Culture becomes a resource for the development of ethnic minority areas

Model of cultural preservation in schools in Lai Chau. (Photo: TRAN TUAN) — Model of cultural preservation in schools in Lai Chau . (Photo: TRAN TUAN)

In ethnic minority areas, each festival, song, dance, custom... reflects the history, knowledge and aspirations of the community. When properly preserved, identity will be promoted, becoming a resource for sustainable socio -economic development. In practice, the Party Committees of many localities with a large population of ethnic minorities have oriented and suggested effective ways of doing things. Typically, exploiting indigenous cultural values to build unique tourism products, attracting tourists, both preserving and developing, and creating a tourism model with high economic efficiency.

Lao Cai is a province with 33 ethnic minorities, with the largest and most diverse number of intangible cultural heritages in the country, with 4 intangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO as representative intangible cultural heritages of humanity; 56 cultural heritages included in the list of national intangible cultural heritages by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; one relic ranked as a special national relic; 34 relics ranked as national relics; 172 relics ranked as provincial relics.

With a consistent view of preserving cultural identity in living space, associated with the interests of the people, the Party Committee and authorities at all levels in Lao Cai have been building specific strategies to turn heritage into assets, making culture a driving force for development, creating sustainable livelihoods for the people. Cultural heritage is "awakened", integrated into unique tourism products, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists. In the first 8 months of 2025, the total number of visitors to Lao Cai is estimated at 7.6 million, of which international visitors reached 925,000. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at more than 32,000 billion VND, equal to 69.45% of the annual plan.

Along with building unique tourism products, another way to turn culture into a resource is to develop OCOP products from specialties that are imbued with the identity of ethnic minorities, such as: Brocade, corn wine, Shan Tuyet tea, wild honey, traditional medicine, etc. These products, when supported in building brands and tracing their origins, will both preserve traditional crafts and expand the market, helping people increase their income and improve their lives.

In Tuyen Quang, Tay Con Linh ancient Shan Tuyet tea is a special cultural product, crystallized from natural elements and traditional manual production processes. Recognizing the values of this "tea heritage", under the direction and orientation of the Provincial Party Committee, the provincial agricultural sector identified this as one of the key crops bringing great economic value, thereby expanding the planting area, building brands, and promoting products. Currently, the whole province has nearly 14,000 hectares of tea for harvest, with an output of about 68,000 tons/year. Each year, the production value from the tea industry is more than 700 billion VND. Based on the potential and advantages of the Shan Tuyet tea region, enterprises, cooperatives, and production households focus on building more than 40 tea products that meet provincial OCOP standards, and 2 products that meet national 5-star OCOP standards.

Noting the issue of cultural development in general and ethnic minority culture in particular, General Secretary To Lam emphasized: Development must be harmonious, ensuring social security, progress, preserving identity, protecting ecology and using resources effectively; not trading off the environment, culture and social security for growth simply for a more sustainable, balanced and humane future. To concretize the direction of the General Secretary, authorities at all levels will accompany the people in building a cultural life, ensuring that identity does not fade but becomes a valuable resource for sustainable development of the local socio-economy, strengthening people's trust in the Party.

QUYNH CHI

Source: https://nhandan.vn/culture-tro-thanh-nguon-luc-phat-trien-vung-dan-toc-thieu-so-post906601.html