In July 2026, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Son La province organized the award ceremony for the Son La Tourism Gift Contest 2026 with the theme "Son La Essence - Tourism Gift Imprint". The first prize belonged to Ms. Dieu Thi Nhat, Quynh Nhai commune, with the product "Hand-painted Bee Wax Scarf".
As someone working in the field of cultural management and ethnology research, Ms. Nhat sees the contest as an opportunity to turn the beauty of her homeland culture into products with contemporary vitality.
The product idea originated from the traditional wax-painted brocade scarf of the Mong ethnic people. She hopes that each tourist when leaving Son La will not only carry memories of nature but also have a souvenir containing the culture of this land.
The art of beeswax painting of the Mong people uses copper pens or bamboo sticks to draw hot beeswax on indigo fabric, creating geometric, serrated, and symmetrical spiral motifs. These patterns not only have decorative value but also express the cosmological, humanistic, and love of nature of the people.
From indigenous natural jute fabric, traditional fabric weaving and beeswax painting techniques combined with modern shapes and aesthetic thinking, Ms. Nhat created a scarf that is both a fashion accessory and tells a story of Son La culture.
According to Ms. Nhat, the award is just the beginning. Products need to be realized and commercialized to reach tourists, instead of just stopping at experimental samples.
To do that, the connection between managers, creators and producers is needed. Management agencies need to support connection, legality, copyright and bring products into tourism promotion activities. Businesses and cooperatives need to exploit the strengths of craft villages, diversify designs but maintain core values. On the author's side, Ms. Nhat is willing to accompany and adjust designs to suit production while still ensuring aesthetics and cultural messages.
Hand-painted beeswax scarf" is expected to become a product imbued with "Son La's quintessence", contributing to bringing the image of the Northwest land and people closer to domestic and international tourists.
