Vietnam Ethnic Culture and Tourism Village: Creating a smart tourist area

From a cultural institution serving the conservation and promotion of the heritage values of ethnic minorities, the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism (Dong Mo, Hoa Lac Commune, Hanoi) is transforming strongly, aiming to become a smart tourist area and a national cultural destination of international stature.

Traditional art performance at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism (Hoa Lac commune, Hanoi).

A clear highlight of the transformation is shown through the way the Village proactively creates a vibrant cultural space that harmoniously combines traditional preservation and the application of modern technology.

In recent years, the Village has become a unique cultural experience destination. The natural landscape and rich indigenous cultural resources are favorable conditions for the Village to develop quality and attractive tourism products.

Not long before, the creative camp put into operation during the April 30-May 1 holiday opened a space for accommodation connecting artists, researchers and tourists in a cultural environment rich in identity. Contemporary art performances in the resounding sound of gongs, amidst the architectural space of ethnic minorities in the Northwest and Central Highlands have contributed to diversifying and professionalizing tourism activities in the Village, creating authentic emotions for guests.

One of the highlights of cultural diplomacy activities was the event of welcoming the Japanese Prime Minister's wife and the Vietnamese Prime Minister's wife to visit the Village last April. Experiences such as sewing con fruit, learning about national cultural identity, experiencing folk games, enjoying cuisine , and chatting with artisans left a deep impression and opened up a new approach in promoting Vietnamese culture to international friends.

On that basis, a model of cultural events linked to diplomacy is being shaped, gradually realizing the goal of making the Village a destination in cultural diplomacy and international exchange activities.

According to Trinh Ngoc Chung, Director of the Department of Culture of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), the Village has welcomed many international delegations to visit. In the coming time, programs with cultural diplomacy elements will be developed more professionally, meeting the high requirements of reception work, ensuring security as well as exchange activities. In the spirit of the content of the Project "Internationalizing national cultural identity, nationalizing the quintessence of world culture" while exploiting and promoting the potential of the Village's cultural space, the Department of Culture of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups will strengthen coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, combine with relevant agencies to research and build a scientific council to orient the development of architectural space, landscape, and festivals with the identity of each ethnic group, ensuring scientific nature and unique cultural characteristics to serve cultural diplomacy work.

In the transformation roadmap, towards becoming a smart tourist area and a national-international cultural destination, the Department of Culture of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups is operating and synchronously implementing many solutions.

One of the priority tasks is to apply science, technology and communication in the spirit of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation and Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW of the Politburo on international integration in the new situation. On the digital platform, cultural products such as interactive maps, short videos, and educational materials have been and are being completed.

In particular, experiential learning programs on digital platforms, introducing national culture on social networks are gradually forming a cultural-educational tourism ecosystem, contributing to bringing culture into schools in a flexible and attractive way.

A trendy move is to coordinate with TikTok Vietnam, connecting KOLs to experience customs, folk games, traditional cuisine, etc., thereby expanding the coverage of the Village on digital platforms and the ability to access culture to young people at home and abroad. Short videos posted on the Village's Fanpage attract a stable number of followers, positive interactions and are widely shared.

In the context of the increasing trend of international visitors and students, the Department of Culture of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups has clearly identified the direction of developing specialized tourism products in the direction of education, experience and interaction.

To achieve this goal, the Village will promote tourism cooperation, organize international seminars, strengthen links with schools and travel agencies, and develop specialized cultural tourism products that are educational and experiential, both rich in identity and modern. Festival activities, craft demonstrations, and art performances are organized in conjunction with the tourist season, meeting the diverse needs of visitors.

Along with that, the human-centered orientation is clearly demonstrated through the policy of caring for the artisan team. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Circular 05/2023/TT-BVHTTDL, effective from September 2024, has contributed to improving income and stabilizing the lives of artisans working regularly in the Village.

With a support level of 4.8 million VND/person/month, people feel more secure to stay long-term, perform and teach cultural knowledge in the unique traditional living environment of the Village.

With concrete steps, as a cultural institution operating under the management of the State, the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism is shaping its position as a center for international exchange on heritage and cultural diversity.

Aiming to build a smart cultural-tourism ecosystem through digital transformation, open and flexible cooperation investment mechanisms, the Village gradually affirms its role as a cultural destination, making practical contributions to the strategy of promoting the image of the country and Vietnamese people as rich in identity, modern and integrated.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/lang-van-hoa-du-lich-cac-dan-toc-viet-nam-kien-tao-khu-du-lich-thong-minh-20250725092852038.htm