On April 25 and 26, at the Ethnic Culture Park of Sa Pa ward, the Culture and Tourism Festival of Ban Ho commune with the theme "Then Soul of the Mountain Town" attracted a large number of people and tourists.
The festival space is bustling with Then songs and zither sounds echoing in the mountains and forests, creating a picture imbued with identity.
The indigo robes, brocade patterns, stilt houses... seem to be brought intact from the village to the city, helping visitors clearly feel the cultural life of the people.
Ban Ho - a land about 15km from the center of Sa Pa National Tourist Area - has long been likened to a cultural valley, home to the Tay, H'Mong, Dao, Kinh ethnic groups.
Not only possessing pristine natural landscapes with hot springs and waterfalls, this place also preserves many unique cultural values.
This is the first time I have directly watched Then singing and experienced making brocade. The atmosphere is very close, authentic, completely different from crowded tourist destinations," Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong (a tourist from Hanoi) shared.
The festival does not stop at performances but also opens up a diverse experience space. In the area of the Community Connecting Culture Cooperative, visitors can participate in activities such as weaving, enjoying traditional cuisine, learning about OCOP products and community tourism models.
Small but indigenous stalls have become attractive stops. From five-color sticky rice, grilled meat, leaf wine to handicraft brocade products... all bear the local imprint.
Representatives of the organizing committee said that through the festival, the locality wishes to introduce to tourists the typical tourism products of Ban Ho; and connect with high-quality resort models such as Topas Ecolodge - one of the prominent eco-resorts in the area.
Not just stopping at one event, Ban Ho Culture - Tourism Festival is considered the first step in the local tourism development strategy after the merger.
According to the orientation, Ban Ho will develop according to a green - identity - sustainable tourism model. In which, protecting upstream forests and preserving natural ecosystems is considered the foundation.
In parallel, types of tourism such as community tourism, ecotourism, experience and adventure in the Hoang Lien National Park area will also be promoted.
In particular, tourism not only brings revenue but also creates direct livelihoods for people. From homestays, cooking, local tour guides to handicraft production, each person can become a "link" in the tourism value chain.
To make tourism truly become a "lever" for economic development, according to experts, it is necessary to continue investing in infrastructure, human resource training and building distinctive products.
In the tourism development flow of Sa Pa, Ban Ho is gradually finding its own direction - not noisy, not mass, but based on existing cultural and natural values.
Hon Then Mountain Town" is not only the theme of a festival, but also a reminder about preserving what belongs to identity - to thereby develop sustainably and long-term.
