Thanh Hóa Province has given great attention to the preservation of traditional cultural values over the years as one of the targets to boost tourism development. — Photo baothanhhoa.vn

THANH HÓA — The central province of Thanh Hóa is rolling out practical measures to combine tourism development with the preservation and promotion of heritage values.

The province has paid great attention to the promotion of traditional culture over the years, together with efforts in boosting socio-economic development, according to a report by baothanhhoa.vn

The restoration and preservation of traditional festivals, folk games, songs and dances are part of its long-term tourism plans.

However, the effectiveness of the exploitation of the heritage to make them an important resource for the locality’s development has yet to meet Thanh Hóa’s expectations, said the report.

In this context, the province has focused on selecting, investing in and promoting a number of typical traditional festivals and unique folk cultural practices to turn them into its special tourism products, under a project approved recently by the provincial People’s Committee, to serve tourism development.

The province has chosen three festivals at the provincial level and five at the district level to promote, aiming to form and supplement tourism products and trademarks.

The three provincial-level festivals selected are Lam Kinh, Ba Trieu and Le Hòan festivals, while the five festivals at district levels are Mẫu Tam Phủ (Tam Phủ Mother Goddess), Am Tien - Phủ Nưa, Đồng Cổ Temple, Mai An Tiem and Cầu Ngư in coastal localities.

Among the provincial-level festivals is Le Hòan Festival, which is held annually on the 7th, 8th and 9th day of the third lunar month in Xuan Lập Commune of Thọ Xuan District to commemorate Le Hòan, posthumous name Đại Hanh Hoang Đế (Emperor Đại Hanh), who was born in 941 in Trung Lập Village in the area which is now Xuan Lap Commune. 

He founded the Early Le Dynasty and continued the unfinished national construction process of King Đinh Bo Lĩnh, also known by his posthumous name Đinh Tien Hoang, to build a strong Đại Cồ Viet – the first feudal state of Viet Nam in the 10th century.

During the 24 years under Le Hoan’s reign, the country was at peace while people enjoyed a happy life thanks to unprecedented reforms.

To pay tribute to Le Hoan, local residents built a temple in his hometown in Trung Lập village of Xuan Lập Commune.

Meanwhile, Cầu Ngư Festival is held in the second lunar month each year in Hậu Loc District, Nghi Sơn Town and Sầm Sơn City.

The province will also restore and promote six unique folk cultural practices to perform in tourist sites to serve visitors when the pandemic is controlled and visitors can return.

Furthermore, six new festivals will be organised, with the expectation that they will become major tourist destinations including Phủ Trịnh (Trịnh Temple), Lăng Miếu Trieu Tường (Trieu Tường Tomb), Trống Mai, Dan Tế Nam Giao (Nam Giao Altar), and Hương Sắc Vung Cao (Mountainous Beauty).

However, experts said to effectively implement the plans, Thanh Hóa should design suitable mechanisms and policies, especially those in developing infrastructure systems in tourist and festival sites to ensure the best services for visitors.

At the same time, management activities should be enforced particularly in organising festivals and in connecting tourism routes inside the province and with other areas in the region.

The report stressed that the province should work harder to promote the role of folk artisans in transferring their knowledge in traditional culture to younger generations while developing human resources for festival tourism activities, and calling for the engagement of the community in the implementation of the scheme. — VNS