Preserving cultural values
Over the past time, local authorities and social organizations have continuously implemented many measures to protect and promote traditional cultural beauty, raising public awareness of the importance of preserving national identity.
The district currently has about 60 relics and landscapes, of which 30 have been inventoried and 13 have been ranked at provincial and national levels. Cultural works with spiritual values play an important role in tourism development. Temples, pagodas and ancient shrines associated with the folk beliefs of the Muong people are managed and protected to create tourist attractions and bring sustainable economic benefits to the locality.
However, some cultural values are gradually fading away, typically the traditional stilt house, a typical cultural symbol of the Muong people. In remote areas, this architecture is still maintained, but the rate is not more than 70-80%.
In addition, the traditional costumes of the Muong people are also a unique cultural element. Bearing a strong ethnic imprint, they are now less and less used in daily life, but are still maintained in schools, festivals or by the elderly and women in remote areas.
Muong gong music, an intangible cultural heritage, is also declining, with only about 2,000 gongs left, due to economic difficulties and the hunt for antiques. To overcome this, the district has made efforts to organize festivals and provide new gongs for art troupes to preserve this art form.
Cultural preservation associated with tourism
Tan Lac proactively preserves and promotes many other intangible cultural heritages. In 2024, the district coordinated with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to inventory 100 intangible heritages and propose conservation plans. Traditional festivals such as Khai Ha Festival, Ke Pagoda Festival, and Lo Son Commune Stream Fishing Festival not only preserve cultural values but also attract the participation of a large number of people and tourists. In particular, Khai Ha Festival has been maintained for more than 20 years, playing an important role in preserving national identity.
Efforts to preserve and promote culture and tourism in Tan Lac have also seen many improvements. In the first 9 months of 2024, the locality welcomed nearly 289,000 visitors, including more than 7,000 international visitors, bringing in a total revenue of more than 189,295 million VND, contributing to economic development and improving people's lives.
Implementing the project to preserve and promote the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group, the People's Committee of Tan Lac district launched the emulation movement "Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group and Hoa Binh culture" in the period of 2024-2030. Establishing 26 traditional art clubs, 15 clubs to preserve ethnic identity to maintain folk songs, dances, and traditional rituals.
Despite many successes, cultural preservation in Tan Lac still faces many challenges. Many tangible and intangible cultural heritages are gradually being lost without effective protection measures. The application of technology in preservation has not been implemented synchronously, while many artisans have not received the necessary support from policies to be able to teach and preserve national culture.
In the face of difficulties, Tan Lac has promoted programs to raise community awareness of developing cultural tourism. The Cultural - Sports - Tourism Festival of highland communes has contributed to promoting Muong culture, attracting the attention of domestic and foreign tourists, creating momentum for sustainable tourism development for the locality.
