Visiting and experiencing the traditional vermicelli production process is a new tourism product that Bình Liêu Commune is investing in developing. — Photo baoquangninh.vn

QUẢNG NINH — Tradition and tourism are growing hand in hand in Bình Liêu Commune, where local authorities are turning indigenous culture into a sustainable draw for visitors while protecting the area’s ethnic identity.

With ethnic minorities accounting for more than 92.7 per cent of the population, mainly Tày, Dao and Sán Chỉ communities, the commune boasts a rich and distinctive cultural heritage.

Recently, it hosted the Soóng cọ Festival 2026 under the theme The Source of Soóng cọ, launching a series of cultural and tourism activities. The festival is also being developed as a signature tourism product aligned with Resolution 80 of the Politburo on cultural development.

Highlights included a live art performance at the Khe Vằn Waterfall Ecotourism Area, blending modern technology with the natural forest setting. Visitors also participated in sports activities, explored local life, experienced cassava vermicelli making, and sampled traditional cuisine, OCOP products and handicrafts.

Đặng Thu Phương, Deputy Secretary of the commune’s Party Committee and Chairwoman of its People’s Committee, said Bình Liêu is committed to sustainable tourism rooted in cultural preservation.

The locality is improving infrastructure, enhancing services and developing new products such as craft village experiences and highland markets, while strengthening tourism links to position itself as a distinctive destination in the northeast.

A key initiative is a project to transform Bình Liêu Central Market into a culturally rich highland market, serving not only as a trading hub but also as a space for cultural exchange and tourism.

The commune is also expanding autumn-winter tourism linked to terraced rice fields, reed seasons and border routes, alongside annual activities such as Sán Chỉ women’s football, trekking tours and Tày new rice ceremonies.

Meanwhile, the Khe Vằn Waterfall Ecotourism Area project, covering 5.77ha, is 80 per cent complete and expected to open in October. Designed to blend modern facilities with local culture and nature, it is set to become a key attraction.

With a clear culture-based strategy, Bình Liêu is emerging as an appealing community tourism destination in the northeastern border region, aiming to welcome 50,000 visitors in 2026. — VNS