As a border mountainous commune with a convenient location connecting tourist routes associated with Mong Cai international border gate and Bac Phong Sinh border gate, Hai Son has over 90% of the population being ethnic minorities, mainly Dao and San Chi people.
Many indigenous cultural values, customs, costumes and traditional cuisine are still preserved through many generations, according to the Quang Ninh Electronic Information Portal (TTĐT).
In recent years, local tourism has gradually flourished with highlights such as the mural space of the Dang family village, the custom of returning faces in weddings, the Cap Sac ceremony of the Dao people, and the fortune-telling ceremony of the San Chi people. The Doi singing melodies of the Dao people, the Soong Co singing of the San Chi people, and mountain and forest cuisine also contribute to attracting tourists.
However, the exploitation of cultural values is still not commensurate with its potential. Some folk games are at risk of fading, the rate of using ethnic minority languages in the community is gradually decreasing, traditional housing architecture is no longer widely preserved, while local products are still developing small-scale.
Faced with that reality, the Party Committee of Hai Son commune issued Resolution No. 15-NQ/DU dated February 13, 2026 on preserving and promoting the traditional cultural identity of ethnic groups associated with the development of experiential tourism and community tourism in the period 2025 - 2030, with orientations to 2035.
According to this orientation, Hai Son strives to become a key destination for experiential tourism and community tourism associated with "red addresses" of the province and the whole country. In the period 2026 - 2030, the locality focuses on completing the planning of the Po Hen national historical relic site to become a typical spiritual tourist destination; building at least 1 Dao ethnic community cultural tourism space associated with the OCOP program; restoring traditional rituals and welcoming about 30,000 visitors each year. At the same time, 100% of schools in the area include local ethnic cultural content in extracurricular activities.
To realize this goal, the locality implements many synchronous solutions, from spatial planning, preserving traditional architecture to attracting investment in ecotourism and forest-backed resort projects. Destinations such as sim hill, Phinh Ho lake, Ma Thau Son peak, Pa Nai peak are oriented towards landscape preservation associated with tourism development.
In parallel with that, Hai Son promotes the development of agricultural experience tourism and standardizes local products according to the OCOP program such as Red Dao herbal tea, forest honey, leaf yeast wine, Dao - San Chi brocade, golden cassava. The locality also promotes resource socialization to upgrade infrastructure, train tourism skills for people and digitize promotion activities, connect tour routes.
According to Mr. Do Viet Manh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hai Son commune, the consensus of the political system and people is a decisive factor in both preserving traditional cultural identity and creating motivation for economic development from sustainable tourism.
