Khanh Hoa is a land of many differences, a long-standing intersection of many unique cultures from the mountains, plains to the sea, islands... between the Cham, Raglai, Kinh... ethnic groups, creating a rich and colorful treasure of cultural heritage.

Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hoa said: The province has 257 ranked cultural heritages, of which three intangible cultural heritages have been recognized by UNESCO: the art of Southern amateur singing; the art of Bai Choi and the traditional pottery art of the Cham people.

Along with that, there are three special national relics: Po Nagar Tower, Po Klong Garai Tower and Hoa Lai Tower; five national treasures; 33 historical and cultural relics, scenic spots ranked at national level...

Khanh Hoa province has 257 ranked cultural heritages, of which three intangible cultural heritages have been recognized by UNESCO: the art of Southern amateur singing; the art of Bai Choi and the traditional pottery art of the Cham people.

The ancient temple and tower architectures are still intact; Kate festivals; Ba's death anniversary ceremonies... have unique historical, cultural and artistic values, contributing to the diverse treasure of Cham cultural heritage in particular and Vietnamese national culture in general, attracting many researchers and millions of domestic and international tourists to visit and experience.

In June 2017, the Kate Festival was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In July 2025, Ponagar Tower received the Certificate of Special National Monument; Ponagar Tower Festival was also honored as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is a recognition and affirmation of the architectural and artistic values of the unique ancient Cham culture associated with the depth of spiritual life of the ethnic groups in Khanh Hoa province.

Nowadays, major annual festivals, such as: Kate Festival, held at Po Klong Garai Tower, Do Vinh Ward, commemorating the king who made great contributions to reclaiming the fields, bringing water to the fields, and taking care of improving the people's lives; The Lady's Festival at Ponagar Tower, located on the banks of Cai River and Nha Trang Bay, commemorating the Holy Mother Thien Y Ana, who is honored by the people as the Mother of the Cham people... are no longer festivals of the Cham community alone but have become a day of joy for all ethnic groups.

At the foot of the tower, everyone attending the festival shows their respect and gratitude to the gods; together they pray for favorable weather, good crops, good health, peace, prosperity for everyone, the atmosphere is very solemn.

After the rituals at the temples and towers, there is a festival of the village and family with many exciting cultural and sports activities, imbued with Cham cultural identity, attracting millions of tourists from all over the world to join in the fun, to admire the Cham girls wearing traditional costumes, gracefully dancing with folk dances and blending with traditional music from the instruments of the ghi nang drum, paranung drum, saranai trumpet... for several days.

Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Luyen, a tourist from Dong Nai province, confided: “For more than 10 years, I have been coming to Khanh Hoa on the occasion of the local Kate festival; the Lady's death anniversary... I really like the beautiful scenery, the hospitality and friendliness of the people here. The architecture of Po Klong Garai tower, Ba Trong Ghi Nang tower, and ancient Cham temples are built very uniquely. Although they have existed for hundreds of years, they still retain their shape and color almost intact. I am very impressed.”

Lots of room for tourism development

Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Long Bien said: "The province has approved the project to preserve and promote the value of the Kate Festival of the Cham people in the period of 2025-2030, with an investment capital of more than 10 billion VND, to preserve the rituals, ceremonies, performing arts, etc. associated with the festival; at the same time, support the maintenance of traditional craft villages serving the festival; integrate the festival content into school programs and tourism activities... to continue promoting the values of cultural heritage, well serving the needs of tourism development, contributing to the locality achieving rapid and sustainable growth".

The province has approved a project to preserve and promote the value of the Kate Festival of the Cham people in the 2025-2030 period, with an investment capital of more than 10 billion VND, to preserve the rituals, ceremonies, performing arts, etc. associated with the festival; at the same time, support the maintenance of traditional craft villages serving the festival; integrate the festival content into school programs and tourism activities, etc. to continue promoting the values of cultural heritage, well serving the needs of tourism development, contributing to the locality achieving rapid and sustainable growth.
Mr. Nguyen Long Bien, Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee

In recent years, Bau Truc traditional pottery village, Ninh Phuoc commune has always welcomed 500-700 visitors/day; during summer and holidays, the number of visitors increases 2-3 times, thereby developing tourism associated with preserving the traditional craft villages of the Cham people better and better.

Mr. Phu Huu Minh Thuan, Director of Bau Truc Cham Pottery Cooperative, excitedly said: “In 2022, the Cham pottery art heritage was listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection, which is not only a great source of pride, but also a motivation for people to be more creative, to produce high-quality products, meeting the tastes of domestic and foreign consumers. Currently, the income of workers in the craft village is from 6-8 million VND/person/month, people's lives have improved a lot".

It can be said that throughout history, the ethnic groups in Khanh Hoa have together created cultural values imbued with identity and rich in human values, so that today, culture has become a priceless asset, a driving force, an indispensable element for the sustainable development of the province.

With a space stretching north-south from Dai Lanh sea to Ca Na, spreading from the East Sea to the border of the Central Highlands mountains; with a system of relics that have been counted and ranked with typical, outstanding features in culture, history, science, architecture, art, and fine arts, it has opened up many opportunities for tourism development for Khanh Hoa. We believe that Khanh Hoa will soon rise to a new position, becoming a prominent land of the South Central region.

NGUYEN TRUNG

Source: ttps://nhandan.vn/di-san-van-hoa-cham-trong-phat-trien-du-lich-o-khanh-hoa-post903139.html