Bridge connecting heritage and tourism

Hai Phong has a long-standing culture with thousands of unique festivals. From traditional folk festivals preserved through many generations to modern festivals with a color of integration, all contribute to enriching the unique cultural appearance of the Port City.

Traditional festivals with many unique and special activities are a way to attract tourists . Photo by THANH CHUNG

More than 2,000 festivals - from traditional to modern

The Do Son buffalo fighting festival has existed since ancient times, associated with the worship of the water god of the coastal fishing community. Held annually on the 9th day of the 8th lunar month, the festival is imbued with the desire to conquer nature, pray for favorable weather, peace and prosperity for the country. In 2025, the festival will continue to be held with full spiritual rituals, buffalo processions and buffalo fighting competitions. The highlight is that the organization has been comprehensively upgraded, ensuring absolute safety for participants, in accordance with the direction of the Government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“After being restored and developed, the organization of the festival has been increasingly improved in both scale and quality, while still maintaining its traditional values ​​and typical folk elements. The Do Son buffalo fighting festival has become a precious cultural heritage, a unique and attractive tourism product, contributing to promoting the image of Do Son in particular and Hai Phong city in general to domestic and international tourists,” said Mr. Pham Hoang Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Do Son Ward.

After expanding the cultural space, the Con Son - Kiep Bac festival has also become a major event of the city. This is not only a special national relic but also an important part of the scenic complex that has just been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. This year's autumn festival is held in conjunction with a series of important events: commemorating the 583rd death anniversary of Nguyen Trai, opening the Con Son - Kiep Bac festival, announcing the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic complex as a World Heritage Site, and the opening ceremony of the seal of Saint Tran. Directing the organization of the autumn festival in 2025, comrade Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: "The task of the industry is not only to preserve relics but also to promote the value of heritage, so that heritage lives in the hearts of the people, attracting domestic and foreign tourists" ...

Not only a traditional festival, in recent years, the annual Red Flamboyant Festival has become a unique cultural highlight of Hai Phong city. Held for the first time in 2012, the Red Flamboyant Festival marked an activity to promote the land and people of Hai Phong in the period of development and international integration with many artistic activities, sports, and colorful performances.

Linking festivals with tourism development is the most sustainable way to preserve, conserve and promote cultural values. Photo by THANH CHUNG

Spreading festival values ​​associated with tourism development

For many people and tourists, attending traditional festivals is an interesting experience because not only can they fully enjoy the solemn and sacred atmosphere, but they can also watch traditional rituals being restored and passed down, and learn about the culture of the indigenous people. For example, in the spring of 2025, the Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site welcomed about 68,000 visitors; the Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival in 2024 also attracted tens of thousands of visitors. Not only these two festivals, Hai Phong has many festivals with many traditional rituals imbued with cultural colors that are restored and can become tourist destinations during the festival season.

In order for festivals to become attractive tourism products, the culture, sports and tourism sectors and localities need to preserve traditional identities, fully restore traditional rituals and games, and at the same time apply modern elements such as sound, light, and projection technology in a reasonable manner. In addition, it is necessary to link festivals with spiritual, ecological, and culinary tours; build experiential programs for tourists such as participating in processions, making handicrafts, and enjoying traditional dishes. Festival infrastructure also needs to be given attention and invested synchronously by localities. Specifically, convenient transportation, parking lots, restrooms, signboards, along with security, environmental sanitation, and commercial civilization. At the same time, encourage tourism and service businesses to join in opening food stalls, souvenir products, organizing experiential tours, and connecting domestic and foreign travel agencies. Besides the efforts of all levels and sectors, each local person needs to become a "cultural ambassador" to introduce to friends and tourists.

When organized systematically, professionally and spreading its values, the festival is not only a space for community cultural activities, but also becomes a "cultural - tourist destination" of Hai Phong on the national and international tourism map.

According to statistics, the whole city currently has more than 2,000 festivals of various scales, many of which are recognized as national intangible cultural heritage.

TUAN LINH

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/nhip-cau-ket-noi-di-san-va-du-lich-520312.html