54 ethnic groups with unique identities are a rich resource for Vietnam to develop cultural industry associated with heritage conservation.

Indigenous cultural tourism not only attracts tourists to ethnic minority regions, but also raises community awareness of indigenous heritage, contributing to the preservation of traditional cultures that are gradually fading away.

“Golden capital” from culture

“Everything that creates the cultural diversity of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam will encompass and create cultural resources. But to promote resources, there must be a comprehensive solution. Not only in Vietnam but also in many countries, there are still cultural prejudices… That shows that solutions must aim to break prejudices and raise awareness, respect the diversity of cultural expressions; connect the diversity of ethnic groups together” – Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong - Director of Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts.

In Vietnam, resources for the development of cultural industries are very diverse and rich, such as geo-economic resources, resources, human resources, finance, cultural tourism, etc.

Resources play an important role and are considered from many different perspectives. There are material and immaterial resources. There are measurable, quantifiable, and identifiable resources, but there are also unquantifiable resources.

In a narrow scope, the indigenous heritage of ethnic minority communities is a “golden resource” to promote cultural tourism – an important field in the cultural industry development strategy.

With a community of 54 ethnic groups, indigenous cultural capital is not only found in poetry, music, cinema, and painting, but many heritages have been recognized as treasures of humanity, attracting the exploration of international researchers and tourists.

Standing at an international position to observe, many foreigners do not understand what Vietnam has? But many people also know a friendly and hospitable Vietnam, a Vietnam with a strong identity, many beautiful landscapes, diverse customs containing meaningful Eastern concepts and philosophies of life.

Many people know about the Pieu scarf - a typical feature of the Thai people, the loincloth of the Ede men, the crow's beak scarf - the five-panel shirt of the Tay women. Many people also know about the Tinh lute of the Tay people, the Khen of the Mong people. They know about the palace of the Meo King at the headland of the Fatherland, or Pao's house in the movie "Pao's Story", and know about the long houses and communal houses in the Central Highlands.

Many people also know the forest worshiping ceremony in the Northern mountainous region, the water wharf worshiping ceremony of the Central Highlands ethnic groups or the gong festival. They know the Mo singing of the Muong people, know the inh la - xao noong of the Thai people, know the custom of sleeping visit, wife capture or saying string, the custom of tang cau or straw hat, banana hemp shirt...

That is to say, the richness of indigenous culture is a resource and a rich source of capital to implement indigenous tourism projects and strategies. If we know how to exploit it to serve the cultural industry, we will not only spread and promote the heritage, but also help preserve and develop that heritage in the very place where the ethnic minority community is living.

Respect local culture

In mid-April, at the Vietnam Ethnic Culture and Tourism Village, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung affirmed in the Forum "Vietnamese Ethnic Culture - Resources for Developing a Prosperous and Happy Country": Exploiting and promoting the cultural resources of ethnic communities is something that needs to be done in a sustainable manner, step by step, with tasks, and with focus and key points.

The cultural sector must promote the role of the people as creative subjects, the intellectual team plays an important role and mobilize the participation of all relevant parties, contributing to the development of cultural resources of ethnic groups, for the common development of the country.

At the forum, the presentations all agreed that the cultural heritage values of ethnic minorities are rich and abundant materials and inspirations for exploiting and developing the cultural industry. However, in the process of exploiting this potential, creative entities and producers need to pay attention to minimize negative impacts on the cultural heritage system.

“Cultural subjects must be clearly aware of their cultural values, consciously bringing their culture into production processes to create cultural products. They must continuously create and create cultural practices, leading to better and more effective operation of economic flows as well as social relations of individuals and communities,” said Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham - Director of the Institute of Cultural Studies (Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences).

There are many aspects to exploit the culture of ethnic minorities to serve the cultural industry. It can be from creating costumes, patterns, props, or more broadly, community tourism - attracting visitors to villages, scenic spots, festivals. Establishing homestays in famous places such as Mu Cang Chai, Y Ty, the rocky plateau... to serve resort tourism and cultural tourism is a typical example.

However, the strategy for developing cultural industries must go hand in hand with the preservation and maintenance of cultural characteristics. The incident of “locking up” two ancient trees in the Choan Then village park area in Y Ty commune (Bat Xat – Lao Cai) has demonstrated the lack of respect for the traditional cultural values of the Ha Nhi ethnic group. That not only loses the inherent value of the wild landscape, but also unintentionally loses the trust of the local people in welcoming tourists.

Therefore, although capital is available, developing the cultural industry is not simple. Indigenous cultural tourism is only successful when cultural workers know how to respect culture, appreciate tradition, and appreciate nature. At the same time, local authorities and investors only consider profit as secondary - because the main thing is to protect the integrity and richness of traditional culture.