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, Bà Triệu and Lê Hòan festivals, while the five festivals at district levels are Mẫu Tam Phủ (Tam Phủ Mother Goddess), Am Tiên - Phủ Nưa, Đồng Cổ Temple, Mai An Tiêm and Cầu Ngư in coastal localities.

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

He founded the Early Lê Dynasty and continued the unfinished national construction process of King Đinh Bộ Lĩnh, also known by his posthumous name Đinh Tiên Hoàng, to build a strong Đại Cồ Việt – the first feudal state of Việt Nam in the 10th century.

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

To pay tribute to Lê Hoàn, local residents built a temple in his hometown in Trung Lập village of Xuân Lập Commune.

Meanwhile, Cầu Ngư Festival is held in the second lunar month each year in Hậu Lộc 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 Triệu Tường (Triệu Tường Tomb), Trống Mái, Dàn Tế Nam Giao (Nam Giao Altar), and Hương Sắc Vùng 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